Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series examining top prospects in the NBA Draft. Profiles are based on conversations with NBA general managers and scouts.
Bradley Beal is already coveted as a draft prospect, but there are still a few things we don't know. Not to worry because the answers will likely be determined between now and when it comes time to pick in late June.
Today, scouts have Beal going anywhere from third to seventh in the draft. They love his smoothness and explosiveness and believe he’ll be an even better perimeter shooter at the highest level.
What concerns them, it seems, is his height — or, more specifically, if he’ll be able to shoot over taller and at least as athletic defenders in the NBA.
That’s where all the pre-draft analysis comes into play.
The first order of business will be to see if Beal is truly 6-foot-3, as he's listed in the University of Florida media guide. Of course, that might be the result of the Florida athletic department listening to NBA scouts, who place Beal anywhere from 6-2 1/2 to 6-5. So maybe the Gators just decided to stick him somewhere in the middle.
Not really, but you get the idea: No one seems to have an accurate reading on Beal’s actual height.
“There’s a good way to solve that, and that’s to measure him,” one NBA scout said. “I’m sure we’ll know in a few weeks.”
But if a guy can play, what difference does it make?
“As for the question if it matters, well, yes and no,” another scout said. “If he really is closer to 6-2, of course there will be some concern. Most (NBA shooting guards) are closer to 6-5 or even 6-7. Except for (New Orleans’) Eric Gordon, and I think we can all agree that he’s pretty good.”
Beal averaged 14.8 points per game in his only college season, shooting 45 percent from the field. Most of those attempts came from the perimeter — although he was only 34 percent beyond the college 3-point arc.
But when it comes to Beal, you have to look beyond the numbers.
For one, the kid is hardly a gun. He more often passes to the open man and, for a shooting guard, can create as much offense for others as he does himself.
For another, he takes care of the ball, making good decisions and rarely forcing anything. When he keeps the ball, he’s athletic enough to get to the rim.
Basically, Beal is the type of talent who can take over in a pinch, but he doesn’t mind sharing the ball and trying to stroke it from the outside when it’s his turn to shoot.
“He’s pretty sturdy with a solid frame and pretty fluid,” one general manager said. “Offensively, I don’t think he’ll have many issues.”
But defensively?
“That might be another matter,” the GM said. “He’s not going to be a stopper, and that’s OK. But what you don’t want is him to become a hindrance. I’m sure we’ll learn more about that, and other things, once we get closer to the draft and start delving into the individual workouts.”
For Beal, that’s not so bad.
“If he’s as good as we think he is, he’ll do just fine,” the GM said. “Then, no, how he measures won’t matter.”
Bradley Beal File
Height: 6-3
Weight: 207 pounds
Position: Shooting guard
Date of birth: 6-28-1993 (18 years old)
Hometown: St. Louis
High school: Chaminade Prep
College: Florida
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