And our roster needs improvement in both defense and 3-pt shooting. The player from this draft best suited to address both of those concerns: D Vassell, sophomore SG out of Florida State.
He plays a position that we've addressed recently in the draft, but can you really have too many 3&D wings in this era of basketball? Is it worth it to spend another pick on a player who profiles as a top fitting role player instead of gambling on a potential star?
The AthleticSam Vecenie wrote:I just don’t think you can ever have enough wings in today’s NBA. And particularly, I can see Vassell's appeal, given his elite level as a shooter. You want to see a burning building? Here is a look at Vassell’s shot chart from this past year, per Synergy Sports. It is quite literally engulfed in flame.Spoiler:
Vassell averaged 12.7 points for a Florida State team that really spread it around, but he did so while shooting 49 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from 3, and 74 percent from the line. And as you can see from that chart, it’s filled with a ton of diversity, too. He can hit shots out of spot-ups or on the move. He can hit shots off of the catch, and even improved dramatically as a pull-up shooter this year.
I wouldn’t call him the world’s best passer or anything, but he posted a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and generally makes the right decision. Really, the only thing I think there is to be concerned about is the fact that he’s not a particularly strong ballhandler. Most of his shots at the rim come off of cuts or in transition, and he isn’t quite strong enough on the ball yet to drive forward and collapse defenses to score or pass.
His on-ball defense is terrific, but where he really excels is using his plus-five wingspan to hassle teams in help defense either contesting shots, crashing from the weak side for a block, or getting into passing lanes. He was one of the best defensive players in the country on the wing this year, and that should translate.
I’m at the point where I think there is a pretty real case for Vassell over Isaac Okoro in this class.