UNLV’s exodus of players to the NBA draft continues.
First, Stephen Zimmerman. Now, Patrick McCaw:
McCaw:
Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Given the tone of his statement, I’d be surprised if McCaw doesn’t hire an agent. Hiring an agent would prevent McCaw from returning to play college basketball.
McCaw has a fairly wide draft range. He could climb into the middle of the first round, but the second round seems quite possible.*
*Fun fact: It’s been 25 years since a UNLV player went in the second round. Seven have since been drafted in the first round. That all-or-nothing outcome feels fittingly Vegas.
McCaw, a fairly unheralded recruit, put himself on the radar last season with a solid freshman year. He built on that this season, showing an arc of progression that should please NBA teams.
A lanky 6-foot-7 shooting guard, he uses his length well as a defensive ball-hawk. He’s also fast in transition. McCaw would work well on an up-tempo team.
He won’t let defenses ignore him beyond the arc in the halfcourt, but his ball-handling limits his ability to contribute when the pace slows. If he’s comfortable putting the ball on the floor, he’s a reasonable passer for an off guard.
McCaw seems most comfortable in a complementary role, which is what he’d likely play at the next level. Teams will gamble on higher-upside players early in the draft, but when it comes time to accept a lower ceiling, I like McCaw’s odds of fitting in the NBA.