2015 NBA Draft: Why Boston College Guard Olivier Hanlan is a Potential Second Round Steal

People who have truly paid attention to ACC Basketball know that 6-foot-4 Boston College shooting guard Olivier Hanlan has been one of the most lethal scorers in the conference over the last three seasons.

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Don’t let the fact that Hanlan played on a Boston College Eagles squad that could not get into the NCAA or NIT tournaments fool you.

The fact that he was able to get buckets as the main scorer for a cellar dweller in arguably the toughest conference in America should be your focus.

Over his three seasons at Chestnut Hill, Hanlan averaged 17.8 points per contest on 45.3% shooting from the floor and 36.1% from deep.

If everyone was honest, Hanlan’s potential for an explosive scoring outing was the only reason a hoop junkie would tune in to a game involving Boston College.

DraftExpress.com projects him as the 47th best draft prospect going into the 2015 NBA Draft.

NBAdraft.net currently forecasts Hanlan going with the 39th pick in the second-round to the Charlotte Hornets in their mock draft.

Regardless of who you go by, the second-round seems to be the projected consensus of anyone prognosticating the draft.

The thing is that even though he is projected for the second-round, Hanlan has a first-round skillset and it would not be a reach for a team to take him late in the first-round.

Hanlan’s resume in the ACC is not bad considering he was playing for a bottomfeeder.

He was the 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year after averaging 15.5 points on 45.9% shooting from the field and 39.4% from downtown.

This past season Hanlan was named first-team All-ACC after averaging 19.5 points per game on 45.4% from the field and 35.3% from deep.

His biggest games include a 41 point ACC Tournament explosion against Georgia Tech in his freshman year where he shot 14 of 18 from the floor and knocked down 8 of 10 treys.

He also had a 38 point outburst in his junior year against Florida Atlantic where he went 11 of 19 from the floor and 4 of 10 from three-point land.

In the 2014-15 season, Hanlan had three 30-point or better games. He went for 30 points against North Carolina hitting 10 of 20 from the floor on February 7, 2015.

On February 16, 2015, Hanlan dropped 32 points on the Miami Hurricanes knocking down 13 of 26 from the floor and 5 of 12 from deep.

His biggest game of the 2014-15 season came on the road against Pittsburgh when he hit for 39 points knocking down 10 of 20 shots from the field including 5 of 12 from three-point range on February 24, 2015.

Hanlan has the ability to score off of the dribble either by utilizing screens to create space for his jumper, or get to the rim with his quickness when he sees a lane to the rim.

He can also shoot the rock from deep on spot-ups in transition or coming off curls in the half-court offense.

What he will probably need to work on is his ball handling for the NBA level since he is projected to be a combo guard who can play either the point or two-guard spots.

When you think about the wave of point guards that will be coming at him on a night-to-night basis whether if Hanlan is coming off of someone’s bench or not, he is going to need to have major ball-handling skills in order to compete.

Hanlan’s shooting ability should not be questioned going into the league. And given the fact that the perimeter game is of All-Time importance on the NBA stage, Hanlan’s ability is a premium right now.