Redrafting the fifth pick from the 2015 NBA Draft

Emmanuel Mudiay

Cutting to the chase, Emmanuel Mudiay has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

Taken two picks behind Mario Hezonja by the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game during his rookie campaign. Those numbers are all right, but this season he is again logging 12.8 points, while his rebounds are up to 4.0 per game and his assist total has fallen to just 3.7.

The problem seems to be Mudiay thinks he is a scorer, when actually his strengths may lie elsewhere.

Just look at his numbers: Mudiay is shooting 36 percent from the field for his career and 32 percent from deep. Shot selection seems to be a problem for him too, as he attempts 12.8 field goals per game, while making just 4.7.

A quick look at the advanced stats reveals he truly does have difficulties on the offensive end, as he has a win shares of -3.9 there. On defense, however, his win shares currently stand at 1.6.

This is helped by the fact he averages 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game – attributes that suggest he should focus on that side of the ball while getting the shooters around him (Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, etc.) more involved.

If he is able to do that, while improving his own shot selection, Mudiay could develop into a star. And while it is easy to highlight some of the issues that may have deterred Rob Hennigan when he looked at Mudiay, his upside means he should have been worth the gamble.

One can only assume the Magic passed on him because they were still high on Elfrid Payton at the time. But given the fact Payton’s name has appeared in a lot of trade chatter lately, it is hard to understand why they passed Mudiay up. Or, in hindsight, it looks like this may have been a miscalculation or position they could have shored up.

Especially as, with a little maturity and refinement, there is an outside chance he could become the kind of franchise cornerstone Orlando so desperately needs.