Draft Profile: Josh Hart

Josh Hart: Shooting Guard – Villanova, turns 23 next March

Measurables: 6-6, 200 lbs., 6-8 wingspan

Strengths: Well-Rounded Offensive Package, Savvy, Improved Shooter, Playmaking, IQ, Intangibles

Weaknesses: Athleticism, No Elite Skill, Defensive Upside

Conclusion: Entering the league as a 22-year-old, Hart has many skeptics who think his game is capped to what he is right now. That may or may not be true, as he has a track record of improving every single year. However, if the worst case scenario is that he will be the same player in five years that he is right now, at the very least he can be a rotation guard off the bench. Hart improved his offensive game to the point of being one of the nation’s elite scoring forces as a senior, knocking down more than two treys and scoring over 18 points per contest as the primary ball-handler on the best team in the country for most of the year. His IQ is very high and he figures out ways to make-up for his mediocre explosiveness. His frame is actually that of a prototypical SG for the NBA, with solid height, length, and width.

Hart’s biggest concern coming into the league is whether he will be able to keep up with more athletic guards. The answer is probably not, which is why expecting him to become a starter in the NBA is excessively optimistic. His effort and discipline is very solid, but he simply will get beat off the dribble. I can see Hart being drafted anywhere between 20-50 on draft night, and not because teams don’t have a solid picture of who he is as a player, but because it is so clear what he can and cannot do. What determines his draft slot is simply the dynamics of which team has a need for his skills and decides to fill it immediately, as he will be a plug and play rookie.

Projection: Big Board #21, Mock Draft #30

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