NBA Draft 2021: Evaluating how different team context’s affected NBA prospects

Kentucky Wildcats

Entering college, Brandon Boston Jr. was seen as a consensus top-five prospect. His senior year at Sierra Canyon, he dazzled with his shot-creation ability and handle for a player with his height.

Boston was expected to have equity as a primary creator at the next level, but he struggled out of the gate. His wiry frame became problematic in college as he struggled to dislodge defenders. He shot 50% at the rim on the season. The tough shots he made in high school also became a lot tougher to make in college with bigger defenders.

But it’s unfair to pin all of Kentucky’s struggles on Boston. Their team was a mess from day one.  The Wildcats were one of the youngest teams in the country, but they also had minimal shooting. Calipari often ran two traditional bigs at the same time, clogging up spacing. The Wildcats finished 256th in three-pointers made per game.

Boston also didn’t have anyone else to create advantages for him to attack. Freshman point guard Devin Askew struggled, and he was the only true point guard on the roster.

How Boston fares at the next level will be a fascinating look into evaluating pre-college tape and college tape. He clearly isn’t the primary level creator we had anticipated entering Kentucky. But had he been viewed as a secondary, and had the spacing and players in around him to succeed in that role, his outlook could have been different.

In the long-term, it’s probably a good thing Boston fell. The expectations placed on him as a top-five pick would have been too much. Now, he can land in a situation that can take the time to develop him (he needs to add strength and tweak his shooting mechanics badly).

Boston is one of the names I’m most curious to see where he ends up. Somewhere in the lost season at Kentucky, is the player with a unique handle and finishing prowess and I believe that potential shouldn’t allow him to slip too far.