Rasheer Fleming Draft Analysis
NBA Projection: Rotation Player Wing / C
Post Draft
1. Summer League
Pre Draft
1. Draft Age
20.9 years (61st percentile amongst 1st round drafted players between 2004-2024)
Junior
2. Physical Tools
Height without shoes: 6' 8.25''
Wingspan: 7' 5.25''
NBA Size: small C/ long Wing
3. NCAA Team Role:
NCAA starter at C / Wing
bpm: 6.8 (38th percentile amongst 1st round drafted players between 2004-2024)
Strengths:
2nd in usg and pts/40
high 2P% and 3P%
above average blk% and stl%
above average rim shooting%
above average dunksmade/40
above average rim rate
above average 3pa/100
Flaws:
below average ast%
negative ast/tov ratio
very low mid shooting %: 0.23
limited shot creation: low unassisted rim/mid/3/dunk %
4. Nearest Neighbours within 2 years of Draft Age
Neighbour means 2025 Draft Class ranks:
KNN Dist: 13 of 30
Neighbour NBA Adv Rank Mean: 24.75
NBA_Start% Rank: 26 of 30
BPM Rank: 25 of 30
WS/YEAR Rank: 26 of 30
VORP/YEAR Rank: 22 of 30
Overall:
averagely close neighbours
low production in NBA
Star: Vucevic
Starters (NBA_Start% >= 50%): Hendricks
Rotation (VORP>=0): Wagner, Spellman
Fringe (VORP<0): Lydon, Wieskamp, Livers, Felix, Robinson-Earl, Strawther
5. Analysis
Fleming is a Wing prospect with a very long wingspan indicating the potential to function as a C. He is a junior and an older prospect than most 1st round picks at 20.9 years age. Because of this, it’s essential to attempt to determine if the age and experience advantage in the NCAA led to better production than their younger years. Older prospects aren’t going to have the age and experience advantage and instead will have a disadvantage.
Fleming had a consistent increase in minutes and scoring role (usg and pts/40) from freshman to junior. He was not a very promising prospect as a 18.9 year old freshman with a bpm of 1.89, but improved as a 19.9 year old sophomore with a bpm of 5.62.
The main differences in his soph and junior production are:
orb% dropped: 10.9% => 7.6%
ast% rose: 5.9% => 8.5% (but to% also rose)
FT% rose: 0.61 => 0.74
blk% dropped: 6.8% => 4.9%
stl% rose: 1.8% => 2.6%
ftr dropped: 36.7 => 28.5
pfr dropped: 3.9 => 3.3
mid shooting % dropped: 0.42 => 0.23
3pa/100 rose: 6.55 => 8.54
The constants between soph and junior:
ast/tov
rim and dunk shooting %
dunksmade/40
shot creation: unassisted rim/3/dunk %
Based on Fleming’s soph and junior years, he is a wing with good defensive output ,not a rim protecting C with that blk%. He is best offball as he can dunk and finish at rim, but has limited shot creation (unassisted %). The FT% and 3P% is the biggest concern for Fleming’s potential as a starting wing as his junior year was his best and might not be sustainable based on his freshman and sophomore years.
Vucevic is the star neighbour as a primarily offensive C with mediocre rim protection. He had similar NCAA blk% as Fleming and it has dropped in the NBA to only 2.4%. His 3P% has been decent for a C at 0.35. Vuc was a better rebounder and playmaker than Fleming while Fleming has the edge in 2P%. Vuc has been a long-term starter in the NBA as a stretch 5 and even made all star teams as the primary scoring option on low-seeded playoff teams, but is likely better for a competitive team as a 6th man of the year scoring C rather than starter. Fleming has more wing skills and better offball cutting to the rim so it’s unlikely teams would want him as a starting C with his mediocre blk%, orb% and drb% compared to other starting C. A Wing role with occasional minutes as a small ball C is a more likely path than Vucevic’s.
Fleming has similar production to Hendricks, with a much longer wingspan. But he has a lower blk%, is 1.3 years older, and is worse in some key role player areas (ast/tov, FT%). Hendricks is promising as a NBA sophomore in a 3 and D Starting Wing role before he suffered a serious injury. Hendricks would be a good, realistic outcome for Fleming.
Fleming’s floor projection is Wagner as a primarily bench C with occasional starts at PF or C. Fleming has advantages in several key stats for a role playing C (orb%, 2P%, significantly higher blk%, ast/tov, dunksmade/40) which means that he has the floor of a solid backup big, with more potential to start as a Wing.
Other neighbours lack the pterodactyl wingspan of Fleming which leads to a advantage in several areas for a offball Wing (2P%, blk%, stl%, dunksmade/40)
The 3P% is going to be a great determiner for Fleming if he ends up in a role like Hendricks as a starting Wing or Wagner as a bench C/PF. Overall Fleming is a safe 3 and D wing role player archetype with unlikely ceiling for more unless he can be an effective starting C long-term for a competitive team.
