Doug McDermott lit the college basketball world on fire last year. The Creighton Blue Jay averaged just under 27 points and 7 rebounds a night, while shooting a ridiculous 45 percent from three. What’s more impressive is that he did it against defenses that were keying in on him every night.
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But being a great shooter and scorer in college doesn’t always translate to the NBA. We’ve seen plenty of players not be able to translate success in college into success in the pros.
While McDermott would immediately be one of the best shooters in the NBA, there are plenty of questions about his athleticism and defense. There’s also the problem with what position he will play in the pros. He seems to be a classic in-between position guy in that he won’t be quick enough to stay with 3s, but not strong enough to deal with 4s down low.
Regardless of his potential problems, McDermott will likely be selected with one of the top 10-15 picks in the first round later this month.
As such, he will be working out with plenty of lottery teams. It’s now been confirmed By ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that two of those will be the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
Doug McDermott will work out for the Lakers on June 4 and will also work out for the Celtics the following week.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 30, 2014
The Celtics and Lakers have the sixth and seventh picks, respectively, and while that might be a couple slots too high, that’s right around where McDermott will be selected.