NBA Draft Profiles: Mitch McGary

If he can stay healthy Mitch McGary could be a potential late draft steal. Could be be a target for the Pelicans if they trade back into the NBA Draft? Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

With news that the Pelicans are looking to trade into the NBA Draft to grab a small forward or center plenty of questions have been raised about the plan of the front office. Out of all of them though the most important seems to be which player, or players, have caught the eye of the front office enough to cause them to try to work themselves back into a pick. Instead of trying to guess exactly the player, Pelican Debrief has decided to just break down 18 small forwards and centers leading up to draft day (two reports will be posted daily) so that Pelicans fans will be ready no matter where or when the team trades into the draft and selects a player.

One of the toughest decisions for any NBA prospect is when to enter the NBA Draft. For some things are determined by the fact that they will for sure be a top four or five pick like Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker this season. For others it is a family decision brought upon by a chance to have more money than they ever could have imaged, something that allows them to help their parents live comfortable and without worries for the first time. For others it is taking advantage of a great NCAA Tournament and a chance to be a lottery pick off of that. But ever year a player or two has the ability to leave early and for some reason doesn’t enter the NBA Draft. For some that decision helps them, for others like Mitch McGary the decision turns out to hurt. McGary was projected as a lottery pick last season and yet returned to Michigan. But a back injury that cost him most of the season plummeted his draft stock and with a year-long suspension for marijuana use looming McGary entered the 2014 NBA Draft.

The Basics:

Age: 22

College: Michigan

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 263

Wingspan: 6’11.5”

Standing Reach: N/A

Max Vertical: N/A

2014 Stats: 8 games, 24.6 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 54.5 FG%, 66.7 FT%, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.8 bpg,

NBA Draft Projections: Late first to mid-second round

Strengths:

McGary is very quick and agile for a big man and is able to use that quickness to help him be successful in other areas of his game. Most of McGary’s offense came from pick-and-rolls, offensive rebounds, in transition and on cuts– areas where he was able to move past his defender instead of going around or through them. Considering McGary isn’t long or explosive it is important that he continues to utilize the quickness to his advantage on both ends of the floor as he will have to be in the proper positions at the right time to be successful without the ability to cover his mistakes.

What is very encouraging about McGary is how much he plays through, and seemingly likes, the physicality he is sure to see in the NBA. Some players with a similar lack of length and athleticism would struggle to succeed because of the worry about getting blocked by superior athletes. Instead McGary bowls into people and is a very good finisher at the rim because of it. He also loves to set screens and takes pride in doing so which makes him a very valuable weapon in pick-and-roll heavy players.

Finally, McGary is a very smart player and really understands how to play to his strengths. He knows where he needs to be and when and always seems to get there as evidenced by hist 1.9 steals per game, great (and unsustainable) numbers for a big man. With his quickness McGary also looks like a player that will be a great pick-and-roll defender, especially on teams that want to hard hedge. That role is incredible valuable in the league today with how often pick-and-rolls are used so McGary’s ability in those situations on both end of the floor make him very valuable.