Pacers Host Troy Williams, Cousins, Gbinije, McClellan, Wallace, Finney-Smith for Workouts

Michael Gbinije, Syracuse Forward-Guard

Year: Senior

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 205

Wingspan: 6’7.5″

Last Season Stats: 17.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.3 APG, 46.1 FG%, 39.2 3P%

Draft Stock: Mid-Late Second Round

Unlike Finney-Smith, Michael Gbinije garnered quite a bit of attention due to having a NCAA tournament run. A Cinderella Final Four run is a juicy story, but it hasn’t necessarily done a lot of good for Gbinije’s draft stock. It’s a shame too because he showed the world in his postseason run that he can be an explosive player. His scoring output exploded from 12.7 PPG to 17.5 PPG from his junior to senior season with practically no minutes increase. He also increased his dime-dropping in his upperclassmen years and developed a high basketball IQ, nabbing 2 steals a game in his junior and senior seasons.

I’m sure you all remember this dunk from early in the tournament.

Gbinije showed a clear command of the offense during his senior year, scoring at with buckets like these.

Need I go on?

Yes, I think I do.

Okay, I’m getting carried away. You all can see the guy can score. While those highlights consisted of monster jams and nice 2-point buckets, Gbinije also carries a strong 3-point shot, with a 39.2 3P% in both his junior and senior seasons. He possesses the skills of a forward and a guard, and could easily be plugged into any NBA team and do work.

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However, good wing players seemingly come at a dime-a-dozen in today’s NBA, and Gbinije has his flaws. His increased role also led to an increase in turnovers at Syracuse, where he averaged almost 3 a game in his final season. He isn’t really strong and doesn’t have much length for his height, which limits his ceiling like it does for most other second round picks. He’ll be 24 before his NBA debut- a bit on the older side for a rookie. How much more can he develop as a player?

His skill set, if executed, is much needed on the Pacers. With guards/forwards such as Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles falling flat offensively last year, and Solomon Hill likely gone, Indiana will need more rotational scorers. Guys like Glenn Robinson III are being groomed for this type of role, but the more the merrier could be Bird’s motto as he gives new head coach Nate McMillan enough pieces to work with in his tenure.

Funnily enough, Gbinije was fellow Pacers Rakeem Christmas’ roommate at Syracuse, which is a little bit of a stronger connection that the long lost cousin story we heard about Paul George and Joe Young last year. Nepotism could once again reign supreme for the Pacers’ second-round draft pick if Gbinije falls, but it doesn’t seem very likely. Players with his skill set are needed on every NBA roster, and many teams will be looking at him towards the middle of the second round. Anything’s possible, though, and if given the opportunity the Pacers would be picking a guy that they can throw into the offense, give him a defined role, and see what he makes of it in his first few years as a pro. At pick 50, that’s more than you can ask for.

Next: Sheldon McClellan, Miami Guard