NBA Draft: Five sleepers to consider in the first round

NBA draft sleeper No. 4: Killian Tillie

Standing at 6’10” tall with one of the smoothest shooting forms we’ve seen in the draft since Devin Booker left Kentucky, Killian Tillie is the prototypical stretch-four.

He’s a sniper from outside with a quick and seemingly effortless release from deep range. A career 44.4 percent 3-point shooter, Tillie has never shot less than 40 percent from distance in his collegiate basketball career.

Tillie is a very intuitive and a high I.Q player who can fit into any offense. He moves well without the ball and finds open spaces on the floor with relative ease. He sees the court well and knows exactly when to cut, slip off screens, and whether to roll or fade after setting a pick.

He’s also a brilliant and capable passer on offense who can see plays before they develop, anticipating when the defense is closing out on him and capable of making a quick and accurate pass to an open teammate.

Killian Tillie has the potential to be one of the best pick and roll bigs in the NBA with his ability to shoot, finish at the rim, and pass before the close-out comes.

According to Synergy, he ranks in the 93rd percentile with 1.318 PPP, specifically in pick and pop plays. He also ranks in the 92nd percentile in overall pick and roll situations averaging 1.365 PPP while shooting 68.4 percent when rolling to the basket.

One of the major knocks on his game is, for a 6’10” power forward, Tillie doesn’t rebound very well. Despite being so tall, he has never averaged more than 5.9 rebounds per game in the NCAA nor overseas.

While playing at Gonzaga, Tillie endured a myriad of injuries, including surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right ankle (Oct. 2018), partially torn plantar fascia ligament in his right foot (Feb. 2019), and knee surgery (Oct. 2019).

It’s also worth mentioning that he entered his name into the NBA Draft pool after his junior season as well but withdrew and returned to Gonzaga to finish out his senior year after suffering an ankle injury during a workout.

With durability concerns and his poor rebounding, Tillie is being underrated in a draft class many deem “weak.” If he can overcome his injury woes, he will be a solid role player who can help space the floor for years to come.

Teams picking in the back end of the first round, such as the New York Knicks (27th pick via LA Clippers) who are in dire need of shooting, should feel pretty confident in selecting Killian Tillie.