MURRAY HAS EDGE ON SENIOR STARS
Hield, Valentine join foreign duo as top prospects
While there’s tremendous depth at the point guard position in the NBA, elite talent at the shooting guard spot is a little more scarce. There are impact players at the position, such as James Harden, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler, but virtually every team is looking for legitimate two-way wing players. It’s a league that’s emphasizing positional versatility, perimeter shooting and secondary ballhandlers more than ever.
Players who show the potential to develop into impact players at the shooting guard spot are increasingly sought after and draw significant interest in the draft.
Jamal Murray, Fr., Kentucky
The second half of Murray’s season was nothing short of incredible. While Murray struggled out of the gate for John Calipari and the Wildcats, shooting 42% from the field in November and 38.3% in December, he rebounded in part because he was moved off the ball and asked to create less of the team’s halfcourt offense.
Murray, 6-5, used screens to free himself from defenders and create open scoring opportunities for himself. The 19-year-old used the opportunities to knock down three-point shots at a 41.5% clip after Jan. 1. Perhaps most impressive was the range he showed on his shots, with 201 out of his 277 three-point attempts coming from 24 feet and beyond, according to the shot-tracking service Shot Analytics.
There are concerns, though, mostly centered on his averageat-best athleticism and ability to create his own shots, although some scouts also are worried about how well the low release point on his jump shot will translate against NBA-level defenders. Still, Murray has proved he can hit from NBA distance and put pressure on defenses off the ball and is comfortable making deci- Buddy Hield, right, steadily improved at Oklahoma, raising hope he can continue to develop.
sions as a secondary ballhandler. He should be a virtual lock to be selected in the top 10, and he could go as high as third overall.
Buddy Hield, Sr., Oklahoma
Hield’s magical run to the Final Four ended in disappointing fashion, as he shot 4-for-12 in a blowout loss to eventual champion Villanova.
Still, the Oklahoma guard was downright dominant at times. Hield averaged 25 points per game and shot 45.7% from threepoint range. Plus, the gradual improvement over his four-year career provides optimism that Hield isn’t done growing, despite being 22, relatively old for a draft prospect.
Still, for all of Hield’s accomplishments, he needs to develop his ability to create shots, espe-
cially for his teammates. Hield assisted on 12.7% of his teammates’ field goals while he was on the court, and that lack of point guard instinct limits his versatility, which hurts because at 6-5 he is slightly undersized for a shooting guard.
Few question whether Hield’s shooting will translate in the NBA, and it is valued enough that he should get drafted in the top 10. But whomever drafts him likely will hope he’s still fairly early in his development cycle.
Timothe Luwawu, France
Luwawu, 21, made the jump from France’s second division to the Adriatic League look easy, improving his output in virtually every category, finishing with averages of 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game
for Mega Leks. The biggest individual improvement was from three-point range, where Luwawu shot 37.2%, up from the 28.7% he shot the previous year for Antibes in France’s Pro B league.
Because of that, Luwawu is intriguing as somebody who could shoot three-pointers, space the floor, make good decisions with the basketball and defend at a high level.
His defensive ability isn’t fully developed, though, but teams could draft him as a defensive project based on his 6-7 frame, quick feet and willingness to defend.
The talent and ability are there, but Luwawu is going to have to improve his technique, awareness, consistency and physical strength to fully reach that potential. If he does, he could turn himself into a valuable role player.
Denzel Valentine, Sr., Michigan State
Like Hield, a fellow senior, Valentine has shown progression at Michigan State has been nothing short of exceptional, as he’s turned himself into one of the best all-around players in the country.
Valentine, 22, finished his senior season with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game, shooting 44.4% from three-point range in the process. Valentine is not likely to generate those kind of offensive numbers at the next level, as his below-average athleticism could limit him as a shot creator. But his overall skill level and excellent decision-making ability should allow him to easily adapt to a lesser role offensively.
The question will come on the defensive end, where 6-5 Valentine’s athletic shortcomings really come into focus. Valentine will struggle to keep athletic NBA players in front of him on the perimeter, and a team will have to account for that. Still, Valentine offers enough on the offensive end to be a contributor in the NBA.
Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey
Playing in the tough Turkish League at 18, Korkmaz was never likely to get the kind of playing time to really stand out. Still, him finishing the season averaging just fewer than 12 minutes per game in combined Euroleague and Turkish League play puts decision-makers in a tough spot with young, athletic Korkmaz.
His 6-7 size, athleticism and three-point shooting — Korkmaz shot just under 45% on the season — are still enough to garner considerable interest among executives. But Korkmaz didn’t showcase the all-around game necessary to grab attention, finishing with averages of 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game on the season.
With more than 55% of his field goal attempts coming from threepoint range, Korkmaz was a little bit too one-dimensional last season. Korkmaz might need to rely on his performances at private workouts to prove to teams he has more to offer down the line than just spot-up shooting. If he has done that, he has youth on his side.