2019 NBA Draft: Stock watch from prospects in Champions Classic
By Roger Acker
Stock down: Tyler Herro, Kentucky
Looked at as a pure go-to scorer, Tyler Herro struggled mightily in every aspect of the game during the first half. He finished with a stat line of 14-9-5, but shot 4-for-11 and improved his stat line during garbage time when the game was far out of reach.
Every scorer can go cold, and if Herro had an explosive shooting performance, the game could have gone a little differently. The concerning part, however, was not the shooting, but his role on offense and defensive play. Herro seemed to seek a shot every possession — a bad sign for a team fighting for a comeback. His trigger-happy tendencies not only added to a stagnant Kentucky offense, but allowed Duke to get out on the run and pile up the score.
Defensively, he looked fidgety and unsure of himself. Herro tended to overreact to movements by Duke players and was often attacked when guarding an opponent. He still needs time to adjust to increased physicality and playing on the big stage, but Herro must find more ways to score efficiently if he remains a liability on defense.
Tyler Herro plays the defense of an Adriatic League top offensive option. See a lot of the random jumping and lunging without purpose that you’ll see on tape from guys like Musa and Saric. Gives the illusion of effort and reaction to the ball.
— Serbian Clydesdale (@IllegalScreens) November 7, 2018
Stock unchanged: Quentin Grimes, Kansas
A quick look at the box score shows an impressive outing for Grimes consisting of 21 points and six 3s. There were some questions on his jumper, but nailing 60 percent of your 3s against a historically great defensive team does a lot to quell those fears.
Outside of shooting, he did not find too many ways to impact the game. Like most freshmen guards, his defense was shaky, and he only made one basket outside of the 3-ball.
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This game will draw attention to Grimes for his explosive shooting, but lack of overall impact hurt his overall performance. Again, just like every prospect, he has a long way to go and a long season ahead, but until Grimes can establish his role, his draft range will continue to be one of the widest of all top prospects.