The Indiana Pacers are in pre-draft workout mode, bringing in several prospects to see who fits with their organization. What follows is a look at one of those players: Florida State wing Dwayne Bacon.
Once the 14th ranked player in his class, Dwayne Bacon has always been a standout. The 6-foot-7 guard from Lakeland, FL took a familiar path to stardom. Bacon attended Oak HIll Academy, a prep school made famous by the likes of Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo.
From there, Bacon signed into a solid Florida State class. Although his impressive statistics didn’t translate into much team success, Bacon has been on the NBA radar since he first set foot on campus. During his time at FSU, the sophomore flashed imposing scoring ability and instant offense.
Strengths
Bacon has multiple skills that translate well to the NBA game. With prototypical size, stength and length, Dwyane looks the part of an NBA two-guard. Not only is he big, but he can also score in bunches, something that never goes out of style in the league. If Bacon can put the work in and knock down his fair share of triples, he could be a lethal scorer at the next level.
Nba comparison: Joe Johnson lite
Sharing an almost identical physique, if Bacon and Johnson switched jerseys in the middle of a game you could never tell. Both are big for their position and share scoring traits few possess. As I mentioned before, Bacon is an NBA jumper away from being a 15-20 point per game scorer for many years. Bacon would be a serious reach in the first round, but you never know who will impress you.
Weaknesses
My biggest knock on Bacon is the lack of success at the college level. Not individually, but wins and losses, which is more important than it may seem. Bacon went 46-23 through two seasons with the Seminoles, which is not bad. But with a roster loaded with talent, a sweet sixteen birth should have been in the cards.
All in all, I believe Bacon checks more than enough boxes to become a borderline All-Star. That said, with the increasing rate of one-and-done players, potential is getting more and more difficult to judge.
Next: Pacers Draft Prep: T.J. Leaf
Bacon should absolutely be a candidate to come off the board late in the first round. Though I would draft him in the 20s-30s, if he slides all the way to No. 47, I don’t know how you could pass on his talent and potential.