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21 - Derrick White

6-4, 190 Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Colorado Senior
Birthday
07/02/94 (29.7 yrs)
Hometown
Parker, CO
High School
Legend
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
8
Strength
7
Quickness
7
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
7
Ball Handling
8
Potential
7
Passing
7
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: E’twaun Moore

Strengths: White has good size for a lead guard at 6’5” with a 6’8” wingspan and is comfortable playing either guard spot. His size allows him to see over the top of most defenders where he can utilize his passing ability and be a primary facilitator in an offense … White always plays with his head up in transition and is able to recognize passing lanes by seeing over the top of the defense with his size … He is willing passer that plays with good patience, and he does a good job of finding big men ducking in from the post area or kicking out to shooters off the drive or from the perimeter … His size, combined with good elevation also allows him to pull up in the mid range area over longer defenders … Although he is not a great athlete, his combination of size and length allows him to finish above the rim in space with ease … As a defender he is disruptive with his length, does a good job of getting in passing lanes to force turnovers, and contest shots … White’s greatest strength is most likely his versatility as a scorer … In his lone season for Colorado he averaged 22.3 points per 40 minutes on 57% shooting from two point range and 40% shooting from three, showing the ability to fill it up from all three levels … He has excellent instincts and plays with great pace and skill … White excels at scoring out of the pick and roll, where he can pull up off the dribble or finish with craftiness at the rim … He has a particularly advanced floater game, which he can use off of one foot or two feet with soft touch … White can finish with either hand and has excellent body control when going to the rim … He is also a quite capable spot up shooter, which allows him to be effective off the ball, and he can fire away coming off of screens … He does an exemplary job of getting his feet under him, having good balance, and exhibiting a quick release … White also gets to the free throw line frequently, where he converts at an excellent 81% … He does a great job of reading the defense off of the pick and roll, where he can turn the corner if the defense goes over the screen or make the defense pay with his jumper for going under … He gets great elevation on his mid range pull up jumper with crisp footwork before the shot … He also takes advantage of switches in the pick and roll by frequently using hesitation dribbles and changing direction to keep the bigger defender off balance … White attacks closeouts very well with jab steps, shot fakes, and step backs to separate into his pull up jumper … Another strong selling point of his repertoire is his advanced feel for the game on both ends of the court … He consistently stays poised under pressure and has the requisite vision to initiate the offense … He also has solid defensive instincts, anticipating plays well and forcing ball handlers to make counter moves … Out of the pick and roll, he uses the entire width of the floor and has excellent timing with his passes … He also can hit both the roll man and shooters on the perimeter from various passing angles … What really stands out in this area is the fact that he keeps his dribble alive and stays clam when the defense hedges hard on the ball screen, allowing him to continue the offensive flow … He also has good awareness defensively when locked in and understands where to be on the court at all times … His best attribute defensively is his ability to slide his feet and stay in front of a ball handler without using his hands … He does a textbook job of preventing straight line drives and forcing his man to change directions … Many scouts also believe that because White is a late bloomer, there is still plenty of room for him to continue developing … He is a Division-2 transfer from University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, and his frame may not be entirely filled out yet …

Weaknesses: White may still have some untapped athletic potential, but at this stage he does not have great burst or shiftiness, which may limit his ability to get to the rim or stay in front of quicker guards at the NBA level … He can be too upright at times both when turning the corner on offense and when guarding his man, limiting his explosiveness … He also may struggle to get all the way to the rim and finish over the top of NBA length … He has only an average first step from a triple threat position, making it challenging for him to turn the corner easily … His lack of burst also does not allow him to play slow to fast at a high level, as he is unable to change gears with much force … Even against big men in the pick and roll, he is not always able to turn the corner and is often forced to settle for off balance jumpers … Against teams above .500, he shot 50% from two-point range compared to over 60% against teams under .500, leaving numerous questions about if he can create offense against better competition … Despite solid athleticism combine numbers, (36.5 max vert) he is generally a below the rim player in traffic, and he will have to rely on floaters mostly, but he has shown great ability in this area … White also has an easygoing demeanor on the court and can get a bit casual at times … He needs to be a bit more vocal, especially if he is going to play a lead guard role in the NBA … He also needs to cut down on the careless turnovers and play with more consistent urgency on defense … He has a tendency to telegraph simple passes, leading to several avoidable turnovers … He also will settle for too many difficult, contested pull-ups on offense at times … On defense he will take plays off; instead of getting low in his stance and being committed to stopping his man by sliding his feet he will reach a bit too often … His defensive versatility in the NBA is also a big question mark … On the one hand, he may not have the frame to guard bigger two guards and wings, but he also may not be quick enough to guard explosive NBA point guards.

Notes: White earned All-America honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Division II Bulletin (second team) and Daktronics (second team). He became the first UCCS player to be so honored by the NABC…Led Colorado at 18.1 points, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free throw line. He was named to the Pac-12’s 2017 All-Conference First Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Tournament Team… He was one of two players, joining Washington’s Markelle Fultz, to rank in the Pac-12 Top 10 in scoring, assists and blocked shots.

William P. Desautelle III 6/7/17

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