Scouting Report: Marcus Paige

Name: Marcus Paige DOB: 9/11/1993 (22) School: North Carolina

Height: 6’2 Weight: 175 Projected Position: PG

2015-16 Stats:

12.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.2 tpg, (31.6 mpg)

39.8 FG%, 77.4 FT%, 35.6 3FG%, 53.7 TS%, 50.3 eFG%

19.4 USG%, 18.4 AST%, 9.5 TOV%, 2.1 STL%, 3:1 A/TO

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Ballhandling/Penetration/Passing

Though he played off the ball often at North Carolina, Paige has also shown to be a dependable point guard, though the Tar Heels’ need for his scoring often took him away from the point. Paige is a very good ballhandler, with the ability to use both hands well, and able to attack the basket, or create space for his shot, in either direction. While he doesn’t have the quickest first step, he is able to draw defenders out with his shooting ability, and he is very good at mixing speeds, using a strong hesitation dribble to freeze defenders. Paige shows good control as he gets into the defense, and while he can have some trouble finishing around the basket due to his size and lack of strength, he has developed a strong floater, as well as some creativity around the basket. He has excellent body control, and he is capable of finishing with either hand around the basket, though he tends to try and force shots with his dominant left hand.

Paige has also developed very well as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, with ability to create his own shots or set up his teammates. While he doesn’t have great speed, he changes pace well to keep defenders off-balance, and when needed, showing very good acceleration off the screen. Paige makes his reads quickly, drawing defenders, and finding teammates before the defense can finish their rotations. He has very good court vision, especially once he gets into the defense, and he finds ways to make some surprising passes when surrounded by much bigger players. Some of his passes can be a bit off the mark, and he will try to force some passes into spots that aren’t great for scoring chances, but it is all an area he has improved on through the years.

Perimeter Shooting

After hitting near 40 percent from three-point range as a sophomore and junior, Paige still hit a respectful 35.6 percent as a senior, even after going through a somewhat prolonged shooting slump. Still, there’s no reason to believe that his real ability isn’t closer to his previous numbers. A lefty, Paige has a quick, smooth, compact motion and release, with some nice bounce and lift from his legs. He has consistent range close to NBA three-point range. Paige uses his dribble and screen well to create space, especially as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, and he actually tends to be a better shooter off the dribble or when he step or hop into a shot, rather than being set as a spot shooter. Paige’s shot selection is good from the perimeter, though he can rush some shots, which is normally easy to see by how he tends to not get square to the basket, having his body turned a bit away. He is a capable mid-range shooter off the dribble, showing the ability to clear space in either direction to knock down shots, though he will often choose to just head to the rim instead of pulling up at 15 feet or so. Having played as a shooting guard often, Paige has learned to move very well off the ball, coming off screens in position to shoot, using his quick release to get his shot before the defense can recover.

Free Throw Shooting

Paige’s free throw shooting percentage may have taken a dip this season, and his free throw rate has gone down each of the past two season (33.3 in 2014 to 26.3 in 2016), but there’s no reason to believe he can’t get his free throw shooting percentage back to the mid-high 80’s. Paige has a consistent routine, smooth motion, and good release. With almost 60 percent of his total field goal attempts coming on three-point attempts, Paige does a good job getting to the line when he looks to attack the basket. And even with his shooting percentage down, he was still the guy North Carolina wanted to have the ball in his hands down the stretch of close games where opponents needed to foul.

More from Hoops Habit

Defense

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Paige may have been one of the more underrated defenders in terms of national recognition the last two seasons, especially since his style isn’t about trying to rack up steals. On the ball, Paige positions himself well between his man and the basket, has a strong defensive stance, and shows good lateral movement over short and medium distances. While he isn’t exceptionally quick, Paige has a great understanding of how to direct his man’s movements into help defenders, and though sometimes a split second slow, he reacts well to his man’s movements, including changes in direction. He has the ability to pressure the ball, when necessary, but he doesn’t take a lot of chances on the ball, opting to try and contain his man on the perimeter. Because he doesn’t have great size or strength, he can be overpowered by bigger ballhandlers looking to get into the lane, and defensive switches can cause some issues, even though he has shown that he can defend either backcourt position well. Paige does a good job getting over screens, though he can be inconsistent with his effort, sometimes opting for the easy switch, which didn’t always work to his team’s benefit.

Off the ball, Paige positions himself well, moves and pivots well, and has the ability to deny passing lanes effectively. He can be active off the ball, especially since he was often tasked with matching up with the opponent’s shooting guard or best wing scorer. Paige has very good awareness, and his lack of top-level speed is made up for by his positioning and ability to see the floor at all times. He won’t look to jump passing lanes often, but prefers to force offensive players to receive the ball in spots that are out of easy scoring range. Paige can be a good help defender, picking his spots well to double the ball, or getting a hand in on a player looking to penetrate. He does a good job chasing his man off the ball, though he can find himself wrapped up in screens around the crowded lane area. Paige does a good job closing on shooters on the perimeter, even if his size doesn’t always allow him to make a play on the ball.

Rebounding

Paige isn’t much of a rebounder on either end of the floor, but he is good about chasing down long rebounds on the defensive end, allowing him to start his team in transition. On the offensive end, he can be very good about following his own shot, allowing him to sneak in and regain possession or get off a quick second attempt.

Transition

Paige is very good in transition, capable of pushing the ball quickly up court as the ballhandler, or running one of the wings and spotting up from behind the arc, or attacking the basket off the dribble. Paige shows good control with the ball, weaving through defenders as he surveys the floor, using a strong speed burst when sees an opening to the rim. As mentioned earlier, Paige is also a better perimeter shooter when going off the dribble or able to bounce into his shot, which is accentuated when pushing the pace in transition.

Intangibles/Summary

After a breakout sophomore season, Paige has had some trouble finding the consistency to match that year, especially in scoring. North Carolina had come to rely on Paige to handle a big scoring load, so he was often moved to the shooting guard position, though he was as good as any point guard the team had, and the offense actually moved much smoother when he had the ball in his hands. Paige is a very good pick-and-roll ballhandler already, using his ability well to knock down jumpers, or showing patience and vision to create for teammates. The majority of his scoring comes from the perimeter, specifically from three-point range, where he has proven to be a consistent shooter, even if his numbers dipped a bit this season. Paige is also very good in transition, both as a ballhandler or spotting up on one of the wings, showing good control and nice vision to go along with his scoring ability. On the defensive end, Paige may be one the more underrated on-ball defenders in the country. Often guarding multiple positions in a game, Paige mixes great fundamentals with strong awareness to contain his man, on and off the ball. He could have some problems with bigger offensive players overpowering him, and even with great fundamentals, he could be quicker, but there’s no reason to doubt he can be a good defender at the next level. Paige has been a strong leader for a North Carolina team that has had its share of trying times lately, and as he has done since he got to Chapel Hill, he knocked down a lot of big shots to help the team get to this year’s National Championship game.

Draft Value: Mid-Late 2^nd Round – #45-60

Paige doesn’t have great size or strength, but he is very skilled on both ends, and his playing off-the-ball so often made many forget how good a point guard he can be. There is always a need for back-up point guards who can do a bit of everything, especially shoot and run the pick-and-roll effectively, not to mention he’s well-liked as a teammate and has been a leader down at North Carolina for a few years now. It will come down to need in the second round, and in a deep group, there’s a good chance Paige may not be chosen, but if a team is looking for some depth down the road at the point position, Paige is worth a very close look.

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