NBA Draft Rumors: No. 9 is a good starting point for Doug McDermott
The Charlotte Hornets are clearing looking for help on offense with the number nine overall pick in Thursday night’s draft.
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Throughout the process, they have had their eyes on college basketball’s best player last season, former Creighton Blue Jays’ forward Doug McDermott. According to Nate Duncan, McDermott starts to make sense at nine.
"It is very very alarming, and a reason I’m struggling with where to put him on my board along with his age. His game is pretty unique, as he is pretty clearly SF size but has some very good post skills that probably won’t translate more than a possession or two per game in the NBA. He will likely struggle to guard, and you’re right that historically players without steals and blocks don’t turn out that well.On the other hand, watching him on film is pretty awesome. He shoots it from anywhere, can probably post up if you hide a smaller guy on him, and supposedly played well against great players at the Team USA minicamp last year. If he had merely below average blocks/steals, he’s totally worthy of being drafted starting with #8. He’ll transition to playing a role as a shooter much better than someone like Adam Morrison, who was not a great standstill shooter.I think given how effective he was offensively in college he starts to make sense at #9…"
McDermott has seen his stock rise as of late. He won the Naismith Award as the country’s best player, putting up a career-high 26.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He shot 52.6% from the field, 44.9% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the free throw line. He measured in at 6’7.75 and 218 lbs. with a wingspan of 6’9.25 He is ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.