NBA Draft Profile: Bryce McGowens

In just nine days the 2022 NBA Draft will be held at Barclays Center, but Nebraska Cornhusker hoops fans will be eagerly awaiting the results to see where the Huskers first one-and-done lands. Sure it’s not actually official until Bryce McGowens’ name is actually called, but he is a widely projected first-round pick.

Regardless of which round he is selected in, McGowens being drafted would mark the first time in program history for Nebraska that a player was able to go onto the NBA after just one season in Lincoln following his prep career. Should it in fact happen in the first-round, though, it would also mark the first time a Husker was taken in the first-round of the NBA Draft since Tyronn Lue in 1998 and just the fourth all-time. While the program may have had a rough stretch over the past several seasons, one can’t help but be excited about the prospect of such a milestone!

What do most news outlets/scouts think of McGowens and where do they think he is likely to land? Here’s a quick breakdown of a number of projections and the general consensus on feedback.

Bryce McGowen’s overwhelming strengths includes his long, athletic build and slashing ability to drive the rim in combination with his shot creation and aggressive style. However, his areas needing improvement include being less of a shoot first player versus making the pass, refraining from taking heavily contested shots, and his outside jumper along with concerns over his slim frame.

Despite the downsides, all of that is coachable with such an athletic guard. Even a two-way contract that relies more heavily on early time spent at the G-League level should it come down to that, McGowens is a great prospect for a draft that is often times skewing younger for college ball’s top recruits from the year prior. Given that in mind, McGowens seems a lock to be drafted and often times is being projected to go late in the first round. Here’s the breakdown of major projections here:

ESPN projects McGowens at No. 29 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Athletic projects McGowens to go No. 22 overall to the Grizzlies on a trade with the Utah Jazz.

NBA Draft Room projects McGowens in the second round at No. 39 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers on a Spurs trade.

The Ringer projects McGowens at No. 22 overall to the Grizzlies.

SI Fan Nation projects McGowens to go No. 21 overall to the Denver Nuggets.

Basketball News projects McGowens to go in the second round at No. 32 overall to the Orlando Magic.

There are plenty more out there but that’s a good roundup of quality outlets for now. How about you, where do you think McGowens will get drafted to or hope he does?