Alex Karaban NBA Mock Draft scouting report: UConn forward can shoot, but can he defend at an NBA level?
Alex Karaban is a proven winner and has become a college mainstay, helping UConn to two national titles. Now, it’s time for him to set his sights on the NBA.
Everyone knows that Karaban can shoot the ball. He’s UConn’s all-time leader in made 3’s and has hit 38 percent of them over his four years in the program. Can he do enough of the other things in order to stick in an NBA rotation?
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Alex Karaban stats
StatAveragePoints13.3Rebounds5.2Assists2.3Blocks0.8Steals0.8Field goal %48.23-point %39.4Free throw %84.9
Alex Karaban height, weight, year
- Height: 6-8
- Weight: 210 pounds
- Year: Senior
Alex Karaban strengths
Karaban is going to shoot the ball at a high level in the NBA. He doesn’t have textbook form, but he’s proven that he can drain jumpers with the best of them and can get them off with his height. He’s a good movement shooter, coming off flurries of screens to get the ball in Dan Hurley’s system. And he knows how to move around and find pockets of open space to get the ball.
Karaban creates a lot of gravity with his shooting. He has learned to utilize that by becoming a savvy passer when defenses scramble to close out on him. He is a very quick decision-maker, getting teammates open looks when defenses get in rotation. And when his opponents overplay him, he knows how to cut to the basket for easy layups.
Karaban is a rock-solid player who isn’t going to make many mistakes out there. He rarely turns the ball over, he doesn’t take bad shots, and he knows how to lean into his strengths without overextending himself. He has a very high floor and winning habits, which everyone saw firsthand with all of the tournament success he’s experienced.
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Alex Karaban weaknesses
Karaban is not an NBA-level athlete, which is certainly the biggest concern about him. He doesn’t have great tools to work with aside from his height.
Defensively, Karaban doesn’t move very well. He’s stiff on the perimeter and has trouble staying in front of opponents. That problem is going to grow even worse in the NBA and will be the main impediment towards getting playing time.
Karaban’s lack of speed affects his offense too. He can’t create off the dribble aside from attacking the occasional hard closeout. He’s not going to score off his drives very often, and he doesn’t shoot many pull-up 3’s. He scored zero points in isolation this season. His skill set is simple, but he is great at the stuff that he can do.
Karaban is going to be a role player in the NBA. There is always a place for a shooter of his size who isn’t a total trainwreck defensively. He does position himself well for the most part. He doesn’t have a high ceiling and he’s an old prospect, but he does things that teams can use at the next level.
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Alex Karaban NBA Mock Draft projection
Mock Draft projection: Early second round
Karaban is one of the best shooters in this draft. There will be younger players taken ahead of him, but some team that is looking for immediate help could use a second-round pick on him. He’s generally being mocked within the first 15 picks of the second round.
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Alex Karaban NBA player comparison
Plays like: Georges Niang
Niang isn’t even close to a star player. He’s one of the winningest though, ranking third in career win percentage among active players with at least 500 games. He’s in elite company. Only Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum have won more.
Niang’s impact obviously isn’t greater than Draymond Green, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James (the other names directly below him on that list). But his teams tend to succeed, because he brings a valuable skill set with his shooting and passing. He can’t stay on the floor much due to how slow he is but when he does get a good matchup, he cooks. And even when he’s on the bench, he’s lightening up the mood and providing great chemistry.
Those are the things that Karaban can do in the NBA as well. He’s a classic glue guy whose weaknesses are loud but who provides value in a bunch of smaller, harder to see ways. He may never start a ton of games for an NBA team, but he can find a spot as a specialist off the bench.
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