Here’s a breakdown for Houston guard Quentin Grimes.
Strengths
Grimes’ three-point shooting took a big jump last season in terms of attempts and percentage and Houston benefitted tremendously. He shot 40.3 percent on 248 attempts after taking only 129 a season earlier. The guard also improved from the free throw line and in the rebounding department, but the shooting is the biggest draw for NBA teams. Grimes is also a decent defender who can use his size and physicality to get stops.
Weaknesses
Grimes occasionally settled for contested shots and tried to do too much in situations where he was better off deferring to others. He doesn’t attack the basket as much as a result and could struggle to adjust if teams cut off the outside shot. He’s a true shooting guard and doesn’t have the makeup of a complementary ball handler at the next level.
Player Comparison
When looking at comparable players for Grimes, Josh Hart and Spencer Dinwiddie jump out as two options. Buddy Hield is also a good comparison given the shooting ability. Grimes has the potential to be a strong 3-and-D player at the next level if everything comes together well.
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Miles McBride
McBride is a compact, strong and hard-nosed point guard with nice athletic ability and NBA level tools. He was one of the winners of the draft combine thanks to his impressive 6-8 3/4 wingspan.
He enjoyed a breakout sophomore season for the Mountaineers, scoring the ball at a nice clip, hitting his 3pt shots and taking over a leadership role on the team. He’s a point guard who can really score but he doesn’t need to be a ball dominant player to be effective.
McBride is a stout 1 on 1 defender who slides his feet well, has pesky hands and is a ball-hawk. He’s got a strong upper body and can body up to keep his man out of the lane and can guard up one or two positions thanks to his strength.
McBride projects as a Kyle Lowry type of player at the NBA level.
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Jericho Sims 2021 NBA Draft Profile
Jericho Sims spent four seasons in Austin as a solid center for the Texas Longhorns. He is continuing the tradition of athletic bigs to enter the NBA looking to make some noise after performing as a Longhorn. Sims stacks up nicely in today’s NBA.html_removed
Jericho Sims 2021 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Sims graduated from Texas after averaging 6.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. Of course, these are not eye-popping numbers, but he was productive. Sims played far more in his junior and senior season after Jaxson Hayes left for the NBA. In 25 minutes per game, he upped his numbers to 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Texas fans were frustrated with Sims at times because he had some amazing moments and then disappeared. However, he ends his Texas career after earning a Big 12 All-Tournament team spot and a Big 12 title. Don’t ask about the NCAA tournament though.
Strengths
Pick-and-Roll Big With Great Hands
Sims is a super athlete. He has a ton of bounce and can really run the floor. When you combine that with his great hands, he becomes a legitimate threat for an NBA team. Anyone who watches the NBA will know that a lob threat in the pick-and-roll can make it really difficult for a defense. Sims on a team with a good distributor and shooters will almost always create an open shot in a pick-and-roll situation.
Having great hands is also super important because he will have his hands all over the basketball. There will be a lot of situations where he has to make a contested catch and he will be able to.
Defensive Versatility
Jericho Sims’ best trait is his defensive versatility. He has really good feet to go with his insane bounce. Sims will survive switches onto quick guards and can make up any ground with his length. He also bulked up throughout college and can bang in the post with bigger bodies. The problem for him will be staying out of foul trouble as he averaged 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes. Regardless, you can expect Sims to average more than one block per game. Ideally, he could eventually anchor a defense.
Weaknesses
Offensive Ability
Sims is never going to be a star on the offensive end. He is not a player you throw the ball to and ask him to score with his back to the basket. If that happens, most likely a bad shot is coming next. Sure, he can improve here and find a go-to post move, but you are much better off with him in open space. Additionally, he shoots around 50% from the free-throw line which means he probably will not ever become a stretch big.
Low Ceiling
For all of the reasons mentioned, Jericho Sims has a low ceiling. It would be very surprising for him to average north of ten points per game in his career. There also is no clear path for him to improve drastically. He does not have the greatest touch so the scoring aspect of his game may never come.
NBA Player Comparison
Sims is a very similar player to Tyson Chandler. They are long, athletic bigs who run the floor well and make noise in the pick-and-roll. Sims does not have a Team USA spot in his future like Chandler, but he can have a similar impact. If you draft Sims, you are hoping he has a career like Chandler.
NBA Draft Projection
Sims is a clear-cut second-round pick. He will be viewed as someone a team can take a chance on because they know they will get production, but not sure how much. After all, Texas bigs get a lot of love in the NBA.
