NBA Comparison: Luke Ridnour

Strengths: Preston is a tall, rangy 6’4 180 PG prospect who has the lengthy frame (6’8 wingspan) to comfortably add more strength…Good agility, more of a “gliding” athlete but did himself a favor measuring with a 38” max vert at the NBA Combine…A creative and unselfish playmaker, Preston’s patient feel for the game, basketball IQ and crafty passing skills easily stand out when watching him play…Given his size at the lead guard spot, he has excellent court vision and the ability to whizz passes to open teammates from all over the court…Extremely productive operating in pick and roll offense, showing great timing with his passes while also being a threat to knock down shots when defenders go underneath screens (39% 3FG as a Jr.)…Also used pick and roll offense to have success calling his own number, getting to the paint and converting or in the mid range where he shows a promising floater…Uses his long-striding speed, the threat to make a quick pass and a nice command of hesitation dribbles to turn the corner well…Adept at manipulating defenders to create passing windows, often tilting or freezing the defense off the dribble and then making accurate dump-offs for high percentage plays…Keeps his head up and makes good decisions to create easy baskets against hard hedges, where his size and timing as a passer really shows most…Nice shooting touch and has range to the NBA 3-point line off the dribble and with his feet set, confidence grew with each year he spent in college…Uses his body to shield smaller guards in the lane well, keeps defenders on his hip to create lanes to score or collapse the defense and find the open man…Would be fun to watch in an up-tempo system, given his instinctive hit-aheads when the defense isn’t set and ability to make flashy passes…Efficient scorer at Ohio, shot above 50% from the field in each of the past 2 seasons…Used his size to make very good contributions on the glass (7.3 rpg as a JR, 5.6 rpg for his career)…Not afraid to use his length and instincts to jump passing lanes and come up with steals/deflections (1.5 spg as a Jr.)…Played at a mid-major school, but had a few standout performances when he played big stage games (near triple double in NCAA tourny win against Virginia, 31 point, 8 assist/0 turnover game against Illinois)…A late bloomer, who has an inspirational story given the unconventional way he became a college basketball star and now NBA draft prospect

Weaknesses: Not a very sudden athlete, doesnt have much in the way of a 2nd gear or explosiveness…A great pick and roll player, but he is heavily reliant on it to operate and doesn’t really get into the teeth of the defense much without the help of a screen…Settles for low percentage fadeaways and runners at times because he doesn’t get consistent separation from defenders off the dribble…Lack of foot speed and lateral quickness are evident defensively, had some struggles denying penetration in college and doesnt project to handle pro guards who are quick off the dribble very well…A ball-dominant player who can at times be turnover prone, overdribbling into bad spots occasionally and he has a tendency to leave his feet when make passes…Not very strong at the moment, mostly shows when forced to fight through screens or finish through contact near the rim…Had some success as a scorer in college, but isn’t a natural shot creator for himself and clearly is more of a facilitator….Pretty right-hand dominant, can be less effective when forced to drive and finish with his off hand…Not afraid to make defenders pay when they play off of him, but is a bit inconsistent shooting off the dribble…Has a limited sample size against top competition, didnt always face the kind of athletes he will see on the pro level on a game-to-game basis…Some of the bad habits he has developed fundamentally playing against lower level competition will be taken advantage of more consistently as the speed of the game increases (ie leaving his feet to pass, high gravity defensive stance, sluggish closeouts)

Overall: Preston’s ascension into a draft prospect has been storybook…Went from a 6’ 140 HS Sr averaging 2 ppg, to getting an offer from Ohio after uploading his prep school highlights on Twitter, where shortly after committing he became an impact player for most of his 3-year career…He now stands 6’4 180 as a legitimate PG prospect, and is coming off of an impressive Jr season that has now caught the attention of many NBA teams and scouts…He brings legitimate passing skills, size and pick and roll excellence to the table, with his calculated approach to creating offense for himself and others, as well as his consistently improving shooting skills…He isnt the most athletic or fleet of foot, and needs to add more strength to his frame to handle physical play better, as well as the obvious questions about his level of competition…But he rose to the occasion more often than not when he played in big games and fared well in pre-draft scrimmages, is clever and plays a style that is fun to watch…You cant ignore that he makes his teammates jobs easier and that he can impact the game and produce in multiple ways…Very intriguing prospect who has been rising up boards the past few months

Notes: Measured: 6’3.0” barefoot, 6’4.0” in shoes, 8’4.5” standing reach, 180.6 lbs, 6’8.5” wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 7/24/21