2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: Khyri Thomas the ultimate role player

Not every player reaches stardom. Some just need to find a role. Creighton Bluejays guard Khyri Thomas seems tailormade to find his place in the NBA.

Role players are hard to find. Or at least, players entering the college who are readymade to play a role and contribute to a team.

This is one of the biggest tricks of the draft. Everyone that is taken — for the most part — was the star of their college team. Creating a skill set that fits into a NBA role and that distinct possibility they will not become an All-Star is vital to a player’s survival.

As the draft gets later and later, identifying these secondary, supporting skills is critical. Teams take their big swings on all-or-nothing players early in the Draft. They take their shots there. But there is less room to do that later.

Especially since those are the competitive teams. They are not looking for a development job.

Downshifting from star to role player is the biggest challenge. And shooting remains the biggest quality teams look for in these role players. It remains the best way to stay on the floor.

This is why Khyri Thomas, a high-scoring shooter for the Creighton Bluejays, is getting some serious draft buzz.

Not for the Lottery. He does not have that star power. But certainly for the late first round. He has all the tools and skills that would make him a valuable role player on a winning team.

Thomas averaged 15.1 points per game, slowly progressing through his three years in college. This past year, he shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc and finished his three-year career shooting 40.6 percent.

The 6-foot-3 shooting guard does not have great size for a shooting guard. That will be his concern in the NBA. But every team could use a knock-down shooter off the bench. Someone they could easily plug into the lineup and complete a specific role. Thomas seems perfectly capable of filling that role in the NBA level.

His ceiling though is limited. Especially in this long, athletic NBA. He probably will never be a starter because of that size. Thomas has good length and defensive instincts though. That might make up for it.

But bench players and role players have value too. And if Thomas’ shooting translates to the NBA, he will find value somewhere.