NBA Comparison: Bryant Stith

Strengths: Suffocating perimeter defender who was widely recognized as the best perimeter defender in college basketball this season … Incredibly disciplined defender who laterally moves his feet masterfully and fully extends on contests without fouling … An aggressive defender who took on the toughest matchups, yet stayed out of foul trouble and rarely conceded easy buckets … Intelligent defender who loves to force ball-handler toward the baseline and still stay in front. Even when he gets beat for a step, he recovers well and can block shots from behind with a great wingspan for his size (6’4 height and 6’9 wingspan) … Great anticipation as a defender, both on and off the ball, to force turnovers on charges or steals. Lays his body on the line … Very effective guarding 1-3. Can hold his own in the post, even against taller 4’s with exceptional upper body strength … Defensive playmaker … Possesses Jose Alvarado type of energy, never taking a play off to allow lead ball-handlers to relax or bring it up the floor easily … Always thinking and moving off the ball on both ends. Simply makes plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet … Averaged 2.6 steals per game … Comfortable ball-handler who showed flashes of impressive scoring as a junior, doubling his scoring average from 6.7 points to 13 points per game … An absolute workhorse who will tire out an entire team with his constant movement on both ends of the floor … Finishes well around the rim as evidenced by a 54.4% career shooting percentage from inside the arc … Rebounded above his height with six total per game as a junior, including two offensive boards per game … Solid vertical athlete, at least pre-injury …

Weaknesses: Funky shooting motion and poor shooting percentage in his career project him as an unreliable floor spacer, at least early in his career. Improved to a 33% shooter from the perimeter this season, but the mechanics and bad misses indicate he won’t be a consistent threat from 3-point range … Could benefit from a complete overhaul with his shooting mechanics … More smarts than speed as slasher, which won’t work often against high-level NBA defenders … Won’t keep opponents honest as a ball-handler, limiting how much he can score off the dribble as teams dare him to shoot off the bounce … Coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, the extent of which is unknown, but did require surgery shortly after it occurred in early March … Even if he’s available to start the NBA season, it will be tough to contribute consistent minutes with how little he brings to the offense at the next level. Excluding his off-ball intelligence that leads to easy layups on cuts, Clark’s presence could make it much easier to defend offensive sets if he can’t provide a shooting threat from the wing …

Notes: Measured 6’4.00” barefoot, 8’5.50” standing reach, 204.2 lbs, and a 6’9.00 wingspan at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine … 2023 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year and NABC Defensive Player of the Year … Second-Team All-Pac 12 in 2023 … Pac-12 All-Defense in 2022 and 2023 … Played for Compton Magic AAU program

Derek Bast 6/22/23