NBA Draft: Three prospects improving their draft stock

NBA draft rising prospect No. 1: Desmond Bane

Desmond Bane averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists (all career highs) per game in his senior season at TCU. His percentages took a slight hit with an increased role on offense, but his production increased across the board. According to sports reference, he also averaged a career-high 1.5 steals per game and posted a career-best 97.6 Defensive Rating.

One of the most underrated players in this year’s NBA Draft, Desmond Bane, was initially projected to be a second-round pick, but teams started to realize his value and potential with the long layoff.

Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated reported that the Dallas Mavericks, who hold the 18th and 31st overall picks this year, scheduled a pre-draft meeting with Bane. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman recently quoted an unnamed NBA scout, raving about Bane.

Bane displayed the skillset of an NBA veteran while playing at TCU and has an NBA ready physique, standing at 6’6″ and 215 lbs. He isn’t a great athlete but has a high basketball I.Q. who reads the floor at a high level on both ends of the court.

He does a good job using a combination of good footwork, misdirection moves, and off-ball screens to shake loose from defenders and relocate off the ball.

Bane is an excellent shooter; his 43.3 shooting percentage from behind the arc and his 80 percent free throw percentage across four years at TCU suggest that he will continue to be a sniper at the NBA level.

He isn’t just a three-and-D wing. In his final season with the Horned Frogs, Bane was an excellent scorer and knockdown shooter from everywhere on the court. Synergy placed him in the 92nd percentile and the 86th percentile in pull-up jumpers and spot-up shots, respectively.

He doesn’t possess elite handles, but he can serve as a secondary playmaker. At TCU, he displayed excellent decision-making in the pick-and-roll, delivering accurate passes all over the court.

Last season he posted a career-best 25.89 assist percentage and a 1.68 assist-turnover ratio, according to RealGM. He also scored or assisted on 42.3 percent of his team’s made baskets last season.

He projects to be a solid rotational player and possibly even a starter in the NBA. The forecast tends to be a bit cloudy at this point in the draft process, but sunny days are ahead for Desmond Bane.