Wayne Selden: Scouting Profile

Before Andrew Wiggins committed to the Kansas Jayhawks, they already had a top 15 wing man from the class of 2013. Now with Wiggins in the fold, Wayne Selden will have to take a step back and allow the spotlight to shine slightly more brightly on Wiggins.

That doesn’t mean that Selden is not a basketball stud himself. During his senior season, Selden averaged 24.8 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game from the perimeter. He was heavily recruited, Florida, Ohio State and UCLA were some of the schools that were after Selden but ultimately he chose the Jayhawks. Even before Wiggins’ decision, Kansas had built a strong recruiting class thanks to Selden and Joel Embiid’s commitments. With Wiggins now part of the team, the Jayhawks are among the favorites to win the 2014 NCAA tournament.

Here is a video of Selden’s highlight reel from high school.

Strengths:

As a guard, having the ability to drive to the lane and get points in the paint is invaluable. It is what has made the careers of the likes of Dwyane Wade and Tony Parker legendary. Having the skill to score on the drive with more moves than most big men make you hard to stop as a guard. Selden already thrives on scoring a lot of his points with the drive. He is unafraid of contact and will attack the paint with reckless abandon. On top of that, Selden can drive from either side of the floor and finishes with both hands just as well.

While his ball handling may not be elite, it gets the job done. Selden demonstrates good skill in creating some separation between the ball and his defender. He is able to shoot off the dribble in the mid range with high efficiency which makes his ability to drive all the more dangerous. Making shots makes it hard for defenders to sag off of him and when they play him tight, Selden can drive by his man.

On the drive, Selden does not fear contact. He is one of the best finishers in traffic because of his strength and his strong frame. At the NCAA level, he could be one of the top producers of “And One” buckets because he always follows through with his shot and makes a high percentage of them. Selden plays really hard on both ends and takes a lot of contact but doesn’t really get injured. He is a hard worker both on and off the court and he is always trying to get better.

When it comes to his jump shot, Selden is a good set shooter. When he spots up, he can knock down shots that extend all the way to the three point line. This will be important at Kansas where the main focus for most defenses will be Wiggins. Selden’s ability to go spot up and wait for the pass when he is wide open will make him a valuable scorer. As a second option, he will be extremely dangerous next to Wiggins.

At 6”5 and 229 pounds, Selden can play the small forward position. While he would most likely call himself a shooting guard, Wiggins’ arrival forces him to shift over if he wants to start alongside him. His length and frame should make it possible for him to keep up with the forwards who are a bit bigger than guards and the odds are that he won’t get bullied around like some guard/forward combos might. At the 3, he will also have a speed advantage against many of his defenders which will open up the driving lanes for him offensively.

Weaknesses:

Though he loves the drive and physicality, Selden often initiates the contact on the defender. While he may get away with that in high school, referees will call him every time he lowers his shoulder into his opponent while driving. It is a bad habit that has not been coached away in high school and Bill Self and his staff at Kansas will have to work with him to help him get away from doing it. Selden can be a high scorer but not while he is sitting on the bench in foul trouble.

There are also questions about whether Selden can really take a back seat to Wiggins and be the second banana. He has said all the right things so far and seems excited at the prospect of being the best wing man tandem in the nation but some think he will get frustrated when his number is not called in key situations. One has to believe that Selden knows how much Wiggins can improve Selden’s NBA stock just by opening up opportunities for him on offense.

To be a truly effective scorer, Selden will have to continue working on his jump shot. Currently he is good scoring with feet set but he will need to get more comfortable shooting off the dribble and in movement. His three point range could also be worked on as he is not as consistent as scouts would like him to be in that area.

On the drive, it would be good for him to improve his first step and his dribbling skills. In high school he could overpower defenders purely off his size and strength. In the NCAA, it will be a different story and he will need a faster step and better handles to get by a lot of the good defenders that populate division one. Otherwise he will be wasting shot clock seconds by dribbling in place and killing the offense.

Defensively he has the frame and length to be a game changer but he is simply average. Selden’s instincts on that end are not as sharp as they should be and he is often late on coverage or switches. That could be changed with good coaching and practice. Selden is too long and strong to be a bad defender and he should really focus on becoming a shut down defender to really show the NBA how committed he is to both ends of the floor.

What to expect at Kansas:

On most division one teams, Selden would be the top dog and primary scorer. At Kansas, he will be the second option behind Wiggins. Provided he accepts that role fully, he will be one of the most dangerous players in the nation. While Wiggins will always be facing the opposition’s top defenders, Selden will have more opportunities and less attention. That will allow him to put up big numbers before the defenders even realized what happened.

Truthfully, Selden has some work to do skill wise to fully realize his potential but he is already a solid player who should be ready to start from day one for the Jayhawks. Kansas has a lot of pressure to deliver a national championship this year, having one of the best prospects in the last two decades will do that to a team. With Selden there to help, the Jayhawks have as good of odds as any team to go all the way.

If there is instant chemistry between Wiggins and Selden, it will be unfortunate for the other teams as they will be the best wing duo in the nation. Their ability to score from everywhere on the court will be unmatched and it will be impossible to double team one of them without leaving open opportunities for the other.

No matter how it works out, it will be entertaining for everyone to watch and it should be a great year if you’re a Jayhawks fan.