2019 NBA Mock Draft: Tankers beware
169. . G. Iowa State. Lindell Wigginton. 29. player
We’ve seen players like Wigginton succeed before — small guards who master the wiggly acrobatics they need to get into space and get open shots off. The Rockets have historically been a team that values scoring guards who can shoot, so there could easily be a match here.
As a freshman, Wigginton scored over 20 points per 40 minutes on .414/.401/.660 shooting, in addition to 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He has a long way to go in terms of efficiency, but if he can continue to make a ton of pull-up 3s and grow as a playmaker, he could be a backup point guard in the NBA.
When I watch a player like Wigginton, I try to see how he looks when he is finishing all the way up against the rim, colliding into big men at full speed. Wigginton fairs better in those situations than most 6-foot-2 college guards, and get got to the line consistently as a freshman. If he can clean up his efficiency and become a threat from the line, his overall scoring will blossom.
Wigginton would fall in line with small scorers like Nick Johnson, Isaiah Canaan and Aaron Brooks who have shown value to the Houston organization over the last decade. None of those players really stuck in the league on good teams, but they all are a type of player that has obvious value scoring off the bench.