NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Frank Mason III

Strengths

Throughout his time at Kansas, Mason has shown the ability to assert himself and excel as a lead guard.

With a mixture of good court awareness, a blistering change of pace in transition, and a soft shooting touch, Mason possesses most of the key skills that NBA teams look for in their floor generals.

Mason arrived in Kansas as a good shooter, and has only improved in the four years since. For his career as a Jayhawk, the 23-year-old averaged 42 percent from three-point range. Even more impressive is the fact that culminated with a senior year where he shot 47.1 percent on 4.8 triple attempts per game.

Adept in both catch-and-shoot and pull-up scenarios, Mason is a versatile and dynamic shooter.

He’s also incredibly dangerous when he catches sight of the open court. Perhaps buoyed by his low center of gravity, Mason is a fast and shifty mover who can carve opposing defenses apart in transition, and is a competent and wily finisher when he gets to the rim.

Considering he can often play at such speed, it’s impressive how well Mason takes care of the ball too. For his four years in college, Mason posted an assist to turnover ratio of better than 2:1. Even though he’s not instantly associated with being a distributor, he also averaged 5.2 assists per game as a senior.

While it’s this nice mix of skills that obviously allowed Mason to play at such a high level in the first place, it’s his work ethic and determination that has allowed him to overcome the disadvantage of being a smaller player.

Mason was a surprisingly solid defender in college, often showing good positional awareness, and almost always fighting to offer a good contest or forceful ball denial. If Mason is to pan out in the NBA, bringing that same level of grit to the table will be essential.