NBA Draft: Takeaways and Scouting Thoughts from Gonzaga vs. UConn

UConn traveled across the country to Seattle, Washington on Friday night to face off with Gonazaga in the Continental Tire Seatle Tip-Off. This top-ten matchup could not have come at a better time. We were seemingly spoiled in November with so many great games to choose from. This was the first matchup of top-15 teams since Dec. 9 when Marquette beat Texas by 21. It served as a perfect setting to talk through NBA Draft Prospects. 

Throughout this cycle, leading up to the June NBA Draft, each game played is information accumulated. High-impact games like this one help provide a page of each player’s story that started in high school and will go until draft night. Not one game can make, or break, a player’s draft stock, but each game can help tell the story.

UConn took a double-figure lead into halftime and the game never really felt close after about ten minutes into the game. The Huskies had eight players score, with Alex Karaban, Cam Spencer, and Donovan Clingan (a game-high 21) each finishing with double figures. UConn shot 58.8 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three and won the game by 13 points.

Let’s go through some of the players and see how their games look when pointing toward the NBA Draft.

UConn

So. C Donovan Clingan

Donovan Clingan is an interesting prospect. Playing as Adama Sanogo’s primary backup, he excelled in his 13-plus minutes per game last season. This off-season he was injured, which went right up to the start of the season, and has had some lingering ailments as the season has gone on. While he is playing, I am not sure we have seen a fully conditioned Donovan Clingan. Even with that, he has proven to be one of the top rim protectors in the country. Playing 20.8 minutes per game, he is averaging 4.0 blocks per 40. At a lengthy 7-foot-2, he has an impressive block radius. Even playing a step off his man, he closes quickly and under control. He is not the fastest of foot, but still a very impactful shot blocker.

Clingan is also a solid area rebounder. Although he can be a little inconsistent on the glass, he attacks the opportunities with two hands, high points the ball, and keeps ahold of it in traffic. Would like to see him keep better position for the rebounds when chasing a blocked shot. He is a good outlet passer and can distribute good passes and reads in the half-court. Scoring the ball Clingan has some questions. He needs strength in his base and core. A defensive player can get under him and push him off-balance, putting him in uncomfortable spots. He is at his best, currently, providing spacing as a lob threat in the dunker spot or as the dive man in pick-and-rolls and with putbacks and quick finishes. Clingan is a below-average free-throw shooter and his in-game range does not extend past 15 feet. The rim protection is the superpower. It will be interesting to see how he continues to grow his game as he continues to gain his conditioning.

Clingan finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. He was 8-11 from the field.

Fr. G Stephon Castle

Stephon Castle came into the season with a good bit of NBA Draft hype. The McDonald’s All-American was voted the preseason Rookie of the Year in the Big East. Castle is a 6-foot-6 guard who is at his best with the ball in his hands. And that is kind of the question with him, what is he positionally? With Tristen Newton on the team, Castle has found himself playing a good number of minutes off the ball. In this one, he came off the bench staggered his minutes some, and was able to play on the ball. With the ball in his hands, Castle touches the paint regularly, he plays with good balance and can take a bump to finish. He is also playing with a better pace than he did in high school, is not always in go mode.

As a lead guard, he is going to have to continue working on his reads. He will make some passes and then completely miss or misfire on other reads. Off the ball, While Castle can cut off-ball, he does not score well with his shot. He is a streaky shooter off the bounce and a below-average shooter off movement. The shot is flat and the balance is inconsistent, those are things that can be worked on. Castle has good defensive upside, as he continues to learn how to guard on and off the ball. However, positional questions are there which will be interesting to see if he can answer as the season progresses.

Castle finished with six points and three assists in this one. He played 19 minutes and was 3-9 from the field.

RS-So. F Alex Karaban

Some guys simply know how to play basketball. It is Alex Karaban’s instincts that have put him in this conversation. He is a very opportune player on offense, being the recipient of the extra pass that leaves him with an open look, or a great cut that gets him free at the rim. Karaban is an excellent team defender, both on and off the ball. His understanding of footwork and rotations is top-level. He is not a great on-the-ball defender, as he is an average – at best – athlete, but he rarely puts himself into situations where he can get exposed. His lack of athleticism can also get him in trouble when putting the ball on the floor in traffic. He also does not put much pressure on the rim.

Karaban plays efficiently and he simply does not attempt many things he knows he cannot do. The beauty is in the simplicity. Karaban is a good processor and sees the floor well. After shooting 40.2 percent from three last season, he has been inconsistent this year, shooting 34.9 percent. Skill, toughness, and processing are coveted in the NBA today, especially wrapped in a 6-foot-8 and 220-pound body. The shooting will need to find consistency as his athleticism gives him a very thin margin for error.

Karaban finished with 11 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and two blocks in this one. He was 5-9 from the field and 1-3 from three. He did not go to the free-throw line.

Players to Keep Tabs On

Sr. G Tristen Newton

Every season of college, Tristen Newton has taken a step in his game. To start this season, he is one of the most talented guards in the country. Newton’s best attribute is that he is fearless. Listed at 6-foot-5, he wants to defend, he wants to rebound, and he wants the ball when the game matters. He will need to work on his shooting efficiency (which will come with shot selection, footwork, balance, etc.). He is averaging 6.1 assists on the season, but would still like to see him take a step with his reads. Newton has worked his way, this season, into the NBA Draft conversation as he has put out some great tape. A 6-foot-5 guard who can move the ball and make a shot is valuable in the NBA today. Newton had nine points, three rebounds, five assists, and a steal. He was 3-7 from the field and 2-5 from three.

