“Situational Evaluation” is a collection of articles that seeks to look at the circumstances that almost all usually affect an NBA prospect’s success. Every participant will probably be scored on a scale from 1-10 in 4 totally different classes: NBA-specific talent(s), deadly flaw(s), collegiate/abroad/pre-NBA surroundings, and superb NBA ecosystem.
Stephon Fort is a 19-year-old combo guard from Covington, Georgia, who averaged 11.1 factors, 4.7 rebounds, and a pair of.9 assists for the nationwide champion Connecticut Huskies. He’s anticipated to be chosen within the lottery on this 12 months’s draft. NBADraft.web at the moment has him projected at No. 4.
NBA-Particular Expertise
Profitable basketball groups at any degree require a fragile steadiness of top-end scoring expertise and position gamers who present the connective tissue – fill gaps, take prices, make additional passes, dive for unfastened balls, tip in offensive rebounds, and all the opposite non-box-score performs that result in victories.
So far as this 12 months’s potential “glue guys” go, Stephon Fort’s sport is a top-tier bottle of Elmer’s.
Fort is a heady playmaker with a nervy, jittery change-of-pace sport and above-average imaginative and prescient to search out open shooters on his spinning forays into the lane. A loaded UConn squad didn’t lean on Fort’s lead playmaking abilities fairly as usually as one other workforce would have, however Fort adjusted by discovering methods to maintain the ball shifting and the Huskies’ offense flowing. He posted a 2/1 help/turnover ratio as a freshman, main many to imagine he can assume a heavier on-ball workload, very like he did in highschool.
Fort is a terrific finisher in site visitors and has the flexibility to slither his method into the enamel of defenses, whereas sustaining considerably clear strains of sight. There’s a spontaneity and improvisatory factor to Fort’s sport that retains defenses wrong-footed.
Fort tasks as a plus defender on the following degree, as properly, given his distinctive peak/size/dimension (6-6, 215) from the guard place. He can credibly guard level guards via small forwards and might probably add energy forwards to the combination as he continues to bodily mature. He already does an amazing job getting right into a defensive stance and digging into opposing ball handlers, whereas navigating via/round screens like a seasoned veteran.
It’s exhausting to examine a state of affairs the place Fort doesn’t ultimately grow to be a stable contributor to a playoff workforce.
On a scale from 1-10, Fort’s versatility charges at an 8.5.
Deadly Flaws
Fort would possibly be capable to shoot at some point, however that day is just not immediately.
Fort transformed on solely 26.7% of his 3-point makes an attempt final season – that’s 20 makes in 34 video games. A guard must both be a playmaking wizard, a Defensive Participant of the 12 months candidate, or a Russell Westbrook-in-2016-level athlete to outlive these sorts of capturing percentages. After a tough first month, Fort’s foul capturing numbers improved to 75.5%, so there’s hope that he can prolong his shot past the NBA 3-point line, however this growth is firmly in wait-and-see mode.
Fort’s potential to create driving lanes will hinge solely on whether or not he can grow to be a reputable capturing risk. It wasn’t till groups began to respect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s perimeter shot that he turned an All-NBA First Staff candidate.
Fort’s offensive sport comes connected with a number of “ifs.” If he can deal with added playmaking/ball-handling duties … if he can begin pulling down 3s … if his man-to-man protection interprets to NBA athletes …
Within the NBA, there are “good tweeners” and “unhealthy tweeners.” Good tweeners are versatile. They’re Swiss Military Knives. Dangerous tweeners – significantly the “massive combo guard” selection – are a number of the most disappointing lottery picks in recent times. Fort must convert these “ifs” into “for sures” if he hopes to search out himself within the former class.
On a scale from 1 (not a priority) to 10 (severe hindrance), Fort’s lack of a dependable jumper charges at a 9.
Pre-NBA Setting
Fort arrived at UConn with a sterling highschool pedigree – stat-stuffing seasons for Newton Excessive College in Georgia, McDonald’s All-American standing, 5-star recruit, FIBA U-18 gold medalist.
A knee harm slowed him down for just a few weeks to start out the season, however Fort closed robust, unanimously incomes Huge East Freshman of the 12 months standing and growing right into a key contributor in UConn’s nationwide title protection.
On a scale from 1-10, Fort’s pre-NBA profession charges at a 9. Profitable a nationwide title will try this for you.
Best NBA Ecosystem
Comparisons for Fort vary from Andre Iguodala on the extraordinarily optimistic facet, and Jarrett Culver on the extra pessimistic facet. However given this draft’s lack of franchise-altering expertise, Fort will seemingly hear his identify known as within the high half of the lottery.
May the Atlanta Hawks roll the cube on him at No. 1 total? If Atlanta’s braintrust isn’t in love with the extra upside-oriented prospects, Fort makes a ton of sense on a defensively challenged roster in want of high-IQ ball movers – significantly if both Tre Younger and/or Dejounte Murray are shipped elsewhere. It may appear loopy to spend the No. 1 total choose on a glue-guy guard with sub-30% 3-point capturing stats, however Fort would be part of the Hawks with an outlined position and several other constructive NBA attributes on Day 1.
The truth is, every workforce drafting within the top-five may use Fort, significantly the playmaker-starved San Antonio Spurs – a franchise with a wonderful monitor file of turning so-so shooters into above-average ones. It appears unlikely that Fort would drop beneath the Hornets at No. 6, as they’ve wanted to herald extra playmaking assist to ease LaMelo Ball’s burden for the reason that day Ball arrived in Charlotte.
On a scale from 1-10, Fort’s situational independence is an 8.5. Fort brings 90% of a great NBA position participant’s profile to any franchise – however a workforce that may train him that final 10% (jumper) may flip him right into a borderline All-Star.
