Max Abmas: 2022 NBA Draft Scouting Report
Has Abmas done much to improve from his poor showing at last year's draft combine?
During the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Max Abmas became a household name. The Cinderella 15-seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles pulled off two improbably upsets to get to the Sweet Sixteen, defeating major conference powers Ohio State and Florida. The performance launched Abmas, a mid-major scoring darling known for being one of the Division I points leaders, into becoming a legitimate draft prospect in the eyes of many.
Abmas tested the waters, cashing in on his recent success with the understanding his name-brand recognition likely would never be as high as it was last Spring. The NBA Draft combine wound up being a disaster. Abmas played horribly in live action play, unable to get his shot off as cleanly or go in as consistently. He measured poorly and tested even worse athletically. Any shot of getting drafted was dead in the water after that combine.
As a result, Abmas returned to Oral Roberts to give it another go in the Summit League. When most players return to school, they have a clear goal in mind for NBA circles: improve their shooting by a certain percentage, fill out their body, work on one specific weakness. The decision to head back to college for Abmas was pretty void of such an area. Another year after the sophomore campaign that brought NCAA Tournament success could bring more consistency, but couldn’t really increase his production: 24.5 points and 43% 3-point shooting would be difficult to recapture. Plus, betting on a second-consecutive March Madness run would be like getting struck by lightning twice.
It became clear that, for Abmas, this was about maximizing his impact while in school and giving him more time to rack up some accolades. A year later, he comes back to the draft process very much the same player. He scored it at a high clip (22.8 points and 39% 3-point shooting), still has the same athletic deficiencies and didn’t do much to improve from sophomore to junior years.
What Abmas does incredibly well for a 6’1” guard is drill tough shots from the perimeter. His range is tantalizing, he’s got unlimited confidence and is a threat to pull as soon as he crosses half-court.
For those traits to be valued in the NBA, Abmas would have to be so efficient at making them to make up for his struggles on the interior or defensive end. Efficiency will be what dooms Abmas a bit as a prospect. In order to be effective, Abmas needs a long leash; the blessing from a coach to take some awful ones if he’s going to have some ridiculous makes.
The NBA simply doesn’t work that way for a guy who is small and flawed in other categories. He isn’t Isaiah Thomas, a crafty change-of-speed guard who finishes on the inside and creates space through contact. He isn’t Steph Curry who is lethal as a shooter and so quick with his release that the size doesn’t catch up to him. He isn’t a good enough passer to transition into a create-for-others role. To us, Abmas is not a draftable prospect, but an incredibly high-caliber college scorer whose best impact comes in a system catered around his voluminous creation.
Below are some statistical profiles and models on Abmas