Video Breakdown: Delon Wright

* I did not see Wright compete live this past season. The following breakdown is based on watching film and doing research.

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Wright is a 6-5 combination guard with a 6-6 wingspan. He’s interchangeable within the backcourt, and his physical makeup is impressive even by NBA standards. Wright must add muscle to his weak 180-pound frame, but even still, he has a height advantage over most NBA point guards, and can match up against NBA shooting guards. Wright is not a pure point guard, or someone you’d entrust with directing an offense. Instead, he’s more of a secondary ball handler, someone who pushes the ball in transition, sees the floor well, and does an excellent job of getting into the lane.

Offensively, Wright excels in transition, where he can get behind a scrambled defense for an easy layup, or draw a foul (6.4 FTA per game). 25% of Wright’s shot attempts last season came in transition, where he converted a solid 79% and his 1.46 points per transition attempt ranked in the top 5 percentile nationally. He can handle the ball coast-to-coast, run the wings, or force a steal and ignite the fast break.

In the half court, Wright is best suited to play off the ball, as a secondary ball handler. He is a tremendous passer for someone who mostly plays off the ball—he led Utah with 5.3 APG last season, and his 29.3% assist percentage ranked 6th in the Pac-12 and 29th nationally.

Wright is particularly proficient operating from the pick-and-roll, where he can bait the defense into converging onto him, then dish it to a rolling screener. Wright already has excellent court vision and sense of where his teammates are, able to keep his head on a swivel and deliver on-the-money passes from the wing. This unique passing ability is very intriguing.

In terms of scoring, while he has an abysmal jump shot right now (explained below; 17-72 on jumpers last season, including 12-54 from 3-point range), Wright can penetrate the defense in a straight-line fashion. He is definitely not particularly explosive or quick, but he is a shifty and crafty driver (for example, he’s perfected a beautiful euro-step move), which allows him to finish at various (albeit difficult) angles.

Overall, in the half court, Wright is most comfortable operating out of the pick-and-roll, where he can scan the floor, penetrate the lane, and either score or drop it off. However, if he doesn’t have the assistance of a screen, Wright really struggles to create his own shot. He lacks quickness and explosiveness off the dribble, which will make it difficult for him to create separation from his defender at the NBA level.

Wright must work on his ball handling and jump shot. Without a credible jumper or the ability to make a coherent move, he will always struggle to create his own shot.

On the defensive side of the ball, Wright uses his 6-5 height and 6-6 wingspan very well, both in terms of rebounding and forcing steals. He recorded an excellent 6.8 rebounds per game last season (5.5 defensively), crashing the boards from the perimeter. Wright routinely grabbed a defensive rebound, then started a fast break going the other way.

He also recorded 2.5 steals per game, and his 4.0% steal percentage ranked 30th nationally. He used his length to accumulate deflections and step into passing lanes.

That being said, Wright has a long way to go as on-ball defender, lacking the necessary lateral quickness to stay in front of his man. Even worse, though, Wright stays upright in his stance, effectively surrendering before the offensive player even makes a move.

Wright is already limited in his quickness, so he must improve his effort and discipline to give himself a chance. Every college player has shortcomings, but those shortcomings should never be exacerbated by a lack of effort.

Wright must become a more disciplined—and willing—defender, and he must show more consistent effort on this side of the ball. His physical makeup gives him potential to be a good defender, but he’s yet to show so much. And at 22 years old (23 next April), it’s fair to question how much upside Wright has left.

But he has great size for a combo guard, sees the floor extremely well, and has a skill set more fitted to the NBA, in terms of wider driving lanes and operating out of the pick-and-roll. If Wright can showcase an improved jump shot and handle next season, his potential package of size, backcourt versatility, passing and shooting will be intriguing come next June.

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Strengths

• Size and Length for Position

• Straight-Line Driving

• Transition

• Playmaking / Court Vision

Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement

• Shooting

• Not Very Explosive

• Unpolished Ball Handling

• Defensive Effort

• Age (22 years old)

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Offense

Strengths

• Size and Length for Position. Wright is a 6-5 combination guard who’s interchangeable within the backcourt. He’s not a pure point guard, per se, but he certainly can handle the ball and run a unit if necessary. He can either play PG or slide to the wing, and is a fierce competitor on offense.

• Straight-Line Driving. Wright isn’t very explosive or quick off the dribble—which is concerning—but he does a good job of using his 6-5 frame to shield his defender and get to the basket. He’s extremely shifty and crafty in the lane, mixing in a number of impressive reverses and euro-step layups.

Straight-Line Drives

Euro-Step (crafty drives)

Runners

Wright converted a solid 39% of his runner attempts last season, and his 0.85 points per runner attempt ranked in the top 28th percentile nationally. He does a good job of controlling his momentum to stop-and-rise for a floater, which, considering his lack of jumping ability, will be a vital facet of his game should he make the NBA.

Pick-and-Roll Driving

Nearly one-third (32%) of Wright’s offensive attempts last season came in the pick-and-roll. He converted a solid 67% of his pick-and-roll driving attempts, and his 1.48 points per attempt ranked in the top 3 percentile nationally last season. He can use a defined crease to get into the lane and attack.

