'Tis the season. The Knicks actually have a first-round pick (#24) in the upcoming NBA Draft, so our Know the Prospect series is back. This year, our scouting department has grown to include Mr. Paul Chillsap. He and our old friend viva_...
'Tis the season. The Knicks actually have a first-round pick (#24) in the upcoming NBA Draft, so our Know the Prospect series is back. This year, our scouting department has grown to include Mr. Paul Chillsap. He and our old friend viva_morrison will be profiling potential 24th picks for the next few weeks. Learn things! - Seth
Hey everyone! CK Baber here. You might know me as Paul Chillsap. Long time no speak! I'm very excited to join in on this season's collection of Know the Prospect. No time to mess about: Let's throw on our labcoats and spectacles and get to researchin'!
Today's prospect is the University of Miami (FL) product Shane Larkin. The point guard position is quite possibly the most romanticized slot in the NBA. Fans love young point guard play, and we've seen lead guards dominate the Rookie of the Year voting for the past half decade. Larkin probably won't be challenging for the prestigious award, but he's a well-regarded mid-late first round prospect who has risen up draft boards after an excellent sophomore year and an impressive showing at the NBA Draft Combine. Larkin racked up awards and honors this year on his way to helping secure Miami's first ACC title: ACC Player of the Year, AP Men's Basketball All-American 2nd Team, John Wooden All-American, Bob Cousy award finalist, John Wooden Award finalist, Lute Olson National Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC, ACC All-Defensive Team, and ACC All-Tournament First Team and MVP.
Whew! That is a lot of hardware. It's safe to say Larkin delivered a dominant season in college basketball last year, but how might his skills translate to the next level?
The Rundown
D.O.B. - 10/2/1992 (20 years old)
Hometown - Orlando, FL
Measurements:);; Height (w/o shoes) - 5'10.25"; Height (in shoes) - 5'11.5"; Weight - 171 lbs; Wingspan - 5'10.75"; Max Vert - 44"; Lane Agility - 10.64 secs
Projected draft position: 23rd to IND on DraftExpress, 21st to UTA on Chad Ford's ESPN Mock Draft, 21st to UTA on Chris Mannix's Sports Illustrated Mock Draft, 21st to UTA on NBADraft.net
Actual scouting reports and stats: DraftExpress, NBADraft.net, Sports-Reference, University of Miami Hurricanes profile
Amateur take - Offense: Shane Larkin emerged as a fantastic offensive player in college after an up-and-down freshman season. The Hurricane was an efficient scorer both inside and out, showing off a nice array of hesitation dribbles and crossovers to get to the rim and a variety of floaters, runners, and scoop shots to finish once he got there. Larkin shot 53.8% from 2-point range, a testament to his relative abstinence from inefficient midrange jumpshots.
Coach Jim Larranaga's system emphasized pick-and-roll action and put the ball in Larkin's hands for much of his sophomore season and the feisty guard responded with efficient scoring and (mostly) smart passing. This bodes well for Larkin's prospects at the next level, as the pick-and-roll remains a dominant aspect of professional basket-making. Larkin wouldn't be the fastest guard in the league, but he's shifty and has a nice first step to burst past defenders. When he can operate off of a screen, Larkin runs to the rim with his roll man and is capable of finding open shooters on the outside as well as scoring himself. Larkin can lose control at times and force the action inside, and that problem may be exacerbated by the length and athleticism of NBA athletes. That said, Larkin is deceptively strong and often shrugs off defenders bumping him on the way to the rim. It is very important that he develop and utilize that strength and athleticism at the next level, as that is how undersized guards like Nate Robinson and Isaiah Thomas carved out a place for themselves in the league.
In addition to Larkin's splendid play on the interior, he showed a much improved perimeter shooting touch after a poor freshman season. Larkin shot 40% on the season from the great beyond, often showing true NBA range. He is comfortable shooting both off
