Scouting Report – Delon Wright

Name:   Delon Wright        DOB: 4/26/1992   School: Utah

Height: 6’5          Weight: 190   Projected Position:  PG

2014-15 Stats (As of 1/22/15):

15.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.7 tpg, 3.4:1 A/TO (31.8 minutes per game)

55.2 FG%, 78.9 FT%, 30.6 3FG%, 63.3 TS%, 58.4 eFG%

23.1 USG%, 12.5 DREB%, 8.4 TRB%, 39.6 AST%, 12.6 TOV%, 4.6 STL%

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Ballhandling/Penetration/Passing

Wright is a very good ballhandler, with good size for the point guard position. He is able to use both hands well, and will look to attack the basket in either direction, though he is more comfortable, and will prefer to force the action, to his right hand.  When going to the basket, Wright uses his body well to shield defenders from the ball, and generally has good body control. He has a good first step, uses longs strides to get past the defender and into the lane area, and will change speeds easily to keep defenders off-balance. Wright does a good job keeping his head up when heading to the basket and seeing where the help defenders are, and, most of the time, he shows good patience finding open teammates when the help comes to stop him, though he will try to force passes at times. As I mentioned, Wright will try to force his drives to the right, and it doesn’t seem like he can finish with his left hand around the basket. Even if he attacks to the left, he will try and shoot the ball with his right hand at the rim, often giving defenders a god chance at altering the shot. Also, Wright is hesitant to try and draw contact when looking for a shot at the rim, and doesn’t have the strength to power through, and he is often forced by the defense away from the basket, and making his shots much tougher. He needs to learn to use angles well around the basket, which will serve him well against NBA length. Aside from passing off penetration, Wright’s size allows him to see over the top of the defense from the perimeter, and he is capable of finding teammates from almost any spot on the floor. Utah runs a very pick-and-roll heavy offense, and Wright has shown good patience in making his reads, and making good passes to either the roll man, other open teammates on the rotation, or looking for his own shot. Though Wright can make some wild passes, for the most part, he makes strong, on-target passes in spots where his teammates can make a play. Wright also likes to use screens to attack the basket, whether coming off the screen, or away from it. He knows how to utilize spacing as well as any college point guard. His ability to change pace quickly helps him draw a good amount of fouls out on the perimeter, and he sells his head and ball fakes very well. Wright will just need to work on his scoring in the lane, including adding a floater or short jumper.

Perimeter Shooting

Wright continues to show improvement as a perimeter shooter, though he still shows a lot of inconsistencies in his motion. He does a good job getting square to the basket quickly, has a semi-fluid motion, and good follow-through. Often, you’ll see a lot of his jumpers missing long, and it happens when he jumps forward on his shot, so the answer may be in getting him to go straight up to shoot. Wright has range to the college three-point line, though he needs to become more confident and not hesitate going into his shooting motion. He uses screens for almost all of his offense, and will use them as well when looking to create space for his jumper. Wright has also shown that he can hit the mid-range jumper off the dribble, though not as consistently as you would hope, and he needs to watch floating on his shot in the direction of his movement. Wright has the tools to be at least an average shooter, but he needs to become more comfortable with his shot.

Free Throw Shooting

Wright is an average to above-average free throw shooter, with a consistent routine and a good motion and release. Wright gets to the free throw line about once for every 2 field goal attempts he takes, and he is very good at drawing contact in both shooting and non-shooting situations. He is not very good at drawing contact around the basket with the amount that he looks to penetrate, so if he learns to do that, he can get to the line even more often.

Defense

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Overall, Wright is an average perimeter defender, though he is much better off the ball than he is on it. On the ball, he positions himself well between his man and the basket, though his reaction to movements, especially changes in direction, need to improve. He moves well laterally, especially over short distances, and he tries to keep his hands active around the ball. Wright needs to work on getting over screens quicker; he does a good job not getting caught in screens, but he can be slow getting over the top. He is learning to adjust to the man he is playing and knowing when he can go under screens. If he is defending in isolation, he tends to play back on his heels, which helps prevent penetration, but gives shooters room to find their shot. Wright doesn’t put much effort closing on perimeter shooters, often trading a hard close for heading into position to rebound.  Off the ball, Wright positions himself well and he always seems to be in position to help. His reaction time is much better off the ball, and he has a great knack for jumping passing lanes, and luring ballhandlers into making passes into his area. He does take chances, but they pay off enough right now to make them worth it. His defensive awareness is very good, and he can’t be counted out on any play. Wright is a good shot blocker for his size, and will often catch a guy who just beat him off the dribble for a block from behind.

Rebounding

Wright tracks shots well and goes after the ball quickly, though he doesn’t look to box out and needs to learn to put a body on someone.  What’s impressive about Wright is that he isn’t afraid to mix it up with much bigger players, often looking for ways to sneak around them to secure a missed shot.  Once he grabs a rebound he can start the team in transition on his own, and he also has the vision and awareness to make very good outlet passes. Wright isn’t as much of a factor on the offensive boards, but he can get to long rebounds quickly if in the area.

Transition

Wright is very good about pushing the ball quickly up court, with good vision and control. His priority will be to try and get to the basket himself or draw a foul, but if defenders are back, he is very good at finding a teammate or pulling the ball out and getting set.  Wright does need to watch losing control if he chooses to keep the ball, especially if the defense is waiting for him at the basket. As mentioned above, it would help him immensely if he could stop and knock down mid-range and short jumpers consistently, as defenders know he will look to go to the basket. Wright is also capable of getting out on one of the wings on the break, and though not likely to set up for a long-range jumper, he will look to get the ball and attack of the dribble.

Intangibles/Summary

Since coming to Utah last season out of junior college, Wright, the brother of NBA player Dorell, has been one of college basketball’s most productive all-around players. He is a good point guard in Utah’s ball screen heavy offense, and his ability to make reads in pick-and-roll situations opens up the floor for his team. Wright has good size, especially for a college point guard, and he will use that, along with his good ballhandling skills, to get into the defense. Though he has some problems finishing against length at the basket, Wright is creative and is good at drawing defenders and finding open teammates. A key area of concern is his inconsistent perimeter shooting, though he continues to work and it and has shown some improvement. Defensively, Wright gets a lot of attention for his steals, though he is not as good a defender as numbers may show. He is very good at playing off the ball and jumping passing lanes, but he is not a very good on-ball defender. Wright is very good in transition, and he picks up a lot of easy points in his ability to turn his opponent over for a quick score. Wright rebounds very well for his position, and he has also shown to be a very good shot-blocker for a guard. Wright has been a key to rejuvenating the Utah program, and he has stepped up in every way to be the leader the team needs.           

Draft Value:  Late 1^st-Early 2^nd Round – #25-35

Wright has the potential to be a good back-up point guard in the league, and should be able to contribute fairly quickly if he can show better ability to defend the ball on the perimeter. His experience running the pick-and-roll and making good reads will make him a target for teams that feature that in their offense. If Wright proves to be a better on-ball defender, and improves his ability to knock down open jumpers, Wright may eventually find himself to be a starting point guard in the NBA, but he has a lot of work to do.

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