Cutting/Slashing

Wright was excellent slashing off the ball this past season. He converted 15-of-16 cutting attempts, and his 1.8 points per attempt ranked in the 1st percentile nationally. Constantly in motion, Wright often won the war of attrition, wearing down his opponent and receiving the ball for an easy layup.

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• Transition. Wright excels in the open court, where he can get behind a scrambled defense for an easy layup, or draw a foul using his 6-5 frame (6.4 FTA per game). 25% of Wright’s shot attempts last season were in transition, where he converted a solid 79% and his 1.46 points per attempt ranked in the top 5 percentile nationally.

He can handle the ball up the floor, run the wings, or use his length to force a steal and ignite a fast break going the other way.

Running the Wings

Coast to Coast

Steals to Layup

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• Playmaking / Court Vision

Wright has a smooth feel for the game, and he sees the floor very well. At 6-5, he keeps his head on a swivel, constantly surveying the court, looking off defenders and hitting open teammates. Wright led Utah with 5.3 assists per game last season, and his 29.3% assist percentage ranked 29th nationally.

Wright is particularly proficient at running the pick-and-roll, where he can bait the defense into converging on him, then dish it to a rolling screener. He must develop his ball handling, but Wright already has an advanced sense of where his teammates are.

Pass to “Roll Man” (pick-and-roll passing)

Drive-and-Dish

Drive-and-Kick

Hitting Cutters

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Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement

• Shooting

Wright has a very shaky jump shot (17-72, 23% FG on all jumpers last season). Opponents simply dare him to shoot right now, making him one-dimensional in the half court.

As of right now, Wright is almost incapable beyond 15 feet. Wright shot 8-38 off the dribble, 4-26 coming off the pick-and-roll, 1-13 from mid-range, and 12-54 from 3-point range. No matter how you slice the numbers, Wright was a terrible shooter last season.

Will his jump shot ever develop? Will opponents sag off him and just pack the paint? Opponents dared Wright to shoot last season and he couldn’t make them pay. He must improve.

Pick-and-Roll Jumpers (Defenders Dare Him to Shoot)

Wright shot a putrid 4-26 (15%) on pick-and-roll jumpers. Defenders would often go under screens and dare him to shoot.

Pick-and-Roll Misses

Mid-Range Shooting Struggles (1-13 FG)

Off the Dribble Struggles (8-38 FG)

Catch-and-Shoot Struggles (8-26 FG)

Made Jump Shots (small sample)

Made FTs

Wright converted a decent 79% on 6.4 free throw attempts per game last season.

Missed FTs

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• Not Very Explosive or Quick

It appears Wright has a solid “standing jump,” but he’s severely lacking any burst or explosiveness off the dribble, which makes you wonder if he’ll be able to create separation from his defender at the NBA level.

Wright struggles to break his man down off the dribble. He partly compensates via the pick-and-roll, where he can use a defined crease to get into the lane and make a play. But if he doesn’t have the luxury of a screen, Wright struggles to burst or explode his way through.

Not Explosive (Driving Struggles)

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• Unpolished Ball Handling

Wright doesn’t have a tight handle on the ball. Almost all defensive resistance (being pressured, hand in his face, etc) made life difficult for Wright last season. Demonstrating a more polished and poised handle is crucial entering next season.

Loose Handle, Struggles vs. Defensive Pressure

Can’t Beat His Man (No Burst or Quickness)

• Age (22 years old)

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Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, Wright uses his 6-5 height and 6-6 wingspan very well, both in terms of rebounding and forcing steals. He recorded an excellent 6.8 rebounds per game last season (5.5 defensively), crashing the boards from the perimeter. Wright routinely grabbed a defensive rebound, then started a fast break going the other way.

He also recorded 2.5 steals per game, and his 4.0% steal percentage ranked 30th nationally. He uses his length to accumulate deflections and step into passing lanes.

That being said, Wright has a long way to go as on-ball defender, lacking the necessary lateral quickness to stay in front of his man. Even worse, though, Wright stays upright in his stance, effectively surrendering before the offensive player even makes a move.

Wright is already limited in his quickness, so he must improve his effort and discipline to give himself a chance. Every college player has shortcomings, but those shortcomings should never be exacerbated by a lack of effort.

Wright must become a more disciplined—and willing—defender, and he must show more consistent effort on this side of the ball. His physical makeup gives him potential to be a good defender, but he’s yet to show so much. His improvement as an on-ball defender is vital to his future success.

Strengths

Steals (2.5 SPG, 4% steal percentage ranked 30th nationally)

Blocks

Defensive Rebounds

Good size, tracks down loose balls in and out of his area.

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Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement

Poor Defense (Can’t Get Around Pick-and-Roll)

39% of Wright’s defensive plays last season were in pick-and-roll, and I believe this large quantity was no coincidence. Wright struggled to get around screens, which inevitably forced the helping defender (usually a big man) to “switch” onto Wright’s assignment, thus creating a matchup disadvantage for Utah. Wright needs to do a better job of getting around screens.

Poor Defense (Gambles for Steals, Stays Upright)

As mentioned, Wright must become a more disciplined and willing defender. He should stay in a low defensive stance for an entire possession, instead of taking the path of least resistance and gambling for steals.