OKC Thunder draft prospect profile: Devin Vassell

Devin Vassell strength and weaknesses:

Strengths

The Florida State guard utilizes his 6’7″ height to his best advantage particularly on the defensive side of the hardwood. The primary areas of Vassell’s game that will attract drafting teams all rest on the defensive end but that’s not to say his offense is absent. Rather, it would be more accurate to say his offense is a work in progress.

In his first season with Florida State, he played in 30 games all off the bench. His sophomore season witnessed his insertion to the starting lineup where he showcased his offensive improvements.

In particular, his 3-point shooting was solid as he increased his output from 1.9 to 3.5 attempts per game but retained his efficiency of 41.5 percent. Additionally, the work he put in to shoot off the dribble and mid-range pull ups allowed him to keep the defense honest.

Like all great defenders his motor is ever-present as he hustles for loose balls, never gives up on his defensive assignment and is a willing help defender.

Weaknesses:

Although Vassell made strides between his freshman and sophomore seasons there is still plenty of work to be done to improve his fundamentals and increase his offensive skill set.

While he uses his size and length to his advantage on the defensive end he hasn’t figured out how to extend that to the offensive side of the ball.

It shows up specifically when he attempts to drive or work in the paint. Vassell tends to telegraph his movements leading to his defender stopping him seemingly before he even makes his move.

On the occasions he does get by his defender, the interior defender is frequently able to force him to miss, turn the ball over or pressure him to pass the ball.

His work during the hiatus hopefully focused primarily on adding strength and developing his offense. Regardless, he’ll need to adapt to the increased speed and size of NBA opponents and likely take a year or two to adapt.