2018 NBA Draft: Why you should get to know William McDowell-White
By Connor Harr
What else?
Transition playmaking
McDowell-White is fantastic in transition as a playmaker. He is able to create extra opportunities in transition from his ability to come up with steals along with being such a good rebounder for a guard.
This immediate grab-and-go threat makes him really unique compared to almost every other lead guard in the draft class. Looking at total rebounding percentages this season, the only prospect that came even remotely close to McDowell-White was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
| Name | Total Rebound % |
| William McDowell-White | 10.2% |
| Lonzo Ball (UCLA) | 9.3% |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 6.8% |
My favorite thing to see out of all lead guards in transition is moving the ball up the court with a quality outlet pass. Knowing that you can advance the ball much faster and get the defense out of position early on puts your team at an offensive advantage.
McDowell-White and Trae Young have honed this skill down better than anyone at their position in this class as well. Both excelling in this facet speaks volumes to their high IQ and overall unselfishness.
Off-ball playmaker/potential
Another one of my personal favorite traits in a backup point guard is being able to play off the ball. So even when your team’s primary ball-handler is in the game, your backup can still hold value as a secondary handler, defender or shooter. McDowell-White holds his value by still being able to be an efficient playmaker in an off-ball, low-usage role.
If McDowell-White can take advantage of his ability to be a low-usage playmaker and develop his jump shot, he may find himself becoming more than a backup point guard. His passing vision and feel for the game are elite and I only anticipate they will improve. McDowell-White said in an interview with ESPN that he has limited experience being a point guard.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition
He’s a viable backup point guard option at the very least, containing all the traits that you want to see from a prospect stepping into that role. His ability to play both on and off the ball really set him apart as a prospect. It makes him a very non-fit dependent prospect that every NBA franchise should be looking at William McDowell-White as a viable backup point guard option with the potential to grow into more.