Colorado Buffalos point guard Derrick White might be the best senior in the Draft. That is a dirty word, but White has some ready-made skills to contribute.
The Orlando Magic’s need for a point guard in the upcoming NBA Draft is. . . an uncertain one.
The going logic is the team needs to upgrade from Elfrid Payton and could use their top pick to do so. Of course, the Magic could pass on a point guard and look to draft a point guard later in the Draft. But, then again, they have D.J. Augustin on the second year of a four-year deal to come off the bench.
The Magic’s point guard situation is far from settled but also kind of settled if the team wants it to be.
Add in Orlando’s desire to grab someone who can help fairly immediately, and some of the point guard options seem to dry up. But there is still plenty of talent, even late in the first round and early in the second round if the team wants to go with a point guard.
This is not the time to take a risk. And that would seemingly mean looking for a veteran player who slipped in the Draft because the Draft is a futures game and college seniors are seen as having less potential and upside.
And then there is Colorado Buffaloes guard Derrick White.
He played only one year at Division I at Colorado but was a Division II All-American at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. There he put up solid numbers. The question was whether that would translate to the higher level.
It did. White averaged 18.1 points per game and 4.4 assists per game. He shot 39.6 percent from beyond the arc and posted a 57.8 percent effective field goal percentage. Those kinds of numbers get a player on the NBA radar. Albeit, for White, at the back end.
A strong NBA Draft Combine and showing at the seniors-only Portsmouth Invitational Tournament further cemented White’s place in the NBA Draft pecking order.
It has White clearly in the crosshairs for the NBA and for a potential steal in the second round or late first round. Here is a player who proved himself in the difficult Pac-12 and, despite being a bit of a late bloomer, seems ready to contribute fairly quickly.
He has to be as a senior. But he has the scoring chops, leading Colorado in scoring to lead the team to the NIT last year (where the Buffalos lost to the UCF Knights). He scored 30 points in that finale against the Knights. So that loss was not for a lack of his trying.
The Good
There is a lot to like when it comes to Derrick White. And a lot of that is indeed seen in his numbers.
He averaged 18.1 points per game. He could put up a lot of points quickly.
White is a scorer. And an efficient one, impressive for a player with such a high usage rate. He posted a 57.8 percent effective field goal percentage on a 25.3 percent usage rate. That is high efficiency on high usage, and that is something that typically translates to the next level.
Because White is 6-foot-4, he has good length for a point guard. That could make him a stronger defender and give him an advantage playing in the NBA. And his shooting makes it possible for him to play at shooting guard too. White could have a ton of versatility.
He is as capable of hitting a spot-up 3-pointer as he is to break a defender off the dribble and pull-up for a mid-range jumper. White is a scorer. And a pretty good one.
That is always a good place to start. White’s skills are pretty clearly defined. And even when his usage rate begins to drop, he should be able to fill a role in the league.
Orlando Magic
If anything, the big thing he had to do at the Combine and in workouts is to give himself some name recognition.
Watching White play, it is hard to think why he is not getting more buzz at the NBA Draft. He has so many skills that would seemingly translate.
His shot is smooth and compact. And with his size at the point guard, he should be able to get his shot off if defenses sag off him for whatever reason. He is smart with his attacks and can keep his turnovers down.
White will not have to be a volume scorer at the NBA level. That possibility remains if his only knock is his age. He has the potential to get on a streak and put together a good game. He did it so often at Colorado and did so efficiently.
Even if that is not what he becomes in the NBA. His shooting and intelligence with his attacks will make him a solid role player.
The Bad
The biggest — and most unfair — knock on White is his age. He is a senior and played just one year at Colorado. And so there is a fair amount of questions about his talent and upside. That is the lot of a senior in a draft that seems to value potential over what a player can do immediately.
There are still plenty of holes in White’s game to worry about.
If he is going to play point guard full time, he is not much of a distributor. Colorado was not the best team in the world, but he posted only 4.4 assists per game. He was not a great playmaker or a great distributor of the basketball. He was a scorer.
White measures out well and had good defensive numbers — a +3.2 defensive box plus-minus. But White is not an elite athlete. He has good length, but he does not display a ton of speed. That will affect him on both offense and defense.
White is not a dominant athlete. He does not stand out on the court very much.
He also sometimes struggles to get to the basket. White can create space with his dribble, but will often pull up for a jumper. He is not the kind of point guard that gets all the way to the basket at will.
White relied on his jumper a lot at Colorado and likely throughout his career because it worked. He did not have to do much more than that. And he could hit it at a fairly good clip. So no worries, right?
This is the NBA. Everyone is going to have his athleticism and some of the players are going to have his length. Is he going to settle for his jumper or try to get to the basket at the NBA level? Can he?
Translation questions are always big questions for rising prospects. White is fairly defined as a player though and so the questions are pretty prescient. There is not a whole lot of room for White to improve.
Draft Sites Say
Mike Schmitz & Matt Kamalsky, DraftExpress
"Functioning as Colorado’s primary shot creator, White regularly enjoyed a significant size advantage over his defender last season. With over a third of his possessions coming in pick and roll or isolation situations, White was regularly asked to make plays off the dribble, but also scored the ball prolifically in spot up situations, and as the focal point of the Buffalo’s off screen sets. Scoring 1.078 points per possession, scoring at an above average rate in virtually every conceivable situation, White was the seventh most efficient scorer in high major basketball last season, according to Synergy Sports Technology, among players using over 16 possessions per game."
NBADraft.net
"White has good size for a lead guard at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan and is comfortable playing either guard spot. His size allows him to see over the top of most defenders where he can utilize his passing ability and be a primary facilitator in an offense … White always plays with his head up in transition and is able to recognize passing lanes by seeing over the top of the defense with his size … He is willing passer that plays with good patience, and he does a good job of finding big men ducking in from the post area or kicking out to shooters off the drive or from the perimeter. . . . White may still have some untapped athletic potential, but at this stage he does not have great burst or shiftiness, which may limit his ability to get to the rim or stay in front of quicker guards at the NBA level … He can be too upright at times both when turning the corner on offense and when guarding his man, limiting his explosiveness … He also may struggle to get all the way to the rim and finish over the top of NBA length."
Final Word
Derrick White is probably the top senior in this Draft.
“Senior” is something of a dirty word in the NBA Draft. For him to get consideration as a first round pick or early second round pick he has to be pretty good.
White’s numbers speak for themselves. He was an efficient scorer carrying a heavy scoring load for Colorado. That suggests he can fill a role in the NBA, especially because he was a solid 3-point shooter and can create some for himself.
It looks like White has a lot of those skills and traits to make it to the league.
But there are concerns — beyond his age, which might be a silly restriction to put on him.
White is not a standout athlete. He does not pop off the court. His jumper can be so reliable at times, that he settles for it. He can break down players off the dribble to create space for his jumper, but is not a great attacker to the rim. White was able to do it at Colorado, but it does not look like that is something he would successfully do at the NBA level.
Without top-end speed or athleticism, there are serious doubts of whether White can attack the basket well. There might even be some questions about his ability to defend despite his solid length as a point guard.
White should have some positional versatility. At 6-foot-4 and with good length in addition to his shot, he should be able to play off the ball some. That will be valuable as teams try to figure out how to use him next year. It should make White a pretty safe bet to make a NBA roster and stick.
If his shooting translates, White has the experience and smarts to be a valuable role player. Even if he is not playing point guard.
White is still growing into his body — he was lightly recruited because of his lack of size and he had a growth spurt right before college — and so there is still some room to grow. But White is a fairly formed player who can successfully shoot the ball and create his own shot.
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That has value in the league today.