NBA Draft 2019: 10 best prospects from Big Ten Basketball

6. Ignas Brazdeikis – Michigan – 6’7 – 20 years old

Brazdeikis was on an absolute tear to start his freshman season and was being considered a first round caliber player in January. Since then his stock has cooled down a bit but he is likely to be selected in the draft.

Brazdeikis led the Wolverines in scoring at 14.8 points per game. He’s not overly athletic but has a craftiness to his game that is enjoyable to watch. He excels at finishing with both hands around the rim. Brazdeikis is not a knock down three-point shooter, but is good enough. He made 56 threes last season at a 39 percent clip and his range should extend to the NBA. He isn’t the best one on one scorer, but he ranked in the 92nd percentile off the catch last season, showing the ability to beat defenders on a closeout.

Brazdeikis’ stock started to drop as his weakness started to show. His lack of athleticism hurt him on the defensive end. Playing with some elite defenders at Michigan let him hide the fact that he is subpar on-ball defender. Who he guards at the next level remains to be seen. He’s probably too slow to guard a traditional wing, but not big enough to guard a power forward.

Offensively, he doesn’t have the best playmaking ability. He averaged less than an assist per game for John Beilein. While Brazdeikis is good off the catch and good at scoring in nontraditional ways, he had a hard time beating his man off the dribble.

I personally like Brazdeikis because of how hard he plays. I watched him in person a few times and he was always playing at maximum effort, which is something you can’t teach. I bet he gets picked in the late 40’s-50’s range.