With the 2019 NBA Draft set for Thursday this week (June 20), we’re rolling out a new, quick-hitter series that will focus on the plethora of ACC prospects heading into the event. For each player, we’ll keep it simple: one number to know, a signature highlight, the projected draft range, an attribute to know and one quick thought on how they project to the next level.
Up to this point, we’ve covered prospects from Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Syracuse. Next up, it’s the national champs: Virginia, which means De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy.
De’Andre Hunter, F
Per 40 Minutes: 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks
- 3.4 3PA (43.8 3P%, 64.2 eFG% on catch-and-shoots), 5.1 FTA (78.3 FT%)
- 69.2 FG% at the rim (19 dunks)
- 23.5 percent usage rate, 57.9 eFG%
Number To Know:
- 1.05 points per possession on spot-ups, according to Synergy Sports (8.2 percent turnover rate, 55.5 eFG%)
Highlight:
Two highlights for one of the top two-way prospects in this year’s draft:
Projected Range:
- Inside the top 10, 5-10
Attribute To Know:
- Length, efficient on offense (good shooter, low turnovers)
Quick Thoughts:
- There are some concerns with Hunter, one of the older lottery prospects in this year’s draft: slower release, low stocks numbers (1.2 percent steal rate) and a lack of shot creation, in general. However, there’s plenty to be bullish about, too. Hunter, in college, served as a primary defender on four positions; he’s capable of sliding with/staying in front of most 3/4 prospects. (I think he can guard NBA 4s, too.) At times, he was used as a stopper on a variety of players, like Coby White and Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- On offense, Hunter is an excellent catch-and-shoot player (98 percent of his 3-pointers last season were assisted), who avoids turnovers (1.7 per 40 minutes). This combination alone gives him a pretty high floor. The mid-post isolation stuff him flourished with at UVA may become irrelevant in the NBA — if he becomes a lower-usage 3-and-D player, that isolation stuff from 15-20 feet is pointless. Regardless, I trust Hunter as a prospect; he makes sense with where the league is going, too.
Ty Jerome, G
Per 40 Minutes: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.8 steals
- 6.3 3PA (39.9 3P%, 71.8 eFG% on catch-and-shoots), 2.9 FTA (73.6 FT%)
- 63.8 FG% at the rim (0 dunks)
- 24.1 percent usage rate, 53.2 eFG%
Number To Know:
- 54.2 eFG% coming off of screens, according to Synergy
Highlight:
Projected Range:
- Late first round to early second round, 25-35
Attribute To Know:
- Smart, good feel/vision, high basketball IQ, great touch on his shot
Quick Thoughts:
- Jerome is a wonderfully skilled and intelligent offensive player. He has serious NBA-range on his 3-pointer; while he’s excellent shooting from deep off the catch (he’s one of the better movement shooters in this draft class), Jerome can create his own looks, too — 30 percent of his 3-pointers were unassisted. And according to Synergy, Jerome posted an effective shooting rate just under 48 percent on half-court dribble jump shots, which is solid. He’s a good passer, capable of slinging pocket looks out of the pick-and-roll.
- It remains to be seen if he’s the type of player that can beat his defender off-dribble without a screen; however, if he’s working out of a secondary role, he can attack off closeouts or use a screen. That said, he lacks length and burst. Defensively, though, he will be in the first place at the right time, most of the time. His floater remains an effective counter on offense, too.
Kyle Guy, G
Per 40 Minutes: 17.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks
- 8.4 3PA (42.6 3P%, 60.7 eFG% on catch-and-shoots), 2.5 FTA (83.3 FT%)
- 66.7 FG% at the rim (2 dunks)
- 21.2 percent usage rate, 58.5 eFG%
Number To Know:
- 58.4 eFG% coming off of screens, per Synergy
Highlight:
Projected Range:
- Mid-to-late second round, 45-55
Attribute To Know:
- Off-ball mover/shooter with a super-quick release
Quick Thoughts:
- During his three seasons at Virginia — one of the premier player-development programs in the country — Guy worked on his skills. He became a better playmaker, and his touch around the rim grew leaps and bounds from his freshman season (36.7 FG%). All of that is great, but he’s an NBA prospect because of his 3-point capabilities. It’s not just the shot, though; Guy is one of the best at setting up his defenders and using screens — flares, curls, fades, whatever you went. He has that Steph Curry-like ability to use relaxed motions to lull his defender to sleep before zipping off another weak-side down screen.
- He needs to hit those 3-pointers at a high level (40+ percent) and command some gravity, because on the other end of the floor, opponents will try to pick on him defensively. Regardless, he feels like a prospect that could help raise the floor of a bench offense.
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