2018 NBA Draft: Why you should get to know William McDowell-White

Elite passer

Yes that does say elite, and I firmly believe McDowell-White is an elite passing prospect and the second-best passing point guard in this class (next to Trae Young). His most alluring trait as a playmaker is how well and efficiently he operates off on-ball screens.

In my scouting video on McDowell-White, I spent a long time praising how phenomenal he is working off an on-ball screen. He regularly makes-cross court reads when working off a pick. Even though many of those reads do not end up turning into assists, they create open looks for his teammates and shift the defense.

Playing with higher quality teammates will result in more assists on open 3s and his passing will allow his teammates on the perimeter to attack closeouts. He sees the entire floor extremely well and has pinpoint accuracy on touch and bullet passes to the roll man.

McDowell-White is also able to get into the lane and make plays for others without needing a screen. He does a good job of changing speeds and a tight handle really helps him get into the lane and make simple drive-and-kick reads, along with dump-off passes to his big men for easy layups. His ability to change speeds with his dribble gives him the opportunity to get into the lane without possessing blazing fast speed.

This chart compares McDowell-White’s assist percentage and usage rates to Brunson, Holiday and Carter. Assist percentage is a very team-relative stat, but there’s no denying how impressive McDowell-White’s assist percentage is compared to such a low usage rate. This speaks volumes to just how efficient he is a playmaker with the ball in his hands.