NBA Draft Profiles: Shelvin Mack, Butler

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Stats: 16.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.4 t/o's, 34.1 3PT%

Age: 21, junior

Size:

• Listed: 6'2", 210 lb
• Official: 6'1" (no shoes), 6'2.5" (with shoes), 6'7.5" (wingspan), 8'0.5" (reach), 209 lb

Strengths: Mack is a gamer. He's a proven scorer with the desire to have the ball in his hands with the game on the line, and arguably the biggest reason why the Bulldogs were able to make it to back-to-back national title games. Mack's biggest strength is scoring the ball. While his efficiency numbers were down this season, much of that can be explained by his increased role in the Butler offense; 34.1% shooting from deep does not reflect how dangerous Mack is from beyond the arc. He's capable of getting to the basket, but he lacks the vertical explosiveness and the quickness to really beat his man off the dribble. Mack was used primarily as a weapon in the pick and roll this past season, and he's pretty effective running it.

Weaknesses: Mack has never really proven to be a true point guard. Like many players at his position, he is a scorer with the ability to create for his teammates. There are also question marks about his quickness and his explosiveness. Will he be able to get by a defender in the NBA? Will be be able to guard NBA point guards? The biggest question mark, however, was exposed in the national title game. Mack was covered by UConn's Jeremy Lamb, who is a long and lanky defender that was able to challenge Mack's shooting from the perimeter. With his jumper taken away, Mack struggled to get into any rhythm offensively, and as a result the Bulldogs posted one of the ugliest national title game performances ever.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Derek Fisher. Fisher is a 17 year NBA veteran, having carved out a terrific NBA career as a role-playing point guard. He protects the ball, he plays some defense, he gets the ball in the hands of his star teammates, and he knocks down open threes. Fisher also has a reputation for being a guy that hits big shots. Mack is a little bigger than Fisher and is more of a combo-guard than a point guard, but if Mack wants to have an NBA career, he should start modeling his game after another mid-major point guard. Another comparison I've seen that I like is a poor man's Chauncey Billups.


• Worst Case Scenario: The worst case scenario for Shelvin Mack will be a career in basketball's minor leagues, be it overseas or in the NBDL. That's not necessarily a bad thing. While he may struggle to score in the NBA, Mack will probably be more effective getting to the rim in a league with some lesser athletes.

Outlook: You'd think that after playing for a team that made back-to-back national title games, Mack would be more of a known quantity. But at this point, his future as a professional player looks to be uncertain. Mack's biggest issue is that he is stuck in the dreaded tweener category. He's a scoring guard with point guard size but without ideal point guard athleticism. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, but he may not be effective enough to warrant having the ball in his hands. I love Shelvin Mack. He was one of my favorite players to watch the past two seasons. He's terrific in crunch time and is, simply put, a winner. And while I think he will be a great teammate wherever he ends up, I'm just not sure there is a place for him in the NBA.

Draft Range: Early-to-Mid 2nd Round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Scouts had high expectations for Mack coming into the season, but for much of the year he really struggled to find his shot. That changed somewhat in the tournament. He had huge games against Pittsburgh and VCU, going a combined 18-for-27 from the field and 12-for-18 from 3. But against a longer, more athletic UConn backcourt, led by Lamb, he struggled once again. He shot 4-for-15 from the field in the title game, which was actually pretty good compared to the rest of the Butler team. Factor in rough shooting nights against Wisconsin and, to a lesser extent, Florida, and I'm not sure what you have."


• Draft Express: "Mack's development into primarily being a pick and roll half court guard is part an evolution in his game, and partly because of Matt Howard's development into a perimeter threat. Mack shows a good feel for the pick and roll game, showing an ability to drive to his right off the pick and roll, as well as good patience in waiting for the big to recover to get an open look from deep. Mack has NBA three point range with an ability to hit long distance shots off the dribble."


• Swish Scout: "Combo guard with a compact build, NBA 3-point range, and showed some ability to take over the game in the NCAA with some gutsy play. Mack isn’t a natural PG who can step in and run the show for a team, but he’s a secondary ball handler who can buckle down on D and knock down some big shots for a team. "

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