NBA Comparison: Spencer Dinwiddie

Strengths: A lanky 6’6 180 SG prospect with some interesting traits and untapped potential in his physical profile and overall floor game…A long striding athlete who covers ground well and shows pretty good explosiveness and leaping ability with the potential to add more juice once he gets stronger…Intriguing scoring package (nearly 17 ppg as a Fr), shows signs that he could become a dangerous weapon putting the ball in the hoop from all 3 levels of the court…Soft shooting touch and has shown some impressive flashes as a natural shot-maker, particularly off the dribble…Has developing 3-point range off the bounce and as a floor spacer; deep jumper is not as broken as his efficiency may indicate…Pretty good ball-handler with a rangy and deceptive 1st step to turn the corner and get into the lane…Will slither and contort his slender frame into tight spaces and make tricky shots in the lane at times…Is comfortable creating for himself with the use of on-ball screens…Uses defenders aggressiveness against them and has a nice feel for creating space to get into his floaters and pull-up jumpers in rhythm from mid-range…Can effectively switch his pace and uses head fakes & hesitation moves to freeze defenders and draw fouls when he has his man on his hip (over 6 FT/game on an excellent 83% clip)…Plays above the rim with ease in the open court and occasionally with a head of steam going downhill against set defenses; has physical tools that are tailor-made for transition play…Uses his length and leaping skills to contribute on the glass (5.2 rpg)…Gained experience going up against defenses that showed him extra attention in their gameplans on a nightly basis as a Fr., which doesn’t hurt his development in the grand scheme…Not yet the sum of his parts, could just be scratching the surface of his potential

Weaknesses: A bit light in the britches; lacks strength and toughness at the current stage and even at the college level it had a noticeable impact on his effectiveness on both ends of the court…Base strength especially needs improvement, can struggle getting his legs underneath himself which leads to his shots falling short and off-balanced attempts off the dribble…Showed spotty shot selection (40% FG) as a Fr., tends to settle and hoisted up some questionable shots early in the shot clock quite a bit…Gets tunnel vision offensively (1.4/2.1 A/TO); played hero ball (out of necessity at times) and missed open teammates routinely when slashing…Was a bit of a “feast or famine” type player from game to game this past season, and many noticed that he generally struggled mightily with his efficiency when he played against the quality teams on Nebraska’s schedule…Doesn’t have the quickest or highest release at the moment, though his size allows him some leeway shooting over closeouts…Would have to greatly increase his shooting efficiency at the next level (27% 3FG) to justify some of the shots he takes…Feel for the game and overall awareness on the court are a work in progress…Tends to easily get bottled up by physical players, can be forced into stagnant possessions and turnovers when defenders pressure him with the ball…Gets pushed around and washed out of plays defensively right now, showing minimal interest fighting through contact on that side of the floor…A poor defender on a bad defensive team in college, had all kinds of issues containing dribble penetration and backdoor plays alike…Often does himself little favors with his underwhelming fundamentals and activity level on that end; doesn’t get into a stance consistently and the high center of gravity he plays with is an issue when he has to defend quick perimeter players in space…More foul prone than your usual guard prospect (2 fouls per game as a Fr.), gets handsy and starts reaching when he gets beat off the bounce…Can be a phantom on the court when he has an off shooting night, often doesnt contribute much outside of scoring currently

Overall: McGowens was a blue chip level HS recruit who decomitted from Florida State to join Fred Hoiberg and Nebraska; a move many believe was largely made so he could be teammates with his older brother, Trey…He was a productive scorer on a Cornhusker team that needed all the points it could get, and showed intriguing flashes of shot-making and quickness throughout the season with some strong performances along the way (ie his 26 point game in a late season road win vs Ohio St)…Still, he needs a good deal of polish in his overall game and to work on his fundamentals to reach his potential, as well as adding strength to his rail-thin frame which would go a long way to helping him on both ends…He played on a bad, undisciplined squad and was a bit of an inconsistent performer with the extra defensive attention some teams gave him, and teams often made it a point to target him on the defensive end, but those experiences may have benefited him because he wont face as much attention as a younger player at the next level with more talented teammates, less of a burden to produce and veterans around him to show him the ropes…He is a somewhat polarizing prospect, but he could be a gem for the right team who can take their time with him as he gets stronger and irons out some of the kinks in his game

Jorrye Nixon 5/13/22

Strengths: McGowens is a skilled, lengthy and athletic 6’6 combo guard with a lot of bounce and a smooth jumper … A true three-level scorer who can get to the basket and contour his body to avoid contact and finish at the rim … Smart ball-handler and passer in the PNR … Solid vision as a PNR ball-handler … Intelligent cutter off the ball with an explosive first step … Freak athlete who plays above the rim … At his best offensively with dribble-drives showcasing his ball-handling and long strides … Mix of body control, shooting touch and twitchy athleticism are what make him special offensively … Can avoid contact at the rim, but also one of the best at finding contact to get himself to the line. He’s already attempted 62 free throws for the Cornhuskers and his high percentage of 84% at the line is encouraging for his eventual development as a perimeter shooter … Extremely high upside player … Smart player with high basketball IQ should carve out a major role for himself at the next level … Excellent rebounder due to impressive vertical and athleticism …

Weaknesses: His three-point averages are down as a freshman, but with the high volume of threes and good free-throw percentage, we could easily see that improve … Struggles against high motor defenders, turning the ball over far too often for his number of assists (1.9 TO/1.8 AST) … Must improve upon his shot selection, partiiularly three point shots as he often settles for rushed shots when defenders are too near him … Defensive energy and engagement is inconsistent at this point and will require more attention in order to become a solid defender at the next level … Efficiency needs improvement with high point totals being more attributed to volume than productive efficiency … Still needs a little more time to develop. Would really benefit from another year in college … Needs to fine-tune his jump shot and take better shots, but the tools and athleticism are there to build a solid NBA career …

Notes: Initially committed to Florida State before his brother transferred to Nebraska and convinced him to join him … He committed to Nebraska months after his brother’s transfer … 2x Big Ten Freshman of the Week … South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year … Selected to Jordan Brand Game … Was rated a five star recruit, 24th by ESPN, 26th by Rivals and 25th by 247Sports entering college …

Derek Bast 12/12/21

Notes: Measured: 6’5.25” barefoot, 6’6.5” in shoes, 8’7.5” standing reach, 181.2 lbs, 6’8.75” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …