Seton Hall guard Myles Powell may not be on the latest NBA mock draft from ESPN.com, but the man who creates that draft believes Powell has an NBA future.
“He’s in the mix to be drafted, but he ‘s not any kind of lock right now,” ESPN draft guru Jonathan Givony told NJ Advance Media by phone.
The 6-foot-2 Trenton native certainly has an NBA skill set in that he can shoot and score in bunches. He averaged 21.0 points this past season while shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc, and 23.1 points as a junior when he shot 36 percent from deep.
“He can score and the NBA is really, really offensive-oriented right now,” Givony said. “Guys who can pull up from 30, 35 feet, they’re in demand, so the question is, when he gets around better players, is he going to show other parts of his game that probably weren’t his strength at Seton Hall?
“His passing ability, his defense, his finishing around the paint, those are the things that are going to decide if he makes it because we know he can put the ball in the basket. It’s just there are a lot of players around the world who you could probably say the same thing [about].”
Chris Ekstrand, a longtime NBA consultant and the former publisher of the NBA Draft Guide, also believes Powell has an NBA skill set.
“Myles right now is a guy that teams think, if we needed that type of player, like an instant-offense combo guard who can come in and maybe give us 15-20 minutes and score 10 points in 20 minutes, that’s the kind of player he is,” he said. “He might be able to do that right off the bat.”
Powell could potentially get drafted in the second round, but if he doesn’t he would be a free agent who could sign anywhere. He could potentially land a two-way contract with an NBA team, which would mean splitting time between the NBA G League and the NBA itself.
“If he gets drafted it will probably be late, in that 40-60 range,” Givony said. “And when you’re talking about players in that range, it doesn’t really come down to talent as much as it comes down to, are you willing to take a Two-Way, are you willing to be stashed [overseas], do you want to bet on yourself and try to be like Terence Davis and go undrafted and try to earn a roster spot through Summer League?” (After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Davis joined the Denver Nuggets for the NBA Summer League.)
Of course, this year there probably won’t be an NBA Summer League due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the NBA Draft may not happen until August or September.
“Potentially if the season is resumed at some point and the league is playing in July and August and maybe even into September, it’s possible you don’t have a draft and free agency until those finals are over,” ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski said recently on air.
That has left players like Powell — and teammates Romaro Gill and Quincy McKnight, who were hoping to impress this month at the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational and then maybe catch on in Summer League — in limbo.
With limited access to gyms, all NBA hopefuls have to find their own spots to work out. They likely won’t be able to meet with, or work out for, NBA teams for several more months, at least. During this period, they must stay in shape with an eye toward the future.
“I’m just trying to stay fit, doing a little yoga, push-ups, sit-ups, just trying to stay active,” Powell told John Fanta of the Big East Conference. “I mean, it’s kind of hard to find gyms open right now, especially in the New Jersey area and the New York area with it being so bad right now.”
Powell and his teammates were deprived of a chance to see how far they could go in the NCAA Tournament, and they will never know the answer. Yet Powell has been showered with postseason awards since the season ended, and that has made him feel better. Last week he won the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard. He was named the Big East Player of the Year. He was one of five finalists for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award, both of which went to Dayton forward Obi Toppin, a projected lottery pick. And Powell was named a first-team All-America selection by The Associated Press.
“All the awards that’s been coming, they’re helping me keep my head up high, helping me stay focused,” Powell said, “and I know it’s going to be a big couple months ahead of me so I’m just trying to stay ready.”
Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.