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Trail Blazers NBA Draft prospect: Delon Wright

By David MacKay

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Delon Wright among top NBA Draft prospects for Portland Trail Blazers (23rd pick)

Jan 15, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Utah Utes guard Delon Wright (55) dribbles against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Utes won 76-59 Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Player: Delon Wright
College: University of Utah
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 181 lbs
Wingspan: 6’7.5”
Age: 23

*All information current*

Wright headlined the Trail Blazers’ Saturday pre-draft workout while his older brother, Dorell Wright, watched from the sidelines. Depending on how Portland plays the draft in June and free agency in July, it is entirely possible for the siblings to become teammates. The connection would make for an interesting storyline, but it is not why the Trail Blazers could be interested in Delon’s services. He is more than a novelty, and may be just the right fit for the team.

Offense

Wright is incredibly slippery. Despite middling athleticism, he changes speed and direction well, utilizing many tools to get to the rim—including a smooth Eurostep. The majority of his scoring production comes from creating space for himself close to the hoop and/or getting to the line. Pull up jumpers aren’t really his thing, but he does a good job of baiting defenders with pump fakes (more sparingly than his brother). Scoring aside he is most useful as a facilitator. His combination of height and court awareness makes him great for zinging quick passes over the defense.

Defense

This is where Wright might pique the Trail Blazers’ interest. If there are holes in his defensive game I can’t find them. He is great on the ball, he is great off the ball, he navigates screens with ease, he has exceptional lateral quickness, he has excellent instinctual timing for steals and blocks, he can guard both backcourt positions—the list goes on. There is a chance that his slight frame could cap his overall potential at the professional level, but the fundamentals are all there.

Biggest strengths

Wright is unselfish, almost to a fault. Most of his energy goes toward creating scoring opportunities for others. It is not uncommon for him to bob and weave like former Trail Blazer Mo Williams, only to kick the ball out when he gets to the hoop like current Trail Blazer Steve Blake. He has a definite “team first” mentality that you want in your distributors. On the other end of the floor, he gives a lock-down effort every night. He makes everything easier for his teammates.

Biggest weaknesses

That is not to say that Wright makes everything easier for himself. He is not confident in his jumper. The clear lack of comfort taking relatively open shots allows defenders to sag off of him just enough to deny the drive. Since Wright’s slim build is not ideal for absorbing body-to-body contact, he may draw fouls but he does not always finish well when he gets hit. At 23 years old, there is little chance of him tacking on enough mass to fix this problem, though his herky-jerky play style helps him work around it.

College statistics

Wright averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.0 block per game for the Utes in 2014-15. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but they range anywhere from typical to impressive all across the board. Of particular note are his defensive statistics. He was one of just six NCAA men’s basketball players to average at least two steals and one block per game this season.

Overall fit

My goodness his defense would be nice. Until we know more about the recovery of Wesley Matthews, as well as his pending free agency, we have to assume that the Trail Blazers are presently without any semblance of a stopper in the backcourt. Wright is the rare draft prospect that is already a known quantity. This can be good or bad depending on your perspective. His theoretical impact is unambiguous but there is not much room for growth. He has a somewhat low ceiling and a respectably high floor.

Delon Wright videos via NZAUTV Basketball & memoismoney

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