Saberestar wrote:bwgood77 wrote:I hadn't looked at Banes at all, but just pulling up his college #s look impressive.
As a 6'6 guard, over 44% from 3, over 16 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg, 1.5 spg
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/desmond-bane-1.htmlIt's not just one year of great shooting from3 either has his avg for 4 years is 43.3%...shot over 46% one year. Volume of shots higher each year and really high this past year.
This does look like a James Jones pick, and if he's projected to go in the 20s, he sounds like a very likely candidate for Jones to take at 10.
Probably he is just 6'5, but who cares, he looks like a freaking bodybuilder.
This guy can be like PJ Tucker/Royce O'Neale but with better playmaking skills and shooting. A player like that would be gold.
Serious candidate at #10 for me.
That would be awesome to get a really good 3 or shooting version of PJ Tucker. I had his comp as a better shooting, Yet less athletic Eric Gordon. I still also like Merrill as a supreme value consideration as a late 2nd - undrafted selection. He's also a dead eye shooter.
https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/76ers/2020-nba-draft-profile-sam-merrill-sixers-utah-state-basketballPerhaps the most cold-blooded shotmaker in college basketball this season, Sam Merrill was an offensive monster for Utah State, scoring 2,197 points in four seasons for the Aggies. In his senior season, he averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Merrill is one of the best shooters in the draft, shooting 42.0 percent from the three-point line and 89.1 percent from the free throw line over his four seasons at Utah State. He has deep range on this three-point shot and can make them in a variety of ways. He has a nice crossover and step-back combo that’s reminiscent of Luka Doncic. He’ll also run around screens and execute dribble-handoffs like JJ Redick. He doesn’t need much room to get his shot off and can make shots with a defender in his face, which makes that 42.0 three-point percentage even more impressive.
He’s not just a shooter, though, which makes him such a tantalizing prospect. Merrill is also an impressive passer and has tremendous potential as a pick-and-roll ball handler because teams will have to honor his three-point shot. When he drives, he generally makes good decisions and gets teammates the ball in optimal scoring positions. He had a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in each of the last two seasons, which is excellent for a player who was the fulcrum of the offense. He’s skilled, he’s heady and he plays in control. He also has good height for an NBA ball handler at 6-foot-5.
Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) Tweeted:
Outstanding 2-way performance for Utah State 6-5 guard Sam Merrill in a Mountain West Conference Tourney win over SDSU. Walk-off 3 and helped limit Malachi Flynn (Conference POY) to 6-for-20 shooting. Could he be the next vet to have an instant NBA impact?
https://t.co/vX9u4TE6Bd https://t.co/Caapag8WEq ?s=20
Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) Tweeted:
Currently digging a little deeper into Sam Merrill's shooting throughout his career.
Merrill had a career 42.0 3PT%, and shot 47.8% on "Spot Up No Dribble" 3s. Incredible shooter.
https://t.co/GmDwq14S6Q ?s=20
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.peachtreehoops.com/platform/amp/2020/5/5/21247783/sam-merrill-2020-nba-draft-scouting-report-utah-state-shootingMerrill still isn’t exactly a household name but, as teams search for value in the second round and/or on Two-Way contracts, he is an interesting player to evaluate.
On one hand, Merrill is (much) older than a typical modern draft prospect, as he is set to turn 24 on May 15. While that is far from ideal, Merrill does bring an elite skill to the table and, with the way the NBA game is played in 2020, it happens to match up with what is potentially the most marketable trait that a prospect can offer.
In short, Merrill is a tremendous shooter.
The 6’5, 205-pound guard was a four-year contributor at Utah State, but Merrill took on a more prominent role in his final three seasons. Over that three-year sample, Merrill connected on 41.6 percent of his three-point attempts, with a significant portion of those attempts arriving via self-creation. Beyond his impressive efficiency from beyond the arc, Merrill was also able to post a 53.3 percent mark on two-point attempts, representing a wildly impressive figure for a guard with only modest athleticism.
Merrill is an elite free throw shooter, burying 89.2 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe over the last three seasons. All told, Merrill posted a ridiculous 63.1 percent true shooting in that sample and, well, there is very little concern about his jump shot translating in any setting.
As noted, Merrill is not simply a pure catch-and-shoot artist, although that appeal will be crucial as he transitions into a smaller offense role professionally. He does have the ability to shoot on the move, both using off-ball movement and on-ball creation, and Merrill isn’t a player that is a pure specialist. In fact, he is a creative player with the ball in his hands and, despite limited burst, Merrill made a significant jump in free throw creation in his last two seasons, attempting 9.2 free throws per 100 possessions
In addition to his shooting and overall efficiency as a scorer, Merrill is also a strong passer, producing a career 22.2 percent assist rate and 6.3 assists per 100 possessions in his 132-game career. The former Utah State star also does a fantastic job at taking care of ball, with only a 10.6 percent turnover rate in his career, and only a 9.0 percent rate as a senior.
It'd be awesome to get Bane in a trade back scenario or maybe even at 10, To play in a PJ Tucker/ Eric Gordon type of role, Only with elite shooting. But then with a late 2nd - 2 way contract, Also look at signing Merrill to be our off the bench 6th man " Flamethrower " compliment to either Oubre or Cam off the bench. He's seriously the closest thing to Kennard as you'll find.
http://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=sam-merrill--luke-kennardOnly he wouldn't cost us hardly anything at all.
at the