Devin Vassell is a 6’7 194 pound small forward that attended Florida State University last semester. Devin as of June 30th is projected to be a mid to late lottery pick this upcoming draft. Devin was a 3 star recruit coming out of Suwanee, GA. He was ranked 200th in the Nation and 10th outta GA. His Freshman year at FSU he didn’t get a lot of playing time averaging 10 minutes per game, he averaged 4.5 PPG because of that but showed signs he could be a threat. In his sophomore year he got a lot more playing time and with that he averaged 12.7 PPG on 41% from deep. In that one season he turned himself into a lottery pick because of his 3nD playstyle that any team needs.
Strengths: I know this phrase gets thrown around a lot but Devin’s defensive IQ mixed with his 3 point ability really does make him a true 3nD player. As I stated Devin has a very high defensive IQ and is always looking for certain parts of other players to create turnovers. His lateral quickness is very above average for his size and is able to stay in front of guys 1 through 4. As good as he is on the ball, he’s fantastic off-ball and is a very good team defender and knows when to help and rotate and helps his teammates with that as well which made FSU such a good defensive team last season. With a near 7 foot wingspan Devin is always a shot blocking threat to any offense and size. This wingspan really helps him in passing lanes, he creates a lot of his turnovers off the lanes. Now let’s turn it over to the offensive side of the ball, Devin is a knockdown three point shooter as you saw from the percentages. His fluid shot contains a high release point which makes him a threat to shoot over anyone. Devin is mainly a spot up shooter and is very consistent and efficient on catch and shoot situations. One of the main things from his transition from his Freshman year to his Sophomore year is his ability to shoot off the dribble and was pretty successful at it. Another main attraction for his draft stock is his potential to become more of a complete offensive arsenal. Now Devin isn’t the most explosive and athletic guy in the draft but he can definitely do some things in transition. Devin also has a very high motor and is very competitive and is not scared of anyone.
Weaknesses: Devin has shown improvement in his ball handling skills but still needs a lot of work, as of now he’s only comfortable taking a handful of dribbles at a time before panicking. Here is where he’s lack of athleticism comes in, he doesn’t have the quickness to get by players and isn’t strong enough to get through them. Devin is underweight for his height at 194 lbs, he needs to add on any type of weight to be able to guard NBA players. When he can’t get around or through a defender he has a bad habit of taking wild floaters and off balance shots that have a little to no chance of going in. Now last but not least he can gamble for steals a bit but personally I think that’s just him being too confident in his abilities rather than his skill set because he doesn’t lack in any defensive skills category.
Verdict: I see Devin Vassell fitting in with any NBA team that drafts him, he’s like Trevor Ariza from his Houston days. A guy hovering over 12 PPG with above average defense and an asset that any team could use. Vassell will come into the league and do well because he already knows his role on the team and over the years could become more then a 3nD player but for now he’s just your above average 3nD guy.
TheDyspatch 