A member of the All-WCC, Julian Strawther had a successful three years at Gonzaga after being a top 60 recruit out of high school. As a junior, Strawther averaged 15.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG, and 1.5 TOPG on splits of 47/41/78. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Julian Strawther
Height/Weight: 6’6/209
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’9/8’9
Hand size: 8 ¼
Position: Wing
Pre-Draft team: Gonzaga
Tools: Off-ball threat, floater
Pros:
- Outstanding floater
- Good off-ball mover
- High-level spot-up shooter
- Good motor
- Comfortable passing out of pick & rolls
- Good transition passer/good passer in quick offense
- Young for his class
- Good finisher at the rim
- Good rebounder
- Quick footwork on jumper
- Translatable NBA range for his jump shot
Cons:
- Straight line driver with minimal advanced creation moves
- Needs to become more efficient shooting off the dribble
- Negative assist:turnover ratio
- Too quick to pick his dribble up at times
- Needs to tighten his handle
- Small hands might explain ball security related turnovers
- Not much of an above-the-rim finisher; only 1 dunk attempt in the half-court
Swing Skills:
- Defensive impact
Summary:
Julian Strawther is one of the premier shooters and overall off-ball threats in the 2023 NBA Draft.
While there are concerns about secondary elements of Strawther’s game, his off-ball ability as a shooter, cutter, and quick floater ability off of flashes and screens is so advanced that the lack of playmaking and ball-handling are unlikely to get exposed enough to be considered a liability. As a playmaker, Strawther can struggle with playmaking by picking up his dribble too early, or picking up the dribble then deciding what to do, which is a dangerous combination for him since he has small hands, making it easy for defenders to rip the ball out of his hands. However, in the NBA with such an off-ball role, these issues are unlikely to be relevant in the NBA regular season, unless teams blitz him off of screens and out of off-ball movement. He will, however, need to improve this ball-security issue to consistently play in the playoffs, since every mistake gets magnified in the playoffs.
Defensively, Strawther has adequate abilities, including lateral quickness, length, motor, and understanding of the game. However, at times he was too easily beat on-ball, making his defense a major swing skill in the NBA. The likely outcome for his defense is that wherever he gets drafted to will heavily impact that, as one team could make him positive, another could make him negative, another neutral, and so on.
As a shooter, Strawther checks almost every box for an NBA-ready shooter on the wings: He has quick footwork, he rotates well into shots off of screens and curls, his range is easily and quickly translatable, he takes good shots, he moves well off-ball, and he has good size with overall good shot mechanics. Strawther can come off of screens and into any shot at any spot, which is a key part of why so many, including myself, see his high-level jump shot translating early and successfully.
Overall, with high-level shooting, a sound understanding of the game clearly showcased in each possession, whether he touches the ball or not, Strawther profiles as one of the best shooters in this draft class. With other peripheral skills,
Similar to: Damion Lee, Doug McDermott, Georges Niang, Max Strus
Projected draft range: 24-35
Expected role: Shooter at any angle that can thrive in any system with other ways to impact the game without shooting.
Unplayable if: Unlikely to be unplayable, but impacts becomes significantly less noticeable if his jumper isn’t falling and he is simultaneously having turnover issues any given night.
Exceeds expectations if: Jump shot translates, and any level of off the dribble scoring comes into fruition
Miscellaneous Synergy Stats:
Runners/floaters: 50-89 (56.2%; 94th percentile)
Catch & shoot 3s: 62-142 (43.7%;93rd percentile)
Videos:
Shot chart:
