Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Nico Mannion

Strengths

While his stat line during his lone season with the Wildcats doesn’t exactly give off this indication, Mannion does possess the basic outline of being an interesting and effective shot maker.

The Italian-born Mannion has a fascinating blend of shooting skills and is equally capable of pulling up off the dribble or curling around screens and firing away the second he sees daylight. That will certainly help play any role both on and off the ball as he looks to establish his place in the NBA.

But it’s Mannion’s mix of ball handling skills and playmaking vision that will make him a very adequate initiator at the next level, at the very least.

Mannion’s feel for the game and ability to dish it out, especially in transition or in pick-and-roll situations, is particularly alluring. And his 2.06 assist-to-turnover ratio while at Arizona paints the picture of Mannion as being a poised playmaker that makes smart reads on the move and is very quick to manipulate opposing defenses.

If Mannion’s blend of skilled shooting potential and impressive handling and distribution abilities continue to take shape under spaced-out systems in the NBA, he could have the ability to twist and bend defenses at the next level, should he take on a high-usage role.