NBA Comparison: James Ennis

Strengths: In the mold of a three-and-D player, the 6’8 220 pound forward has shown growth over his four-year college career … He shot 34% from deep this past season after cooling down after a hot start in his career … Overall his splits were 45/34/80 … 65% shooter at the rim … 75% of his threes were assisted, has shown the potential to be a good catch and shoot player … High motor and good rebounder, has averaged 8.5 or more the past three years … Moves effectively without the ball … Can score in the low post … Playmaker on occasion … A good athlete …

Weaknesses: Has had two major knee injuries, major concern going forward … Will turn 22 in July. While not too concerning, he’s older than many of the players that will hear their names called … Concerns exist with consistency, level of compatition … Limited experience against high-level competition … May struggle adjusting becoming a role player after having been the go-to guy the past few years … Could be a tweener at the next level, stuck between a 3 and 4 … May ultimately end up not doing anything well enough to stick, especially if his shot does not translate …

Outlook: There are questions about how Hervey will fare against NBA-level competition, as he has not had the most difficult opponents at UT Arlington … He is a high motor player, whose strengths lend himself to be a small-ball four in the modern NBA … If he continues to improve and focus on those things, he can find himself a spot in a rotation … Teams are looking for mid-major or four-year players who could be steals, and Hervey fits the bill of both … It goes without saying, but any team looking to draft him should make sure his knees are sounds.

George Keiter 5/15/18