NCAA Under the Radar: Travis Bader, Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Position: Shooting Guard
Class: Senior
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 190 pounds
NBA Comparison: Anthony Morrow, New Orleans Pelicans

Bader has a sweet stroke. Photo Credit: Horizon League.org

For those who are unfamiliar, Travis Bader of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies is one of the best scorers in the country. He averaged 22.1 points per game in 2012-13 and has been one of the best pure shooters in college basketball during his four seasons.

Don’t let his small-school reputation fool you; this kid has a legitimate NBA future.

Bader isn’t going to win over scouts with his defense or put up noteworthy numbers in any area other than the scoring category. Fortunately, his status as an elite jump shooter with excellent size at 6’5″ creates the potential for him to earn a role on an NBA roster.

If you’re looking for an NBA comparison, try Anthony Morrow of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Morrow is a 6’5″ and 210-pound sharpshooter from Georgia Tech. The 28-year-old has a career three-point field goal percentage of 42.7 and has made a living out of stepping in and lighting up the scoreboard with precision and unrelenting accuracy.

Even as his accompanying statistics have failed to impress, that type of pure shooting ability is valuable to any and every team in the league.

During his four years at Oakland, Bader has made an absurd 376 three-point field goals on 40.5 percent shooting from distance. He’s inefficient when it comes to creating his own looks, but as a spot-up shooter who can throw up a high number of three-point field goals, Bader is pure gold.

In this era of high-speed offenses that need transition finishers and grind-it-out defenses that need shooters to avoid offensive slumps, Bader has the tools to carve out a role at the next level.

Draft Stock: Late Second Round to Undrafted

Due to the fact that Bader is a senior who plays at a lesser-known school, his draft stock hasn’t hit too many noteworthy levels. Fortunately, Bader falls into the same category as 2013 second round selection James Ennis, who went from the Long Beach State 49ers to the Miami Heat.

He may not have the highest draft stock, but at post-season workouts, Bader will turn enough heads to enter the second round conversation.

He won’t be a first round draft choice, and there’s a genuine possibility that Bader ends up going undrafted. Even if that is the case, he’s built in the mold of a player like Kyle Korver or Morrow in the sense that his ability to space the floor is too valuable for teams to pass over.

Keep in mind, Korver went No. 51 overall in 2003 and Morrow was undrafted in 2006.

All it takes for Bader to make a roster is a strong performance during the Summer League. If he’s able to play within his abilities and shoot when necessary, he has the size and touch to be a valuable player in virtually every type of system.

If you weren’t already, pay attention to one of college basketball’s greatest offensive weapons.

Maxwell Ogden is a regular contributor to Hoops Habit, Sheridan Hoops and Bleacher Report. Make sure you follow him on Twitter.