Mid-Major Radars: Wings
Mid-Major Radars: Wings
The NBA is thirsty for versatile wings. Might scouts be able to find some in the lower leagues of college basketball who fit the bill?
As the hunt for legitimate draft sleepers continues, we make our way to the Mid-Major and Low-Major ranks of college basketball. Hiding amongst the leagues that rarely get national attention are late-bloomers and prospects who have continued to get better during their times in college. Many of them star in leading roles and put up impressive numbers, but have grown into becoming a legitimate pro player through getting the opportunity to play as their team’s focal point.
College choices don’t always indicate NBA upside. Stephen Curry went to Davidson, Ja Morant to Murray State, Damian Lillard to Weber State, Paul George to Fresno State, and CJ McCollum to Lehigh. Other career role players, who didn’t become overnight stars in college or get drafted, came from similar ranks: JJ Barea out of Northeastern, Robert Covington from Tennessee State, Terry Taylor from Austin Peay, and Garrison Mathews of Lipscomb are four more recent examples.
There are some players in college basketball already receiving a great deal of media coverage or mainstream draft hype to become draftable prospects this year. The 2023 draft class is filled with draftable wings from the mid-major ranks. Pepperdine’s Maxwell Lewis has emerged as a potential first-round prospect, earning some lottery grades for his upside. Emoni Bates and Brandin Podziemski have broken out as sophomores after transferring from Memphis and Illinois; they’re true scorers with good size. Drake’s Tucker DeVries and Richmond’s Tyler Burton have been on draft radars dating back to the summer.
But what about those guys who don’t currently stand on draft radars but could force their way onto NBA rosters? We’re going diving for undrafted free agents from the non-power conferences, looking for legitimate pros and guys who have impressed enough with their production this season to deserve a spot on pro radars.
Tyson Degenhart, Boise State
At 6’7” and 232 pounds, Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart is leaning pretty heavily into the ‘stretch-4’ archetype. While he doesn’t shoot a ton of 3-pointers with the Broncos (only 3.3 per game), he’s a career 38.1% shooter from deep mid-way through his sophomore season. Tyson uses the threat of his shot to open up driving lanes and space to finish on the interior. Boise State has used him more as a stretch-5 in college to spread the floor, part of the reason Tyson is shooting 63.5% from two-point range on over 7 attempts a night.
Degenhart didn’t start off the season on a great foot, but has rebounded of late. Over his last eight games, he’s averaging 17 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 50% from 3 and 74.2% from two-point range.
Nothing about Tyson’s game is overly flashy. He’s a good athlete but very simple in his moves, and the role we’re seeing him perform in now is very similar to what he’ll be able to contribute at the next level. An efficient, low-volume stretch forward who doesn’t make many mistakes does have some value. He may not be draftable in the top 60, but with continued efficiency in a good conference, Degenhart will be too productive to ignore for much longer.
Dillon Jones, Weber State
Jones is the definition of a stat sheet stuffer. A guy we found over the summer and fell in love with, he’s a husky, big guard who can rebound at an effective clip, create for others, and score in the mid-range. Jones lacks a great first step and is a below-the-rim finisher for the most part. That lack of a first step affects him most on defense, which is why the 6’6”, 235-pound athlete is closer to a wing than to a guard.
Jones will have some defensive challenges, but it’s worth noting that he’s put in the work and appears to keep getting a little shiftier with his movement patterns. Averaging 15.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, Jones has improved as a jump shooter every year in college. Seeing that level of growth could be a good sign that he’s going to keep getting better moving forward.
Dillon is only a junior, so declaring for the draft instead of returning to Weber State isn’t a foregone conclusion. It may make sense for him to test the waters, go through some of the testing pieces, get some feedback for what more he’d need to do, and then make a final push as a senior next year. Really fun and well-rounded game. Translating that game to a smaller role in the NBA will be the test for him.
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall
Speaking of continued improvement, Marshall wing Taevion Kinsey has added parts to his game every year he’s been in West Virginia. The Ohio native is a long-armed 6’5” with explosive athleticism; he jumps off the screen easily with his natural tools and imposing burst. Kinsey matches that with major production, averaging 21-5-6 this year while shooting 38.2% from 3.
That shooting is what’s been the swing skill for Kinsey. It’s been an up-and-down career for Kinsey there; he made major improvements from sophomore to junior seasons (26.4% to 41.3%), dropped down as a senior to a level that prevented him from being able to jump to the NBA (18.3%), and then has rebounded well this year as a fifth-year senior (38.2%).
Kinsey has been operating with the ball in his hands for the Thundering Herd. He loves high ball screens, gets to the rim and scores in the mid-range, and loves to create for others in transition. His feel as a passer is noteworthy, and since he can guard 2 thru 4, the combinations of feel and defensive versatility are important pro building blocks.
The shooting has to be real for Kinsey to carve out an NBA role for himself. As a fifth-year senior, this is the end of the road for him in college. A strong pre-draft showing as a shooter could open some real doors for NBA impact. We’ve long been fans of Kinsey’s pro potential and think he’s a clear priority for a little bit of G-League development.