NBA Draft: Live Scouting USF Junior Forward Kasean Pryor

Since USF head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim put junior transfer Kasean Pryor into the starting lineup, the 6-foot-10 forward has responded by averaging 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. 

The junior college transfer has a streak of six consecutive double-figure games and has produced four double-doubles in his last five contests. 

Pryor burst on the scene later this season and has been rather intriguing with the herky-jerky fluidity of his game and comparisons to Chris Andersen (Bird Man) – another JUCO product.

I was able to catch a live viewing of Kasean Pryor earlier this week, against East Carolina. He finished the game with 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. He was 5-11 from the field, 3-5 from three, and 1-2 from the free-throw line.

Let’s take a little deeper look at those raw numbers, and discuss what I saw from a scouting perspective.

The Physical Tools

From the second he ran out of the tunnel to start USF’s pre-game lay-up lines, Kasean Pryor popped. The long-armed, fluidly athletic Pryor led the team on the court and immediately ran to the goal at full speed for a two-handed back-scratching dunk. He let out a big yell after the dunk, setting the tone for the night. 

Pryor is listed at 6-foot-10 and 210 pounds. While I cannot find any documented calculations of his wing span, the eye test would suggest he firmly has a plus measurement from finger-tip to finger-tip.

While the size and length are more than adequate for the highest levels of basketball, his athleticism is what makes him so intriguing. At 6-foot-10, Pryor switches ends of the court quickly and fluidly. He runs from front of the rim to front of the rim as well as any big in the country. He shows great hands, catching the ball from different angles, on the run.

Pryor can also quickly open his hips, change directions, and move his feet. This allows him considerable switchable upside on the defensive end of the floor, as he is able to guard in the open floor or protect the rim on the block. 

Pryor Remains Engaged

While playing almost 30 minutes a game during American Athletic Conference (AAC) play, and 31 minutes in the East Carolina game that I watched, he plays the game with an infectious demeanor. Kasean Pryor was vocal as the back line of the defense on every possession in this one. He was consistently talking to teammates and directing traffic. 

In this game, Pryor was constantly smiling and engaging with teammates, the opposition, and referees during dead balls. He gave full effort on many possessions and looked like he was having a blast while doing it. 

In a game where body language speaks volumes, the good vibes nature of Pryor in this game was encouraging to see live.

Pryor’s offensive game

At this stage in his career arch, Kasean Pryor’s defense is ahead of his offense. However, that is not to say that the 6-foot-10 forward does not show considerable flashes in his offensive game. Immediately, the athleticism and the size make him a lob threat out of the dunker spot and as a roll man. He played in this role for a few possessions, and the USF team was successful either with Pryor finishing, or opening up spacing for his team as the threat to finish. 

However, throughout most possessions in this game, Pryor was set up along the perimeter. Abdur-Rahim lined up his junior forward at various spots, on various levels of the floor, facing the basket. On some possessions Pryor was in the corner, some he was at the high post, some he was on the wing, some he was a trail big, and even on some possessions he initiated the offense. 

Pryor will need to tighten up all aspects of his offensive game. While he shows flashes of a handle and a shot, at this time, they are simply that, just flashes. His handle can be reckless at times, holding on to the ball for too long, or trying a behind-the-back dribble in traffic. When he plays within two or three dribbles, he can create an advantage and make a play. Tightening his dribble and better securing his passes will be a must as he continues forward. 

In this game, Pryor finished 3-5 from beyond the arc. All three of his made threes came off the catch, in drive-and-kick situations. For starters, Pryor has a consistent, high release on his three-point shot. The shot load and the balance points are where he will need some continued work. The misses came left or right. As he continues to get stronger in his core and base, this should smooth out and he could have his three-point shot become a consistent threat in his game. 

Added strength will also help Pryor finish around the basket, where he is shooting 47.3 percent from two on the season. Added footwork will come as he continues to get game reps and training, but his shots can get knocked off balance with bumps and contact around the basket. Strong hands, and again, a stronger base and core will help here as well. 

However, the intrigue as a dunker spot and lob threat are there, and so is the fact that he is shooting 37.8 percent from three on 4.6 attempts per game in conference play.

The Defensive Outlook

The intrigue here, for me, is very high. It is hard for me to not watch Kasean Pryor move around the floor and simply think of the versatility he brings to different defensive schemes. 

Watching this game, you see him play at the point of USF’s 3/4 and 1/2 court presses, sliding his feet to shade the primary ball handler to one side of the floor. He was also able to turn the ball handler a couple of times. His length quickly cut down passing lanes.

In the half-court, Pryor guarded East Carolina’s perimeter-based forward, making things tough for him. He also played well roaming on defense and as a weak-side shot blocker. In this game, he finished with two blocks and a steal. His blocks were both very loud and they were well above the rim. 

The next step for him in blocking shots, and this might be nitpicking at this point, will be to control the block, and attempt to keep it in play as opposed to sending them into the third row. He also did a good job of staying controlled on defense, not letting himself be fooled on ball fakes or wildly pick-up cheap fouls. 

During AAC play, in Pryor’s 29 minutes per game, he is averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is the only player in AAC play that is averaging at least 1.4 steals while also collecting 1.1 blocks. He has had four games with multiple blocks this season and six with multiple steals. Pryor also had a conference game, against Rice, where he finished with 29 points, five steals, and five blocks. 

The switchability and instincts with the defensive upside here are tremendous.

Kasean Pryor Looking Ahead

Kasean Pryor‘s production this season has come with an uptick in confidence. And the uptick in confidence came from playing time. 

Pryor’s path to this point has not been conventional, however, every person’s path is different. Pryor played his first two seasons at Boise State where he played 13 games. He followed that up, playing last year at Northwest Florida State where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds on 35.2 percent shooting from three. This off-season, Pryor chose USF over Saint Louis.  

A look across the highest levels of basketball, and you see a lot of value in fluid, switchable, 6-foot-10 forwards. Pryor’s ability to run the floor, protect the rim, and slide his feet puts him in the conversation. Even being a fourth-year junior at USF, there is still a raw nature to Pryor’s game. 

He will need to continue adding weight, and strength to his core and base will be big for his development. So will live, in-game reps. After his senior year of high school, Pryor played in 13 games at Boise State and then 35 games of JUCO ball. He will need to tighten the handle and clean up his shot mechanics. There are some turnovers and bad angles he takes at times. Also, work on his footwork and balance will help with continued production on both ends of the floor. 

Even with the raw nature of his game, Pryor is producing, in big ways, consistently. Since inserting Pryor into the starting lineup, the Bulls have won 11 of the 12 games. In those starts, Pryor is putting up 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He is shooting 35.6 percent from three and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line.

What enhances Pryor’s physical tools, is the touch on his shot. Collecting 2.5 stocks per game during league play, he is also shooting 37.8 percent from three and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line. There are a couple of different archetypes his career trajectory could lead. The physical tools, the current level of production, and the flashes make it easy to see why buzz could pick up around Kasean Pryor moving forward.