#BRYCE MCGOWENS FREE#

It’s going to be crucial to pair Ball with a guard that can put pressure on the rim and open up pockets in the defense for him to attack with his jumper or generational passing ability, and McGowens has that in droves, along with equal potential to shoot or defend as Charlotte’s other young guard. If he strings together a few impressive summer league games, it wouldn’t surprise me to see McGowens quickly graduate from the Two-Way deal and earn one of the currently open roster spots. Bouknight will be 22 coming off of an underwhelming rookie season (though not entirely his fault) on opening night while McGowens will not have turned 20 yet. It’s tough to believe in either player as a shooter outside of flashes, and regardless of how they develop as playmakers their role in that regard will be diminished when next to LaMelo Ball. But McGowens has a noticable size advantage, and if his frame fills out he’s going to be more positionally versatile than his backcourt mate. As prospects, they have a lot of the same pros and cons - clear NBA athleticism, slashing and finishing potential that are held back by an inefficient jumper despite solid form, subpar playmaking and inconsistent defense. If both were in the 2022 draft class, McGowens would’ve ranked higher on my big board for a few reasons. I wanted to save this take for the end in case nobody was reading anymore, but McGowens has surpassed James Bouknight in the Hornets prospect rankings for me.

#BRYCE MCGOWENS FREE#

That’s an impressive level of savviness and aggression for a teenager and it resulted in a lot of easy looks or bailout free throws following poor offensive possessions. He attempted 7.6 free throws per-40 and converted on 83.1 percent of his 195 total attempts. Frequently utilizing his length and change-of-pace speed as a ball-handler along with smooth gather steps and footwork while navigating traffic in the paint, McGowens ranked 15th in the country with 162 made free throws (second in the Big Ten). 29 in which he shot 14-18 from the line and 3-7 from deep on the way to 29 points.Įven as a thin, 179-pound freshman in a major conference, McGowens lived at the free throw line. Playing alongside his older brother, Trey, he led the Cornhuskers in scoring at 16.8 points per game while hauling in 5.2 rebounds, though the team was light on supporting talent and finished 13th in the Big Ten with a record of 10-22 (4-16 in conference play).Īhead of his summer league debut this evening, which Jon has previewed, we’re going to highlight the discussion with some McGowens film from the Rutgers-Nebraska game on Jan. McGowens was 25th in the high school class of 2021 RSCI rankings and spent one year at Nebraska before turning pro. In the words of general manager Mitch Kupchak, the Charlotte Hornets “scrambled” to trade the 45th pick along with a newly-acquired future second and move up to select Nebraska guard Bryce McGowens 40th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Bryce mcgowens