NBA Draft Profiles: Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

To browse through the latest prospect profiles, click here. To see a complete list of the players we have profiled, click here.

Stats: 17.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.7 spg, 27.8% 3PT

Age: 20, junior

Size:

• Listed: 6'6", 220 lb
• Official: 6'4.25" (no shoes), 6'5.5" (with shoes), 6'9.5" (wingspan), 8'3.5" (reach), 222 lb

Strengths: Shumpert's biggest strength as a prospect is his terrific physical profile. He stands over 6'5" in shoes with a wingspan beyond 6'9", which are outstanding numbers for a guy that can play the point. The former McDonald's all-american is more than just a body, though. He is also a physical specimen as an athlete. He has a Vince Cater-esque 42" max vertical and threw up 18 reps of 185 lb on the bench. All of that combines to make Shumpert one of the best defensive players available in this draft. He averaged a ridiculous 2.7 spg this past season, jumping passing lanes and playing lockdown man-to-man defense. He's also a very good rebounder for his position. Shumpert's athleticism and length also make him quite dangerous when he is attacking the rim, be it in transition or in a half court setting.

Weaknesses: As a junior, Shumpert finally had the opportunity to become the focal point for the Yellow Jackets. With an increased number of shot opportunities, his saw his scoring numbers jump to 17.3 ppg. The problem is that his increased production didn't coincide with increased efficiency. Yes, Shumpert saw his turnover number drop dramatically, but that came at the expense of his shot selection. Shumpert has fallen in love with his jumpshot, but he is far from what you would consider a consistent jumpshooter. Case in point -- he shot 4.9 threes per game this past season and made just 27.8% of them. Those numbers are probably quite similar to what he shot on mid-range pull-ups. Shumpert also has a tendency of forcing a tough pass -- or even making a simple pass -- when its in his best interest to attack the rim or to try and use his physical tools to dunk over a defender. In simpler terms, Shumpert hasn't quite learned how to use his athleticism as well offensively as he does defensively.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Somewhere between Shannon Brown and OJ Mayo. Shumpert's athletic profile is in the same league as Brown's, but if he can develop his jumper and his decision making, his skill-set is much closer to Mayo's. He can be a lock-down defense stopper, and if he embraces the fact that being a spot-up shooter is his ticket to an NBA career, than Shumpert should be a border-line NBA starter. DeShawn Stevenson is another comparison that I like.


• Worst Case Scenario: Bjorn says Trey Johnson, and I'll go with it. Johnson is a big, athletic, high-scoring guard out of Jackson State that has been tearing up the D-League for the past two seasons. But for a myriad of reasons, he hasn't had more than a couple cups of coffee in the NBA. If Shumpert doesn't refine his shot selection, improve his consistency with the jumper, and accept being a role player, he'll be an all-star in the D-League. And that isn't a compliment.

Outlook: Shumpert has the tools and the skill-set to be an NBA player. 6'5" combo-guards with 6'9" wingspans and 42" verts don't grow on trees. If Shumpert can accept the fact that his primary use in the league, at least at the start of his career, will be to blanket perimeter scorers and to chase the hot hands around screens, than he will probably be able to latch on to a team. To become more than just a defensive weapon, however, Shumpert is going to need to become a better shooter, a better decision maker, and a willing complimentary option. Shannon Brown is the perfect example for the kind of path that Shumpert should follow. He parlayed his athleticism into a defensive role, and managed to work his way into the Laker's rotation. Shumpert can do the same, and with a superior offensive repertoire, he has a higher upside than Brown.

Draft Range: Mid to Late 1st Round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Shumpert has caught the eye of NBA scouts for years, but he's never quite lived up to the potential -- at least on the offensive end of the ball. Defensively he's one of the best guards in the country. If he could ever get a consistent jump shot he'd be a lock for the first round."


• Draft Express: "While Shumpert certainly hasn't had a stellar offensive season despite his productivity, he's made a lot of key improvements in other areas. If he lands on a team with a coach that can help him hone his shot selection, eliminate the inefficient parts of his game (mainly his stubborn insistence for settling for pull-up jumpers), and play to his strengths, the improvements he's made as a slasher, rebounder, and defender could make him a very useful player at the NBA level. Though he projects as a roleplayer due to his lack of jump shooting ability and pure point guard play, Shumpert has the ability to compete with any guard in the country in workouts on a good day, and is a clear-cut sleeper prospect to watch should he enter the draft."


• Swish Scout: "Naturally built guard who has solid gifts in terms of length, size, strength, and athleticism, but could really struggle to be effective in the NBA due to a ‘shoot first’ mentality running the point. Not a great shooter or that great of a penetrator as you would hope from a guard, but plays excellent pressure defense with his ability to over opposing guards with his length, size, and lateral quickness."

Highlights: