NBA Draft 2018: Searching for the next Russell Westbrook this year

Rawle Alkins, Arizona

Here are the per 40 minutes statistics of two college basketball athletes through their sophomore seasons:

A: 16 ppg, 3 apg, 6.7 rpg, 45% FG

B: 15.1 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.4 rpg, 46.4% FG

Player A is Rawle Alkins and Player B is Russell Westbrook. When I saw the similarities in the numbers, I thought they were as good of a place as any to start discussing Alkins. He is one of many prospects who will likely be a better player in the pros due to the increased floor-spacing and pace.

Rawle Alkins is not the playmaker that Westbrook is but that is not due to a lack of trying. Alkins averaged 2.2 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game for his career at Arizona. He could definitely post decent assist numbers in the league if give more ball-handling duties (not likely), but his rebounding is great for his position. Alkins averaged 6.7 rebounds per 40 minutes through his two years at Arizona. What is amazing is that 34.1% of rebounds were actually offensive boards. This kind of dedication to crashing the offensive glass will help him mesh with various lineup combinations in the NBA, where his decent shooting numbers may not translate.

Next: Way-too-early 2019 Bracketology

And that brings us to the shooting numbers, one of the toughest things to project onto the next level. In his Arizona career, Alkins shot a decent 36.5% from the 3-point line on 211 attempts. But he is also a career 72.9% free throw shooter, not exactly an ideal number for a guard, especially for a guard who is adept at getting to the free throw line in the first place. Rawle Alkins is going to be able to hold his own athletically at the NBA level. But if Alkins can improve his efficiency from the 3-point line, he can become a dynamic two-way NBA player.