Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Shooting Guards to watch in the 2016 NCAA Tournament

The crop of potential NBA "two-guards" is never-ending. In our opinion, the shooting guard spot is the easiest to fill in the NBA. The trick is to fill it with players who not only score but also defend and share. With that criteria as a basis for evaluation, here are our favorite potential NBA shooting guards that are in the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament...

Hart has heart
Josh Hart - Villanova.  6'5" 202 jr. ...Hart is a high-energy two-way guard. He was named to the All Big East First Team with averages of 15.5 points, and 6.9 rebounds per game. Hart is shooting 50% FG for his three-year career (impressive!). He led the Big East in Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2015-16 (.576). ...Hart owns a 1.34-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is solid defensively. Hart hits 38% from three-point land, and he is a 70% foul shooter. I like Hart for a variety of reasons but mostly because he plays hard and he is a willing passer. He helps as a rebounder from the guard position. He received the Dave Gavitt Most Outstanding Player Award after scoring 15 points to help lead the Wildcats past Xavier in the 2015 Big East Tournament. Hart was ranked as the nation's No. 82 prospect in the class of 2013 in ESPN's Top 100. ...I believe Hart has the potential to be a starter at some point in the NBA if he continues to improve his shooting stroke. His ability to defend both guard spots is valuable. 

Buddy Hield - Oklahoma. 6'4" 208 SR. ...Hield is a skilled scorer that has the potential to step into the NBA and have a positive impact. He can score from the wing with the best of the best. Hield is an accurate shooter that is shooting a ridiculously good 46% from 3-pt. range and 89% from the free throw line. If he gets a clean look at the basket you have confidence he will nail the shot. Hield led the Big 12 in True Shooting Percentage this season (.662). ...Hield repeated in 2015-16 as the Big 12 Player of the Year. This season Buddy averages 25 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He scored 46 points in a game at Kansas (01/04/16). Defensively, Hield is nothing to get excited about. His DEFRTG is worse than the Oklahoma team DEFRTG, which is never a good sign. My other nit-pick of Hield's game is that he has more turnovers than assists in his last two seasons. Hield was born in Freeport, Bahamas. 

The others we are watching closely: 

Jaylen Brown - Cal. 6'7" 222, frosh. 
Jamal Murray - Kentucky. 6'5" 201, frosh. 
Troy Williams - Indiana. 6'7" 206, jr. 
Malcolm Brogdon - Virginia. 6'5" 217, SR. 
Desi Rodriguez - Seton Hall. 6'6" 215, soph. 
Jaysean Paige - West Virginia. 6'2" 200, SR. 
Chris Flemmings - North Carolina Wilimington. 6'5" 175, jr. 
Grayson Allen - Duke. 6'4" 195, soph. 
Isaiah Whitehead - Seton Hall. 6'4" 210 soph. 
Kelan Martin - Butler. 6'6" 215, soph.
Dillon Brooks - Oregon. 6'5" 225, soph. 

Read the list of Point Guards to watch in the NCAA Tournament

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