1 - Nico Mannion

6-3, 190 Point Guard
Arizona Freshman
Birthday
03/14/01 (23 yrs)
Hometown
Siena, Italy
High School
Pinnacle
Team Site Profile
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
7
Strength
7
Quickness
7
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
7
Ball Handling
8
Potential
8
Passing
8
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: Luke Ridnour/Derrick White

Strengths: Mannion is a crafty 6’3 guard who has a nice base of skills for a young guard prospect, including solid creativity with the ball in his hands and shooting and play making ability … Possesses a good groundwork of fundamentals and feel for the game … An agile athlete, more of a glider than explosive … Already is really comfortable handling and dealing in pick and roll offense, which likely will be his bread and butter in the future, as he’s adept at keeping bigger guys off balance, often getting a step on them or having them on his hip after a switch … Has nice footwork, and utilizes a nice amount of shifty change of pace moves off the dribble to get into the lane or create spacing … Likes to create offense for himself but also flashes advanced timing and instincts as a passer (5.3 apg; 2/1 A/TO), making a good amount of pocket passes when on the move … Most effective working the mid-range currently, and seems to be more comfortable operating and taking shots off the dribble than with his feet set … Has some raw shot-making ability, at times hit impressive long range shots off the dribble against solid defense … Sound shooting technique and follow through, most of his shots look in rhythm … Shows a soft and effective one-handed floater, which is probably his go-to shot when attacking off the dribble … Likes to play up-tempo and in transition too, being capable of making highlight passes and often dazzling with his open court vision … At times flashes the ability to get creative as a finisher at the rim, and can also finish above the rim when he gets a head of steam and a step on his man … Though he’s not a finished product, has shown signs of becoming a nice all-around offensive guard prospect with untapped potential as a shooter and floor general … A highly touted 5 star HS recruit, Mannion has good bloodlines as his father Pace Mannion was a 5-year NBA vet … There is a prevailing theme that Mannion has a high prospect ceiling because the majority of his current weaknesses as a player can be improved with time and experience …

Weaknesses: Though on the surface Mannion’s prospect checklist is pretty impressive, he Is not always the sum of his parts … While he is a pretty good playmaker and generally shows a relatively high basketball IQ for a young lead guard, he will sometimes bail out the defense by taking difficult shots or playing hero ball when he should just be patient and make an extra pass or set up the half-court offense … He still has some maturing to do as a point guard and decision maker … His shot looks nice, but the results become more inconsistent the further away from the basket he is, and he struggled with his efficiency all season as a Fr … Shot selection needs improvement, but Mannion also needs more repetition in practice as a set shooter, as there is no doubt he has the ability to and would benefit from being able to knock down open shots with more consistency after being streaky at Arizona … Though he likes to work the mid-range, his favorite shots are usually low percentage floaters and runners, and he really struggles to both get all the way to the rim or finish with much effectiveness against taller athletes…Is not more than an adequate athlete by NBA standards, wont blow anyone away with his speed or explosiveness … Doesn’t project to be a plus defender in the NBA with his middling physical skills, effort and athleticism and may also struggle to defend most SGs at the NBA level after having a hard time trying to defend bigger guards in college when he had to … Struggled to live up to his abilities as an outside shooter, connecting on just 32% of his three pointers in his freshman season …

Overall: Mannion is going to garner plenty of attention due to his potential and offensive upside … He averaged a very solid 14 ppg and 5 apg as a freshman for Arizona, but he wasn’t exactly ending his season strong and could’ve used a potential berth to the NCAA tournament to rebuild the momentum he had as a draft prospect heading into the season … He needs more experience and time to polish his skills more, and some of his struggles Still he is a talented, savvy player who will be worth taking a chance on given his amateur pedigree and raw skill set …

Notes: Measured 6’3, with a 6’2.5 wingspan and 8’1.5 standing reach before attending Arizona …Father Pace Mannion, native of Salt Lake City, UT was a professional player, 6’7 shooting guard, in the NBA and Europe (43rd pick in 1983, Golden State Warriors) … His Mother is professional Italian volleyball player Gaia Mannion … Native of Scottsdale, AZ … Holds a dual citizenship (US and Italy) … Has experience playing for the Italian National team, where he made a solid impact …

Jorrye Nixon 9/4/20

NBA Comparison: Derrick White

Strengths: 6’3 point guard … Creative style of play with good footwork and change of speed. Good ball handler, creates offense for himself and teammates. Good ambidexterity, drives and makes one-handed passes with his left or right hand … Averaged 14.1 points per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Led the U16 European Championship A in scoring with 19.9 points per game in 2017 … Shoots well off the catch, dribble, or step back. Good midrange scorer. Shoots well from three and has range out to the NBA 3PT line. Shot 38.1% 3P% on 5.3 attempts per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Shot 35% 3P% on 5.7 attempts per game at the U16 European Championship A in 2017 … Reliable free throw shooter. Shot a fourth best 86.2% FT% over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Shot 78.4% FT% at the U16 European Championship A in 2017 … Leads in transition and in the half-court. Plays under control, good balance of playing aggressive without forcing his impact. Also, knows when to score and when to distribute, with ability to run the point and play off the ball. Good passing and court vision. Finished second in assists with six per game over the Under Armour Association and the second best assist/turnover with 2.8 in the league in 2018. Finished sixth in assists with four per game at the U16 European Championship A in 2017 … Competes on the defensive end. Averaged 1.5 steals per game over the Under Armour Association in 2018. Led the U16 European Championship A with three steals per game in 2017 … Draws fouls at a good rate … Unselfish. Leader on the floor, plays with competitiveness and passion …

Weaknesses: Doesn’t have great size and length with a 6’2.5 wingspan and 8’1.5 standing reach … Smooth athlete but isn’t incredibly explosive, especially when comparing him to other top guards of his class. Nice first step and change of speed but lacks elite quickness, hindering him as a perimeter defender … His lack of size and athleticism can limit him as a creator and finisher, may have to be more reliant on creativity at the next levels … Has room to get stronger …

Outlook: Incoming Arizona freshman … 2019 McDonald’s All-American … Named to the 2019 Jordan Brand Classic … Recorded 28 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the 2019 Nike Hoop Summit … 2018 and 2019 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year … Son of Pace Mannion …

Evan Tomes 8/5/19

Facebooktwitterredditmail