Former NC State guard Trevor Lacey’s decision to forego his final year of college eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft raised a lot of questions on whether or not he made the right decision. While I believe he did make the correct decision — he will be 24 by the time the season starts and a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament put him on the radar — I do not believe he will be drafted.
Lacey’s college hoops success and his impact on the Wolfpack last season is undeniable. The guard averaged 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists, putting him in the top three of each category on the team. Without Lacey, the Pack doesn’t make it to the Big Dance. However, there are simply too many factors working against him to warrant a draft pick.
First off, unlike the NFL Draft, which has seven rounds in which 256 players get drafted, or the MLB Draft, which has up to 40 rounds and more than 1,000 players selected, the NBA Draft only has two rounds in which 60 players are drafted. Those picks are most often used on young, raw but athletically gifted players, such as Andrew Wiggins, rather than fundamentally fundamentally-sound shooters such as Lacey or teammate Ralston Turner. The fact that Lacey was not among the 63 players invited to the NBA Combine will also add a blemish to his resume for the Draft.
Lacey boosts his stock by being able to score in any situation from any spot on the court, but while he is a good athlete, he is not a great one. This most directly limits his defensive ability and ability to drive to the rim. Compare him to guys like Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook, who are the same height and have similar shooting skills as Lacey, but have impeccable athleticism, which sets them apart and makes them superstars.
Another knock on Lacey is his lack of a true position. Last season, he started at shooting guard and filled in at the point whenever Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber wasn’t in the game. While he was effective at both positions, he didn’t seem like a true fit in either spot. He lacks the athletic and passing abilities that Barber has at the one and the pure shooting skills and size that Turner had has at the two.
His age is another big issue. He will be 24 by the time the regular season starts, limiting his time to spend with NBA teams to develop into a good player, something teams find very important when considering different players to draft. For example, 21 of the 30 players drafted in the first round last year were under the age of 21 on draft night, including the 18-year-old Noah Vonleh, who went ninth overall to the Charlotte Hornets.
While it is very realistic to think that a team in desperate need of perimeter shooting will take a shot at Lacey in the second round, I simply think that there are too many factors working against him for a team to take a chance and spend a draft pick on him.
