What's Tony Wroten Jr.'s True Value?
In a less-than-stellar Draft in terms of point guard talent and depth, Tony Wroten Jr., the first-year point guard of the Washington Huskies, can commonly be found going towards the end of the first-round. He's typically been slotted in the 20s on teams' draft boards depending on the team, he ranks right up there with, but not standing out from UNC point Kendall Marshall, Marquis Teague of Kentucky and the odds-on-favorite combo-guard Damian Lillard.
At first glance, Wroten Jr. has the makings of a top-five pick in the draft. He's 6'5" and plays physical at 205 pounds. He may have the best court vision in the country, second to Kendall Marshall, with eyes in the back of his head. He uses his size to his advantage, He threads the bounce pass through the tiniest of openings and throws the lob as well as any other, but he tries to do too much at times. He tends to be over-aggressive and border-line reckless with his pass and even more so with his shot; he turned the ball over at the 12th highest rate in college (3.8 per game) and despite his struggles from the perimeter, Wroten Jr. continued to jack up his shots (9-of-56 from 3-point range, 16.1 percent).
However, Wroten's aggressiveness cannot just be categorized as a weakness in his game. He attempted the fifth most free-throws at 264 this past season, that's better than 7.5 attempts per game. And when he gets out in transition or gets moving down the lane because he can finish through contact and get above the rim for a spectacular dunk.
For this young prospect, his talent is undeniable and he will absolutely be impressive in team workouts throughout the draft process, but the key to his success will be showing he can run a team. His improvements in his perimeter shooting consistency and decision-making should come with time. At the same time, his attitude and temperament need to be handled accordingly.
By President Corey Ruff - 4 - 3 - 12
