Devin Vassell declares for the 2020 NBA Draft

From unheralded to underrated to possible lottery pick in 2020: Florida State’s Devin Vassell declares for the 2020 NBA Draft.

After a solid freshman season in a reserve role, Vassell emerged as a star for FSU; during his sophomore season, Vassell played elite-level defense, while helping power Florida State’s offense with efficient, low-mistake basketball.

Vassell played in  30 games this season (30 starts); the 6-foot-7 wing averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. On much great volume this season, Vassell remained an effective 3-point shooter, too: 44-of-106 3PA (41.5 3P%).

According to Synergy Sports, Vassell posted an effective shooting rate of 61 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts this season. In terms of efficiency, that number ranks fifth overall in the ACC among players with 75 or more possessions.

However, it wasn’t just Vassell’s spot-up shooting that stood out; over the offseason, he worked on his craft as a pull-up shooter. With a high release point, Vassell shot 38.3 percent (40.7 eFG%) on off-dribble jumpers this season, per Synergy.

 

Defensive Upside: Devin Vassell

A wildly intriguing 3-and-D prospect, Vassell is an elite help defender, which really adds to his upside as an NBA prospect. Vassell finishes his career with a block rate of 3.9 percent and a steal rate of 2.9 percent — a monster combination.

With his incredible wingspan and defensive instincts, Vassell turned into a monster at blowing up handoff exchanges. If a ball handler entered his general vicinity, Vassell was a threat to knock the ball loose, or simply take it.

It was Vassell’s efforts as a team defender — covering 1-5, strong-side digs, back-side help efforts to deter lob passes — that unlocked Florida State’s nasty 1-5 switch scheme this season. There’s a case to be made that Vassell was the most important defender in the country this year.

This has all happened so quick; in the span of two years, Vassell has gone from a top-200 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class to a possible top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. That’s miraculous.

 

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Vassell makes his case for ACC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year