Keep An Eye On Daishen Nix As a Potential Break Out Player
Jalen Green and Johnathan Kuminga are the highlights of the G-Leauge Ignite team in Orlando. Daishen Nix is a name that doesn’t get near the amount of love among NBA Draft analysts. He’s not the talent of Green and Kuminga, however, Nix is a first-round prospect. An NBA team should scoff at this potential when evaluating a prospect of his caliber.
Nix was the 15th overall recruit in the 2020 class. Opting to join Ignite overtaking the college route at UCLA, he was met with skepticism over his decision. Who’s to say Nix would have been a top-5 draft prospect had he joined the Bruins? Going this route has still given him a lot of exposure. Yet, very few people outside of NBA Draft circles have any knowledge of him.
I’m higher on Nix than most. I’ve seen the same clips, games, scouting reports, and interviews, and everyone else. I find him to be one of the more intriguing names in this draft.
Nix is a true point guard. His main strength comes as a passer. We might be looking at an 8 or 9 assist-per-game player in the NBA. That’s what draws me to him. He’s not the scorer of LaMelo Ball (more on that in a second), however, I feel Nix is every bit the passer of this year’s ROY frontrunner.
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Here’s where things get tricky with Nix. Passing-wise, he’s at the top of the draft board. His shooting, that’s another story. It’s going to take a lot for a team to trust Nix on the court given his offensive deficiencies. He’s shooting. 383 through 12 games played.
Yikes.
With these shooting woes, it’s hard to say whether Nix will ever evolve into an elite NBA PG. I compare him to former first-round pick and UNC point guard, Kendall Marshall. An incredibly hyped guard, who was a pass-first guard that had very little offensive game. Marshall never really cut it in the NBA.
I believe Nix has a much better chance at making it in the NBA due to a much stronger defensive game. He doesn’t profile as a lockdown defender right now, but that aspect of his game is much farther along than his offensive skillset.
It’s hard to put together anything based on these G-League games. Evaluating Nix in this small sample size might not be the most telling of his ability. He’s not the most polished point guard in the draft, however, in a league that rewards potential, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Image
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
