Derrick Alston Jr is a wing for Boise State. Alston, a redshirt junior, has entered his name into the 2020 NBA Draft. However, he is planning on maintaining his eligibility should he decide to return. Alston has been a playmaker for the Broncos and hopes to carry that success to the NBA. His father, Derrick Alston Sr, is the head coach of the New York Knicks’ G-League team.
Derrick Alston Jr 2020 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Alston Jr has had two strong seasons at Boise State after working into the rotation during his first season. He was fully inserted into the starting lineup this year, starting 30 of 32 games. Two years ago he broke out, increasing his points per game average from 0.6 to 13.4 as a sophomore. That was the largest increase from one season to the next in school history.
This season, Alston Jr averaged 17.3 points, 3.1 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. All of those numbers were career highs and earned him a place on the Mountain West’s Second Team All-Conference. He became the go-to man for the Broncos, putting the team on his back at times. The redshirt junior wing from Houston measures in at 6’9 and 188 pounds. His size will be an asset to him at the next level.
Strengths
Alston’s biggest strength is his ability to be a volume scorer when needed. He had 22 games of 20 or more points in his career, 13 of which came this past year. He could also convert from the free-throw line. Alston shot 80.7 percent for his career from the charity stripe. If Boise State needed a bucket, he was the guy that could go get it.
Alston has plenty of versatility. He played on the wing because he could operate as a guard or forward as needed. He can work inside, and that is where he gets most of his production. However, he could also be a ballhandler while working on the offensive end.
Finally, Alston can be a playmaker. As mentioned before, he was the player Boise State wanted to have the ball with the game on the line. Even if the Broncos were not playing at their best, Alston was always a guy you wanted to keep your eye on during a game.
Weaknesses
Most of Alston’s games in his career came against non-major opponents. The Mountain West is one of the better mid-major conferences in college, but it is not as good as it used to be. Five of Alston’s 76 career games were against the six major conferences. He averaged 12.4 points in those five games, which is respectable. However, how will he handle playing top competition night in and night out?
Given Alston’s size, there is a good chance he will settle into a big man role in the NBA. If that is the case, he will need to work on his rebounding. With his size, he should be grabbing more boards. For his career, he only rebounded 9.4 percent of possible rebounds while he was on the floor. That is definitely something that needs to go up at the next level.
Alston also needs to continue to develop his shot and improve his shooting efficiency. This year, he averaged 5.5 makes on 13.4 field-goal attempts. He increased his makes by 1.1 while his attempts increased by 4.3. If he can improve his shot selection and his stroke, that efficiency should improve.
NBA Comparison
Otto Porter Jr. Both Alston and Porter have similar frames. Porter is able to work inside and has a touch for a jumper when he needs it. If Alston improves his shooting as noted, he can become a serviceable wing as Porter has been during his career.
NBA Draft Projection
Mid to late second round.
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