A two time member of the All-Mountain West Conference team, Derrick Alston Jr improved his draft stock after returning to Boise State for his senior year. On the season, Alston averaged 17 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, and 2.4 TOPG on shooting splits of 44/38/86. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Derrick Alston
Height/Weight: 6’9 / 191
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’1 / 8’11 ½
Hand size: 9 ¼
Position: SF
College: Boise State
Tools: Length, shot creation
Pros:
- Good vision; secondary playmaker at times; quick recognition in finding open teammates
- Excellent in drive & kick
- Plus slasher; takes long strides
- Capable ball handler with upside
- Long arms
- Good finisher at the rim
- Excellent shooting touch
- Intelligent and effective cutter
Cons:
- Awkward jump shot form; needs to speed up jumper
- Needs to improve jump shot off the dribble
- Must add strength
- Struggles to fight through screens
- Still raw- needs to put together his tools & skillset; may need time to adjust to NBA speeds
- Plays below the rim too often in the half court
- Needs to reduce 1 hand passes
Overall:
Derrick Alston Jr is a versatile forward that has upside as a finisher, jumbo playmaker, and as a cutter. The first and most important area of improvement for Alston is to add strength; this will open up opportunities for him as a slasher, creator, and defender. The second most important area of improvement for Alston is to speed up his jump shot. While he can shoot from extended range and found success shooting the ball at Boise State, he struggles to shoot over shot contests, allowing for his shot to be easily impacted. This will be the single most important area of his game translating, because if he isn’t shooting, his impact elsewhere with his skinny frame is severely limited. Alston has potential to be a good defender due to his length, but he needs to get stronger in order to be able to defend pick & rolls. If Alston can hit his upside and grow into his body as a 6’9 shot creator, he could be a steal in this draft.
Similar to: Ray Spalding, Josh Childress
Projected draft range: 50-undrafted
Expected role: Combo playmaker with good size and finishing ability
Unplayable if: Physicality of the NBA is too much for Alston’s light frame, plus his jump shot doesn’t speed up to shoot over defenders
Exceeds expectations if: Alston grows into his frame and adds significant strength while also speeding up his jump shot.
Shot chart:
