A 3 time member of the All-Pac 12 team, McKinley Wright had a successful collegiate career at Colorado. As a senior, Wright averaged 15.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG, and 2.1 TOPG on shooting splits of 48/30/84. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: McKinley Wright IV
Height/Weight: 6’0/ 192
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’5/ 7’10
Hand size: 9
Position: PG
College: Colorado
Tools: Quickness, defense, length, feel for the game
Pros:
- NBA ready body
- Pesky defender that doesn’t fear bigger players
- High feel for the game
- Incredibly quick slasher
- Long arms with good strength
- Good post game, especially for a guard
- Excellent runner/floater
- Plus playmaker out of pick & roll, able to find shooters at ease
- Tight handle with strong ball security
Cons:
- Lacks a consistently reliable jump shot
- Unable to shoot over closeouts
- Undersized despite length
- Must continue to improve as a pull-up shooter
- Needs to become more comfortable finishing with his left hand
Overall:
McKinley Wright is an experienced guard that can blow by defenders to get to the rim at ease, while also consistently making his teammates better, and locking up his matchup on the other end of the floor. As a slasher, Wright uses his elite speed, his passing threat, and ability to stop on a dime to counter defenses dropping against him. In the NBA, he will need his in-between game, consisting of off the dribble mid-range jumpers, as well as floaters and runners, to translate to his scoring package. Wright dominates the pick & roll and the drive & kick as a passer, which heavily contributed to his nearly 6 assists per game this season. While he cannot shoot over defenses and closeouts, especially on spot-up jumpers, he does have the ability to quickly rise up over defenders out of the drive on pull-up jumpers. As he refines his pull-up shooting and gets more comfortable finishing with both hands, instead of forcing shots with his right hand on the left side of the rim, his slashing will be respected in the NBA. Wright’s NBA career, like many guards with boom/bust shooting, comes down to how well he can shoot the ball.
Defensively, Wright was one of the most well-respected defenders in his 4 years at Colorado, earning an All-Defense selection as a junior in 2019-20. He is likely only going to be able to guard primary ball-handlers under 6’6, but can still play up and he is not scared of defending bigger players, assuming he has a proper help-defense behind him. Wright both forces turnovers and bad shots, and makes it difficult to get past him on drives.
Similar to: Anthony Carter, Ish Smith
Projected draft range: 45-undrafted
Expected role: Backup point guard that can comfortably run pick & roll, create for others, put pressure on the rim, and defend guards at a respectable level.
Unplayable if: Jump shooting holds him back to limit his effectiveness in other areas. Teams can sag off and risk a made open 3.
Exceeds expectations if: Pull-up shooting translates. As a small guard that can’t shoot over contests on spot-ups, Wright must become a dangerous pull-up shooter to throw off defenses when guarding his drives.
