Though many fans questioned Trevor Lacey’s decision to leave NC State after his first year with the team in hopes of landing a roster spot in the NBA, the likelihood of him being selected in Thursday night’s NBA Draft is better than most people believe. I expect a team will give Lacey a chance and select him sometime in the second round.
Despite the so-called-experts’ criticisms of his game (lack of size, athleticism and true NBA position), Lacey can flatflat-out score. He averaged just under 16 points a game, good enough for to rank sixth among ACC players. His ability to score in one of the nation’s top conferences — heading into the 2014-15 season, the ACC produced the most NBA players of any conference with 67 — will translate to the next level.
Similar to former Wolfpack forward T.J. Warren (drafted 14th overall in 2014), Lacey has a knack for scoring from anywhere on the court, making difficult shots look routine. It is this rare ability to make the tough shots, especially in big-time situations, that separates Lacey from many other draft prospects.
Perhaps the best thing Lacey has going for him is his success in isolation situations — a big part of today’s NBA game. According to data from Synergy Sports Technology and Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn, Lacey was the most efficient college basketball player in isolation situations this past season.
The numbers compiled in February revealed Lacey shot 57.1% on his 99 isolation possessions up until that point in the season. His 1.313 points-per-possession were the highest in college basketball by a significant margin.
To be a successful guard in the NBA, it’s critical to be able to “create your own shot” when a play breaks down or the 24-second shot clock is running low. In his one season at NC State, Lacey showed a remarkable ability to do just that, bailing his team out on numerous occasions.
For a guy who most people believe won’t be selected Thursday night in Brooklyn, Lacey has received plenty of interest from organizations around the league. Since he declared for the NBA Draft, Lacey has worked out for at least 11 different NBA franchises, often going up against guys who are locks locked to have their names called.
The word coming from these workouts with elite elite-level prospects is that Lacey has held his own. This bodes extremely well for his draft chances as he has proven he can go up against the big-name guys of this year’s draft class.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what experts nor or fans think of his chances to be drafted. All it takes is one organization to fall in love with Lacey’s game, just as Wolfpack fans did in his single season in Raleigh.
With close to a dozen teams bringing him in for extensive workouts, getting an up-close look at a player with an NBA-style game, I’m compelled to think one team will surprise everyone by selecting Lacey in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
