NCAA Basketball: 15 undervalued players in 2020 recruiting class

#60 Deivon Smith, CG – Mississippi State

If the NCAA Tournament had occurred this season, Ben Howland could have officially produced his best season yet with Mississippi State. A 4th-place finish in conference was the best mark the program has seen in a decade (2010-11) and is a clear indication the Bulldogs are heading in the right direction. The team is losing Reggie Perry early to the NBA Draft, but the backcourt is largely intact.

The main change is senior guard Tyson Carter is out and freshman stud Deivon Smith is arriving in his place. Smith, a teammate of Caleb Murphy at Grayson HS, is a tough guard prospect with skills to facilitate for the rest of the offense. However, Smith is extremely talented and dangerous as a creator of his own shots.

Possessing much of the same offensive traits as his former teammate Murphy, Smith is crafty is setting up and breaking down his defender to easily score. He is physically and can explode above the rim off of isolated penetration into the lane. He is also apt at getting defenders off balance to utilize a solid midrange game to keep teams guessing.

Smith’s perimeter game is not otherworldly, but he does have room to improve the dynamics of his approach. His skillset should get him the starting nod next to Nick Weatherspoon and ahead of Iverson Molinar. On the shoulders of Weatherspoon and Smith, the Bulldogs can approach last season’s success.