2015 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Frank Kaminsky

In basketball terms, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky is an old man. At 22 years old, he doesn’t fit the mold of a high profile lottery pick, allegedly lacking the upside of the younger players who will join him in hearing their names called on Thursday night. He’s also not the quickest nor is he the most athletic player in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Still, we know Frank Kaminsky is a damn good basketball player with plenty to offer an NBA team.

As the elder statesmen of the Badgers, Kaminsky led his team to the NCAA championship game, ending Kentucky’s perfect season on the way. Wisconsin likely had the toughest road to a national title of anyone in the field. The Badgers’ final three games were played against three of the top four teams in college basketball, according to Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted efficiency numbers. In those games — which included matchups against fellow lottery picks Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein and Jahlil Okafor — Kaminsky averaged 23.3 points and 9.7 boards while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.

On the offensive end, Kaminsky is one of the most versatile players in the draft and his strengths will likely be perfect for playing the stretch four spot in the modern NBA. As the go-to option on one of the most efficient college offenses ever, Kaminsky posted an offensive rating of 126.2 while using 28.1 percent of the team’s possessions. That usage rate is higher than either Towns or Okafor. His 62.8 percent true shooting percentage is only slightly worse than Okafor’s, but Kaminsky has the shooting touch to both knock down his free throws and step out beyond the 3-point line, as you can see below.

What the big man lacks in athleticism, he makes up for with smart movement and good footwork. Kaminsky has the ability to score against his big man defenders in a variety of ways. As a senior, he finished 70 percent of his shots at the rim, according to Hoop Math. Kaminsky can post up weaker defenders and use his footwork to find angles to score at the rim. He can also play from the perimeter, putting the ball on the floor to drive past his man in isolation.

Against the draft’s best defender, Cauley-Stein, Kaminsky showed off his frequently used spin move to get to the bucket and draw a foul:

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Kaminsky is also a threat to shoot from the perimeter, where he connected on 41.6 percent of his 101 3-point attempts this season. As a senior, Kaminsky scored 1.3 points per possession on spot-up shots. He can score in a number of perimeter situations, including spotting-up, coming off of screens and working in the pick-and-pop game.

If opponents play Kaminsky too aggressively on the perimeter, he has the ability to cut to the basket to generate close, open looks like the one you see here:

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While Kaminsky is an impressively versatile offensive threat, he will likely struggle in one-on-one defensive situations in the NBA. Kaminsky lacks the strength to play in these positions and it showed against players like Towns and Okafor during the Final Four. With more time to focus on his craft in the league, it’s possible that Kaminsky will put on the weight to handle himself, but it’s more likely that teams should concentrate on pairing the Badger with a quality defensive center that can help protect the paint.

Kaminsky will offer his team some rebounding, too. He had strong defensive rebounding numbers during his final season in Madison, grabbing 25.7 percent of available defensive boards. Kaminsky is good at getting position against offensive rebounders and his size allows him to go up and grab the ball despite having a relatively short wingspan.

In the last 24 hours, rumors have begun to swirl around Kaminsky with teams like the Knicks and Hornets showing interest in what he could bring to the table. Although Kaminsky may never turn into a superstar in the NBA, his offensive versatility should make him a valuable role player assuming his team can place him in an effective defensive system.