Indiana Pacers: 3 draft prospects who could provide shooting
By Luke Parrish
Cassius Winston – PG (Michigan State)
Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston has been one of the most consistent players in college basketball in recent memory. A three-year starter for the Spartans, Winston was as good of a point guard as you could hope for at the college level.
Winston was an all-around guard for Michigan State as he took care of the ball and provided a spark on both ends of the floor. Along with averaging 6.4 assists and just 2.7 turnovers, Winston scored 14.2 points per game and shot the lights out over the course of his career. His last two seasons saw him score at least 18 points per game while adding 6.8 assists.
Similar to Merrill, Winston will slide a bit due to his age as teams prefer youth and more untapped potential in the draft. But the Indiana Pacers should not overlook his ability to score from the perimeter. Winston knocked down an other-worldly 43 percent of his threes in college.
As a sophomore in 2017-18, Winston connected on 49.7 percent of his three-point attempts, which is an absurd clip. He was not afraid to pull up and take his shots, which helped the Spartans stay atop the college basketball landscape for his entire tenure.
I think Cassius Winston could be a very serviceable backup point guard in the NBA, and with T.J. McConnell set to hit free agency after the upcoming season, Winston could be a player to groom into that role.