New Orleans Pelicans 2015 NBA Draft Profiles: Aaron White

It is that time of year again. With the NBA Draft just a few weeks away it is time to start looking at players that the New Orleans Pelicans can potentially draft. While most of the players that we profile will be second round players since the Pelicans currently only have a second round pick, there will also be a few first round talents mixed in with the bunch as well. Considering the Pelicans are pretty set in the backcourt and at power forward the profiles will focus on wing players that fit into a small forward role and backup big men, places the Pelicans can stand to get a bit better.

After starting today with a wing player in Stanford’s Anthony Brown, we move on to a big man who was projected to be the Pelicans pick in the first mock draft of two different CBS writers, Sam Vecenice and Zach Harper, in Aaron White.

White is a big man out of Iowa who could potentially fit into the Pelicans rotation down the line depending on how they feel about Jeff Withey.

The Basics:

Age: 22

Height (with shoes): 6’8.75”

Weight: 220

Wingspan: 6’11.5”

Standing Reach: 8’10.5”

Max Vertical: 35

2014-2015 stats: 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals per game, 52 percent shooting, 35.6 three-point percentage.

Draft Projection: Mid-to-late second round.

Strengths:

The thing that stands out most about White as a college player was his incredible efficiency. For his career, White posted a 61.1 efficient field goal percentage despite having a usage rate of 22.1, meaning he had the ball an awful lot. White was able to be so efficient for a few reasons. First is a nice shooting touch that allowed him to shoot 77.3 from the foul line for his career and 81.9 percent as a senior. White started to show some extended range with that jumper in his final season as well, shooting 35.6 percent from three, though it came on just 59 attempts.

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White also was able to score efficiently thanks to his good hands and above-average athleticism that allowed him to be a force in transition and cutting to the rim. White also turns that athleticism into steals on the defensive end where he is able to jump[ passing lanes that some big men typically cannot. Considering his role in the NBA would be mostly to do those two things it is easy to see White’s energy and offense translating easily.

Weaknesses:

White’s weaknesses mostly stem from his body. With just a 6’11” wingspan and with just 220 pounds on his frame, White has problems defending both longer fours and burly fives. The problem for White is that there doesn’t seem to be an easy solution to either problem. Bulking up too much could cause him to lose some of the athleticism that makes his offensive game go while also still leaving him too short to defend fives. On the other hand there is no real way for White to make his wingspan longer meaning he will always be a bit short against those super lanky fours. As can be expected, those same type of players who give White problems on defense also give him issues on the glass where he isn’t a great rebounder.

As can be expected, White’s size severely limits his upside. As with most second round picks, the hope with White would be that he could eventually fill a backup role for the team that drafts him, utilizing his strengths and downplaying his weaknesses. It also remains to be seen how much of the shooting White displayed this year is real and if he could be consistent enough to shoot NBA threes. If he is not able to his offensive game will be severely limited, even as just a bench big man.

Projected role: White seems to be a type of player in the Glen Davis role as a bench big who can provide value on the offensive end of the floor. If he is able to stretch his range out to the three-point line consistently White should have a decent NBA career. If not he may be headed to Europe. The problem for the Pelicans is that fit doesn’t seem to be a need on the roster with Ryan Anderson still around, though it could be a more long-term investment.

Information for this scouting report, including measurements, was found at DraftExpress.

Next: The first scouting report: Anthony Brown

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