Sr. SG Cam Spencer

What a good college player Cam Spencer is. His shooting is his superpower and he has proven to be one of the best in the college game. He is never afraid of the moment and has a quick release and is always on balance. Spencer is also a very good passer and processor. He moves the ball well and finds open cutters and mismatches from his off-ball spot. The athleticism is viewed as his detriment. He is not a self-creator and who can he guard in the NBA? The shooting is real, and he can do it off movement or the stand-still. Spencer had 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. He was 5-10 from the field and 3-6 from three.

Players Worth Noting

Fr. SF Jayden Ross has the physical and athletic prototype of an NBA wing. He is an active, and lengthy defender at 6-foot-7, and he proved to be a good shooter off movement and the catch as a senior at Long Island (NY) Long Island Lutheran. He could be one to monitor for a sophomore jump.

Fr. SG Solomon Ball plays with some explosive pop. Not only does he have the pop, but he can also make shots. He is listed at 6-foot-3, so a little undersized for a shooting guard, he has already worked his way into the starting rotation, and his confidence is gaining by the game.

Fr. SF Jaylin Stewart is wired to score the basketball. He has a smooth shooting touch with a projectable frame and nice middle footwork and balance. His summer could be interesting to watch what kind of step he takes into next season.

Gonzaga

Sr. PF Anton Watson

There is something to be said about a play who consistently shows up and simply does his job. Anton Watson was thrust into a featured role this season, after a career as a role player. Watson is a complimentary forward. He is capable of stretching the floor, but his shooting consistency needs continued work. What might be the most intriguing piece to his game, is his passing. He has good floor awareness and is capable of pushing the break or running some offense through in the half-court.

Watson is listed at 6-foot-8 and 228 pounds, which puts him in tweener-land, and while he is a good athlete, and has some explosive burst, there are questions about how fluid he is in the hips and how well he slides laterally. Watson is a good team defender, and he anticipates well, cutting down a lot of angles in the passing lanes. He is shooting 38.9 percent from three this season, which is good for his outlook, but he is also shooting 57.1 percent from the free-throw line. It is tough for tweener forwards to make it in the league if they don’t consistently stretch the floor or guard laterally. Watson is a career 27.4 percent three-point shooter and 61.4 percent free-throw shooter.

Watson finished with a team-high 20 points and added four rebounds. He was 6-15 from the field, 1-2 from three, and 7-9 from the free-throw line.

Jr. PG Ryan Nembhard

Ryan Nembhard has moxie. He is a player that you trust with the ball in his hands. He has proven throughout his college career, that he is capable of making plays. The thing is, it is hard for an undersized point guard to make it in the NBA. Nembhard is listed at 6-foot-0 and 175 pounds. Looking at the 2023 NBA Draft, only one player (Marcus Sasser) was drafted at 6-foot-1 or below. Nembhard is a streaky shooter and scorer. With his size, he can struggle to finish in the paint (48.1 percent from two this season, 47.3 percent for his career). Nembhard plays at a good pace; he gets downhill, especially going right, with great balance. He is very good in transition. Nembhard has also never been a great three-point shooter with 2022-23 being his career-high at 35.6 percent (he is shooting 18.8 percent from three this season). Nembhard has quick hands and moves well, but he is nothing more than solid on the defensive end, better in the open court than in the half-court.

Nembhard finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists. He was 7-16 from the field and 1-1 from the free throw line.

Players to Keep Tabs on

Fr. SF Dusty Stromer

Dusty Stromer has been thrust into a featured role this season for the Zags, playing 28.8 minutes through the team’s first ten games. Stromer has a natural feel and a projectable frame. He will need to continue adding strength but he is a fluid athlete. Stromer’s calling card is his shooting. Along with adding strength, he will have to continue developing off the bounce and working on the defensive end. However, there is a path, with continued development for him to show up on NBA Draft boards. Stromer had eight points, six rebounds, a steal, and a block in this one.

Players Worth Noting

Jr. PG Nolan Hickman is someone who has popped up here and there on NBA Draft boards. He is quick but has struggled to finish in the paint and around the rim. More of a score-first guard, would like to see him make more than his 34.1 percent for his career. Is undersized.

Jr. C Ben Gregg is worth mentioning because of his 6-foot-10 listed height and his three-point marksmanship. Still coming of the bench in his fourth season in Spokane, Gregg is shooting 45.5 percent from three on 2.0 attempts per game. While only playing in 16.1 minutes, he is also averaging 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals per 40.

RS-Fr. PF Braden Huff is a skilled player. He has good size and can knock down shots, consistently from range. Huff is a below-average athlete which leads to questions on the defensive end. Good floor vision with touch on his passes. 

RS-Jr. PF Graham Ike is a nice college player. Has a lengthy and physical frame with some scoring touch both on the block and he has stepped out to knock down a couple of shots this season. He struggles to score at times against size and he is not a rim protector at 6-foot-9, 240 pounds.