Draft Profile: T.J. Warren

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Not many people outside of NC State and the Atlantic Coast Conference knew about T.J. Warren prior to last season. He changed that quickly with an unbelievable sophomore campaign. Warren ran away with the ACC scoring title by dropping in 24.8 points per game. That number blew away the average of Jabari Parker, who finished second in the ACC with an average of 19.3 PPG. Warren finished third in the nation in scoring average. He was named the ACC Player of the Year on March 11.

Warren can absolutely fill it up. He is a very eclectic offensive player. Body-wise, he reminds me a lot of Richard Jefferson (coincidentally, they both wear No. 24). He’s a good athlete – though not a great leaper – who’s fast in transition. Warren has a good first step and has great body control. He is a heck of a finisher in traffic thanks to his variety of shots inside 15 feet. He has a quick release on all of his shots, but his perimeter shot is not as consistent as NBA teams would like. Warren shot just 26.7 percent from 3-point range last season. His shot is not broken, however. He has good form on his release but needs to clean up his footwork and overall shooting motion. Regardless, he’s a shot-maker, which is a moniker that few are worthy of. Despite Warren’s lack of 3-point success last season, he was an extremely efficient offensive player, averaging 1.023 points per possession. He’s not a very skilled passer. Warren has a great motor, which allows him to excel as a rebounder at his position and also play solid defense. He has a great nose for the ball and loves to attack the glass; ranked seventh in the entire ACC in rebounding last season with an average of 7.1 per game. Warren has great hands on defense, which help to mask some of his other deficiencies. He is beaten off the dribble quite often and can fall asleep at times while he’s away from the ball on defense. He’s unable to bump a player off of his path during drives to the basket.

Warren was born on Sept. 5, 1993 in Durham, N.C. He grew up in North Carolina and began his high school basketball career nearby at Durham’s Riverside High. He transferred to Word of God Christian Academy, located in Raleigh, and then transferred yet again to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. Warren was recruited heavily as his high school career came to a close. NC State, UNC, Georgetown and Florida all made scholarship offers to the small forward. He committed NC State, where his father Tony played from 1977-79, on Nov. 2, 2011. Warren joined Rodney Purvis and Tyler Lewis as the third ESPN 100 recruit to commit to NC State that season. Warren was ranked 29th. He averaged 12.1 PPG and 4.2 RPG as a freshman. Those numbers increased dramatically as a sophomore, all the way up to 24.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG. Warren was chosen as the ACC Player of the Year. He declared for the NBA Draft on April 8.