Nate Darling is a prospect I have had on my radar since 2018 when I attended the Conference USA Tournament, when he was at UAB. In his lone year at Delaware, he broke out to average 21 PPG, 2.8 APG, 4 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, and 2.8 TOPG on shooting splits of 45/40/85. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Nate Darling
Height/Weight: 6’5/ 200
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: SG
College/ country: Delaware / Canda
Tools: Shooting
Pros:
- Excellent shooter both on the move and from a standstill
- High basketball IQ
- Good vision
- Improved ball handle throughout college
- Intelligent using screens as a ball handler
- Has a nice floater
- Doesn’t commit many live-ball turnovers
Cons:
- Right hand dominant
- Low defensive upside
- Poor recovery ability on crossovers/fakes
Overall:
NBA Comparison: Floor: Furkan Korkmaz; Ceiling: CJ Miles
Projected draft range: 50-undrafted
Nate Darling was someone that had caught my eye when I attended the 2018 Conference USA tournament, having heard his name as a lights-out shooter. He sat out the 2018-19 season as part of a transfer to Delaware, where he became the team’s star and led the Blue Hens to a 22 win season. Darling was given the keys to the offense, and it helped him blossom into the collegiate star he became as a 4th year junior. Darling’s compact shot and strong wrist action allow for him to quickly shoot in a variety of ways: around screens, simple spot-ups, and off the dribble. In college, Darling was a 3 level scorer, shooting 65% at the rim, showing off a reliable mid range jumper and a floater, and he shot 40% from 3. Beyond the stats, the improvements Darling has made at Delaware clearly stood out: he improved his ball handling to be a reliable creator, his passing became more crisp, and he used screens more freely. His overall basketball intelligence was on supreme display at Delaware,
On the other hand, both literally and metaphorically, Darling does have areas of improvement as he enters the NBA. First, his lone glaring flaw offensively is his left hand. Darling was often right-hand dominant at Delaware, and sometimes seemed to prefer making a harder play with his right hand over the simple play with his left hand.
Defensively, Darling is limited due to a lack of high-level athleticism, and often biting too hard on ball-fakes. He will need the right team to be able to successfully hide his defensive weaknesses. His basketball IQ is high, so his intelligence will not be why he would fail on the defensive end in the NBA.
