2016 NBA Draft Watch List: Marcus Paige

Marcus Paige, Senior, North Carolina, Guard, 6’1, 175

(2014-15, 33.2 mpg) 14.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.9 tpg, 1.7 spg

41.3 FG%, 86.5 FT%, 39.5 3FG%, 57.0 TS%, 52.6 eFG%

20.7 USG%, 2.3:1 A/TO, 23.1 AST%, 3.0 STL%

DOB: 9/11/1993 (21)

2015 2^nd Team All-ACC

2015 Academic All-American

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After being named an All-American as a sophomore, Paige was expected to replicate the feat as a junior, though the late development of any complementary scorers put even more pressure on Paige than he was used to, leading to a drop in some of his offensive numbers. As he did the year before, Roy Williams played Paige at the point and off the ball last season, which led to its own issues for the North Carolina offense. Paige is at his best when he has the ball in his hands and can create opportunities for himself and teammates, but as the Tar Heels’ only consistent scoring threat, Williams had to run sets to free Paige up for scoring chances. Paige is a strong ballhandler, able to go left or right well, and the ability to attack the basket in either direction. Paige sees the floor well and can be a strong passer, especially when looking to create off the dribble. He has improved each season in his ability to make quick reads in the pick-and-roll, and his teammates in good spots with the ball. Paige’s strength though is his ability to score, especially with his jumper. He has a smooth, consistent left-handed stroke, and he is able to hit spot-up jumpers or hit them off the dribble. He has good range has a spot-up shooter, and he is able to use screens well on and off the ball. Defensively, Paige is a strong on and off the ball, showing active hands and feet, as well as the ability to pressure the ball or passing lanes if needed. He also does a good job helping as a trap defender in the post. Paige can be very good in transition, pushing the ball up the floor quickly and being able to score at the basket or off the jumper.

What he needs to show this season: Paige has gotten used to carrying a big scoring load, though opponents’ defensive schemes to keep the ball out of his hands have had a tendency to force Paige out of the offense at times. He does a good job moving without the ball to get open, but it’s still a lot of energy exerted on each possession. As I mentioned, he has good vision with the ball and does a good job seeing his options, but he can still be a bit slow in making decisions, and can also force some poor passes, even if they don’t lead to turnovers. As I mentioned, Paige improved his ability to make reads in pick-and-roll situations, though he can still work on making them quicker, and not always looking for his shot as the first option. Paige doesn’t have great size, and he doesn’t like to look to get to the basket often, either passing the ball up or looking for the short jumper or floater. Because of this, he doesn’t get to the line that often for the amount of shots that he takes. He does have some problems finishing at the basket against long defenders, though he has shown some creativity. On defense, Paige can be slow to react to his man at times, and when he is off the ball, he can become too focused on following the ball and lose his man. He has improved his ability to get over screens, and he has also done a better job using angles to force his man towards help defenders.

Where he fits at the next level: Paige has what it takes to be a point guard at the NBA level, though a lot of that will depend on his ability to create more for others. His shooting ability will force defenders to play him tight and he should be able to break down defenses. While Paige doesn’t have great speed, he knows how to use his dribble well to create space and keep defenders off-balance, and he is a good enough defender that he should adjust well to the NBA level.

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