Where could Arizona's Nico Mannion land in the draft?
Recently, there has been concern regarding Nico Mannion’s jump shot. His former coach Justin Downer has something to say about the naysayers:
“As far as concerns about his shooting? I think they’re a bit exaggerated. He’ll be the first to tell you he isn’t satisfied with his percentages at Arizona, but he’s proven he’s a shot-maker at every level with range, confidence, and hitting big shots. Not to mention as far as feel, playmaking, and making his teammates better go.”
Mannion recently highlighted a meeting with Lakers’ brass, including Rob Pelinka. Another team that has shown tons of interest in Mannion is the Utah Jazz. As far as the Lakers go, they shipped off their first-rounder in a trade to land Dennis Schroder.
As for Utah, they’ve traded picks with the New York Knicks but remain in the first-round as well as the early part of the second at pick 38. Jazz’s head man, Quin Snyder, has reportedly enjoyed Mannion’s game and members of the organization have been impressed with him. He could be an option with that 27th pick and/or that second-rounder if they were to choose him.
Downer, who is an assistant coach at Cal Poly, believes that Mannion has established himself as a first-round selection.”
“I think Nico has more than established himself as a first-round pick in this year’s draft. Few players have the resume he has performing time and time again against the best players in the world. From FIBA ball at the U17 and National level in Italy to the Nike Hoop Summit, he’s constantly surpassed expectations at every level. He was robbed of an opportunity to show out on the national stage during March Madness, and that’s nobody’s fault, but the world missed a chance to see what he does when his team’s backs against the wall.”
In his recent combine, he shined. That includes in his shooting drills. It might just be some pre-draft film but it shows that he’s improving in that area. He shot 16/20 during the 3-point star drill. He also measured a 43-inch vertical and that speaks to itself.