2019 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Dean Wade

Let’s evaluate 2019 NBA Draft prospect Dean Wade out of Kansas State, and whether or not, he is a potential fit for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Name: Dean Wade

School: Kansas State

Position: Power Forward

Projected Draft Position: Undrafted

The 2019 NBA Draft is now only two months away, and the college basketball season is officially over. So, I have started to evaluate prospects for the upcoming draft. Let’s continue with Kansas State’s Dean Wade.

Strengths

Shooting

Wade’s value will come purely from his ability to shoot the basketball. He shot 41.8% from deep during his senior season at Kansas State. At 6’10”, he can easily get his shot off over defenders.

Wade has all the tools to be a solid stretch four. He has the mechanics and size, and he moves well without the basketball.

Wade’s volume at Kansas State was lower than I would like it to be for a shooter, but he could make some noise in pre-draft workouts.

Weaknesses

Rebounding

For a 6’10” power forward, Wade was a surprisingly poor rebounder in college. He only grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game, despite playing over 30 minutes per game.

Wade does not have elite athleticism or a great vertical, either, so playing in the NBA against stronger, more athletic big men should only make this problem worse.

Interior Defense

As I previously mentioned, Wade is not the strongest or most athletic big man, which severely hampers his defensive upside. Stronger centers could bully him in the post at the next level.

He only averaged 0.5 blocks per game, so he is not much of a rim protector either.

Potential Fit

So is Wade a potential fit for the Blazers? I don’t think so. The Blazers need a defensive minded forward more than another shooter. It wouldn’t hurt to give Wade a summer league spot, and it never hurts to have extra shooting on your roster. However, the Blazers need to focus on other needs on their roster.