A member of the All-Big 10, Bryce McGowens had a heavy offensive load at Nebraska. As a freshman, McGowens averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 2.1 TOPG on shooting splits of 40/27/83. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Bryce McGowens
Height/Weight: 6’6/181
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’9/8’7 ½
Hand size: 9 ½
Position: SG
Pre-Draft team: Nebraska
Tools: Athleticism, scoring
Pros:
- Good shooting form
- Plus frame
- Projectable ball handling skill
- Excellent athlete
- Shifty slasher getting to the rim
- Explosive first step
- Good rebounder
- Deep range on jumper
- Gets to the line at a great rate
- Sees the floor well and knows where shooters are
- Good at finding cutters and rollers
- Good footspeed defensively against drives
- Potential to punish smaller players in the post
- Can intercept passes well
Cons:
- Needs to be more consistent; still raw
- Decision making comes and goes. Often has a score-first mentality at the wrong times
- Must get better at defensive skill and overall impact defensively
- Must get stronger and add weight
- Needs to get better at finishing with his left hand at the rim
- Needs to improve passing feel; shoot-first mentality on drives at times
Summary:
Bryce McGowens is a high upside shooting guard that has potential to become an all-around offensive player as a 3 level scorer and a pick & roll playmaker. With good size and length, the hope for McGowens is that the rest of his game fills in as he continues to add weight and as he learns and processes the game at a high level. McGowens is still raw, and too many times makes a wrong decision, which played a big role in his turnover rate and field goal percentage.
McGowens is incredibly skilled and is a good athlete; with a clean, quick stroke and good shot creation tools including a deep bag as a self-creator, there are tools to potentially unlock great offense. He does need to get better about being shoot-first too often in the NBA, but that can be ironed out in the G League. He still sees the floor well, and runs a good pick & roll. For a raw player, McGowens has shown plenty of promise to quickly grow into his skillset at a high level.
Defensively, McGowens uses his length well to force turnovers and play the passing lanes, but not consistently. He is generally a liability on the defensive end until he adds strength. Like most of his game, adding strength will do wonders for him. He can better use his body to create space on the perimeter, defend, and finish at the rim against contact with more strength; all of these improvements could help him reach stardom.
Look for McGowens to be a potential riser on draft night as an upside play. He has some immediate value as a potential microwave scorer, but long term he has a chance to be a complete offensive player, which is generally a top 10 return on value.
Similar to: Zach LaVine, Nick Young, Jordan Poole, James Bouknight
Projected draft range: 14-40
Expected role: All-around offensive player
Unplayable if: Jump shooting and decision making never progress from current raw status
Exceeds expectations if: Decision making improves to a high level, combined with added strength turns him into a high-level starter.
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