Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Cassius Stanley

Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Cassius Stanley – Strengths

It’s clear that Stanley possesses natural gifts that you can’t simply teach or develop, to say the least.

Able to hit turbo with the blink of an eye and having set the highest max vertical leap in Duke history, Stanley is a true high-flyer that thrives in the open court when able to gear up a head of steam and throw down highlight-worthy dunks.

For as much as Stanley’s game is predicated on finishing plays while in transition, he does have some value in the halfcourt where he can space the floor and knock down shots from beyond the arc when opportunities come his way. And Stanley is quite adept at putting the ball down on the floor or knifing his way past defenders to burst and explode toward the basket.

While Stanley’s 73.3 free throw percentage isn’t exactly flawless as it relates to his shooting touch, and his volume of 3-pointers isn’t exactly high either as he attempted just 86 triples as a freshman, Stanley’s 36 3-point percentage is encouraging at this stage.

On the other side of the ball, Stanley’s quick-twitch athleticism, great foot speed and boundless energy lends itself well to his ability to defend opposing guards and wings, despite having average physical tools and length. Those qualities have helped Stanley into making action plays as he averaged 1.1 blocks and a steal by per-40 minute standards.

And despite being wing-sized himself, Stanley’s hustle and nose for the ball did help him grab down 7.1 rebounds per 40 minutes at Duke this season, which will only boost his end-to-end abilities.