Predicted NBA Outcome: Rotation Player Wing / C
Appendix:
Star: Vucevic
Vucevic
similar
0.3 years younger
taller with shorter wingspan
FT%
blk%
pfr
pts/40
unassisted mid%
rim shooting %
disadvantages
large 2P% difference
3P%
stl%
3pa/100
rim rate
dunksmade/40
dunk shooting %
advantages
bpm
orb%
ast%
ftr
ast/tov
unassisted rim/dunk%
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
decreased rim rate, increased mid rate
ftr large drop
unassisted 2% large drop
ast% up and tov% down
ast/tov up to 1.71
pts/40 up
Starters (NBA_Start% >= 50%): Hendricks
Hendricks
similar
closest statistical match
bpm
orb%
ast%
FT% and 3P%
ftr
pts/40
3pa/100
dunks shooting %
disadvantages
2P% large difference
stl%
pfr
rim rate
unassisted mid %
rim shooting %
advantages
1.3 years younger
same height with much longer wingspan
blk%
ast/tov
rim rate
unassisted rim/3/dunk %
dunksmade/40
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
rim rate decreased and 3 rate increased
rebounding increased
ast % decreased
usg decreased
Rotation (VORP>=0): Wagner, Spellman
Wagner
similar
0.2 years older
taller with much shorter wingspan
3P% and 3pa/100
rim rate
unassisted 3/dunk %
rim shooting %
disadvantages
orb%
ast%
FT% and 2%
blk% and stl%
much lower ast/tov
unassisted mid %
dunksmade/40
advantages
pts/40
unassisted rim %
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
3P% drop to 0.32
FT% up to 0.81
ast% up
ast/tov large increase to 1
Spellman
similar
age
3P% and 3pa/100
blk%
ast/tov
disadvantages
same height with shorter wingspan
ast% much lower
FT%
2P% much lower
stl%
pts/40
rim rate
unassisted mid%
dunksmade/40
much lower rim/dunk shooting %
advantages
bpm
orb%
unassisted rim%
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
FT% up to 0.77
3P% down to 0.37
decreased rebounding
ast% up
ast/tov up to 1.11
blk% down
Fringe (VORP<0): Lydon, Wieskamp, Livers, Felix, Robinson-Earl, Strawther
Lydon
similar
bpm
0.3 years older
orb%
3P%
blk%
rim shooting %
disadvantages
same height with much shorter wingspan
2P% much lower
stl%
pts/40
3pa/100
rim rate
unassisted mid%
dunksmade/40
mid/dunk shooting %
advantages
ast% and ast/tov
FT% and ftr
pfr
unassisted rim/3/dunk%
NBA stat changes
26 career NBA games
massive FT% drop from 0.84 to 0.33
Wieskamp
similar
ftr
shot creation: unassisted rim/mid/3/dunk %
disadvantages
0.9 years older
small wing size: much shorter and smaller wingspan
orb%
FT%
2P% much lower
blk% and stl%
rim rate
dunksmade/40
rim shooting %
advantages
bpm
ast% and ast/tov
3P%
pts/40
3pa/100
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
38 career NBA games
large FT% drop to 0.54
large 3P% drop to 0.31
Livers
similar
3P%
unassisted rim %
disadvantages
2 years older
SG size
orb%
large 2P% diff
blk% and stl%
pts/40
rim rate and rim shooting %
dunksmade/40
advantages
bpm
ast% and ast/tov
FT%
pfr
3pa/100
unassisted mid/dunk %
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
FT% and 3P% drop
3 rate large increase
rebounding % and ast% down
Felix
similar
orb%
ast%
3P%
stl%
ast/tov
rim rate
unassisted mid/3 %
disadvantages
bpm
1.9 years older
SG size
FT% and 2P%
blk%
pts/40
3pa/100
rim/dunk shooting %
advantages
unassisted rim/dunk %
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
7 career NBA games
Robinson-Earl
similar
bpm
0.3 years younger
orb%
FT%
pts/40
rim shooting %
disadvantages
SG/small Wing: shorter with much smaller wingspan
2P% and 3P% and 3pa/100
blk% and stl%
rim rate
unassisted mid%
dunksmade/40
advantages
ast% and ast/tov
unassisted rim/dunk%
mid shooting %
NBA stat changes
FT% up to 0.8
3P% up to 0.34
rim rate down, 3 rate up
rebounding % down
ast% down
unassisted 2% down
usg large decrease
Strawther
Strawther
similar
0.3 years older
3P%
ast/tov
pts/40
unassisted mid %
disadvantages
bpm
SG: shorter with much smaller wingspan
orb%
ast%
2P%
blk% stl%
rim rate
unassisted dunk %
dunksmade/40
rim finishing %
advantages
FT%
pfr
pts/40
3pa/100
unassisted rim/3 %
mid finishing %
NBA stat changes
3P% dropped to 0.33
ast% rose
ast/tov rose to 1.57