Sweet 16 All-NBA Intrigue Team
Last week we looked at one player to keep an eye on through each slate of games for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Now that we’ve moved on to the Sweet 16, let’s take a look at a few guys who can really impact their draft stock on the bigger stage. Some of them may be trying to get up in to the lottery, while others may just be looking to prove they deserve a shot at all.
Sindarius Thornwell, G, South Carolina
No player seems to have helped his own draft stock more than Thornwell has so far in the tournament. Thornwell has flown under the radar, despite winning SEC Player of the Year in a conference with three players likely to go in the first round next year in Kentucky’s Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Bam Adebayo (which doesn’t include Texas A&M big man Robert Williams, who was a projected lottery pick before announcing that he’d be returning to College Station for his sophomore season). That isn’t surprising, as he’s a senior in a time where playing more than a season or two of college ball hurts your stock. He averaged 21.4 points per game, which is good but not eye-popping. South Carolina’s slow pace held back his raw numbers, however. His 36.2 points per 100 possessions is among the best marks in the country, and per Sports Reference, he led the nation in overall BPM as well as offensive BPM. He also finished ninth in the KenPom player of the year rankings.
Thornwell has been a solid player for the Gamecocks throughout his career, but his big leap as a senior has largely been driven by his improved shooting from 3-point range. He shot a solid 38 percent as a junior, but knocked down 44 percent this season. Thornwell could already use his athleticism to blow by guys on the perimeter offensively, but that extra dimension to his game makes him a much bigger threat. Add in his strong play on the defensive end, and you see the makings of a very useful player at the next level. After not really being mentioned as an NBA prospect throughout the season, Thornwell has at least worked his way into the second round, with some draft pundits considering him for the late first. If he can follow up his strong first weekend with another big game or two, look for him to solidify that status.
Frank Mason, G, Kansas
Mason is another four-year guy trying to prove that he can fill a role at the next level. Mason’s biggest weakness is his size, measuring up at just 5-foot-11. That size disadvantage will be tough to overcome, but he’s shown the skills to make you think it might be at least possible. He’s fearless driving into the lane and has tremendous body control. He’s also developed a floater, a must for undersized guards when it comes to scoring off the drive.
He pairs that fearlessness with a 3-point shot that’s become lethal. He shot 47 percent on 4.7 attempts per game, and can make them reliably both off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot situations. His 8.8 offensive BPM was fifth in the country. It’s unlikely that Mason ever becomes a star, but he could turn into a reliable backup.
Devin Robinson, F, Florida
Robinson has shown steady improvement throughout his college career and is currently in the early second-round range. He’s limited offensively, but he’s shown great versatility on the defensive end. He’s got good athleticism, and can stay in front of players on the perimeter. His height at 6-foot-8 and his 6-foot-11 wingspan creates what looks to be a player who can become a defensive stopper in the NBA.
Robinson has improved his shooting, and it’s been proven that if you pair a reliable 3-pointer with strong defensive play, you can carve out a long career. He’s gotten his three-point percentage up to 39 percent this season, and if that holds in the NBA, it would be more than enough to be successful. Despite that improvement, Robinson still has some question marks on the offensive end. He’s a career 71 percent free throw shooter, which could be worse but isn’t great, considering the evidence that free throw percentage is better than 3-point percentage as a projection of 3-point shooting in the NBA. He’s struggled to find consistent success in other facets of the game offensively, so his outlook could hinge on his shooting ability. As far as the rest of the tournament goes, another big offensive performance like his 24-point game against East Tennessee State in the first round could be enough for some scouts to push him up to the end of the first round.
Johnathan Motley, F, Baylor
A projected late first-rounder who hasn’t gotten a ton of attention, Motley is tough to get a read on. He just missed out on averaging a double-double for the season, with 17.3 points and a Big 12 leading 9.9 rebounds per game. He’s 6-foot-9 and starts games at the power forward spot, but he also plays minutes at the 5. His ridiculous 7-foot-3.5 wingspan, along with solid athleticism, leads me to believe that he’d be able to play as a small ball center in the NBA. Offensively, he’s very agile and has shown very good ability as a rim runner. Motley looks like he fits perfectly into the mold of modern centers in the NBA, who are less physical behemoths, and more long and agile.
He’s got a favorable matchup in the Sweet 16 in a South Carolina team that doesn’t really have any bigs capable of guarding him. If he has the kind of game that the matchup should allow him to, expect to start see him moving up into the early 20s or so as we get closer to draft day.
Bam Adebayo, C, Kentucky
Adebayo’s draft stock has been very interesting to watch throughout the season. He entered his freshman year with comparisons to Dwight Howard, and many had him in the top 10 before the season. He hasn’t had a bad season by any means, but has fallen all the way to the back end of the first round. He took some flak from draft analysts throughout the first half or so of the season for his lack of rebounding, but has responded by picking up double-digit rebounds in six of his last 11 games, and had less than eight rebounds only once in that stretch.
His 14.6 rebound percentage isn’t terrific, but it shouldn’t hold him back the way it has seemed to. He’s a versatile defender who’s capable both as a rim protector, as well as further out on the perimeter, something he showed by blocking Landry Shamet’s potential game-tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds of the Wildcats’ second-round matchup against Wichita State. Offensively, he’s a good scorer in the paint, he’s got good moves down low and his 75 dunks are second in the country behind UCF giant Tacko Fall. He also has shown an ability to run with the team and score in transition. He’s picked up double-doubles in each of the team’s two tournament games so far, and a big second weekend may push him back up into the lottery where he belongs.
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