NBA Comparison: Randolph Childress

Strengths: Coming off a strong NCAA Tournament performance, Trice excels due to his quickness, shooting, vision, ball handling, and crafty scoring ability … Uses his speed off the dribble to get inside and either finish at the rim over bigger defenders or kick the ball out to open teammates behind the arc. Great at "switching gears" and stopping and starting with the ball in his hands … Very dependable point guard. Averaged 5.2 assists per game this season, good for second in the Big Ten, and led the conference with a 3.03 assist/turnover ratio … Especially good vision in transition, and could be very successful leading the break in the faster-paced NBA game … Great perimeter shooter. Connected on 37% of his 3’s this season, and connected on over 40% in each of his first three seasons as he shot a lower volume of 3’s … Very tight handles. Allows him to be aggressive and get past defenders without turning the ball over often …Very smart and savvy player. Does a lot of little things to make a difference … Comes from a basketball family, with a coach as a father, and it shows … Creative finisher inside. Able to get a shot up over or around significantly taller players in the post to finish on his drives … Solid on-ball defender, particularly for his size … His lateral quickness serves him well guarding the perimeter … Peaked late in season, averaging 19 PPG in the Spartans run to the Final Four, which was definitely sparked by Trice … Extremely tough kid and a hard worker. Overcame severe illness and injury over the course of his college career … Good leader. Appeared to be the heart and soul of Michigan State’s team this season by the end of the year …

Weaknesses: Defense is the area of Trice’s game which causes the most concern for his transition to the league …. Nearly all of Trice’s shortcomings can be traced back to the fact that he is undersized. Listed at 6’0" and 170 lbs. (might be bigger), Trice doesn’t appear to be long or strong enough to effectively defend NBA point guards and get inside against NBA post players … His ability to take over a game, something he has displayed at both the high school and college level, will certainly be limited against NBA size and speed … His shooting numbers dropped a bit this year. His three-point percentage dropped to a career-low 37% this season, after Trice’s shooting volume increased dramatically, and his field goal percentage dropped from 42% his junior year to a pedestrian 40% for his senior year … His finishing ability and shot selection have increased dramatically since his freshman year, as evidenced by the rise in his two-point percentage from 35% (22% as a sophomore) to 43%, but he still can be troubled when finishing against size … His skill and savvy can only do so much for him against a large front line …

Notes: Third Team All-Big Ten selection…Named NCAA Tournament East Regional MVP…

Overall: Trice appears to be a classic case of a successful college player with a big heart and a big desire to win, but not a big enough body to be a successful NBA player … He’s got a lot going for him in the way of basketball IQ and instincts and work ethic, but his slight frame and small stature will most definitely limit him on the offensive and defensive ends … He could slip into the middle-late second round thanks to his stellar performance in the NCAA Tournament.

Jacob Stallard 5/9/15