Anthony Lamb is a forward that was a four-year starter at Vermont. He was a dominant player in every way during his time as a Catamount. His America East foes will be glad to see him go. However, will an NBA team be willing to bring him onto their roster?
Anthony Lamb 2020 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Anthony Lamb will not be forgotten in Vermont or America East circles. He earned almost every big conference award you could get. He was the America East Player of the Year and a member of the conference’s first-team twice. Lamb was also the Rookie of the Year when he was a freshman. If not for a broken foot that halved his sophomore season, there is a good chance his trophy case would have been larger. For his career efforts, he started this season on the Naismith and Wooden Award watch lists.
The 6’6 forward from Rochester, New York averaged 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game for his career. His junior season saw his career highs in points and rebounds: 21.2 and 7.8 respectively. He was a big reason the Catamounts were NCAA Tournament bound in three of his four seasons. During his time at Vermont, Lamb was used on 31.9 percent of possessions for his career. He was the big man on campus.
Strengths
Lamb is an absolute playmaker. He was the guy Vermont wanted to have the ball in key situations. He was no stranger to pressure situations and could make difficult shots fairly consistently. His ability to make dagger shots was uncanny and he could take over a game in an instant. The pressure that comes with trying to make an NBA roster should not phase him.
Lamb also works well around the rim. He puts himself into positions in the post that give him the freedom to score or pass. He handles the ball well while working in the paint while finishing his moves. Lamb has a knack for getting what he wants.
Finally, Lamb is a quality defender. He is able to block shots and also force opponents into steals. For his career, Lamb had eight defensive win shares, which was almost even with his 10.3 career offensive win shares. He has a balanced game, and he brings effort to both ends of the court.
Weaknesses
Lamb’s size puts him in an interesting situation at the next level. He spent most of his career at Vermont working the paint. However, his size puts him in a position to potentially work more as a guard in the NBA. Whichever team takes a chance on him will need to figure out what role they want Lamb to fill. In return, Lamb will need to be able to adjust to that role.
Lamb is also an older guy. He is a four-year college player, meaning that his upside may be limited. That is not a knock on his talent and ability. However, teams at the next level often like younger players because they can mold them more to what they want them to be. Lamb is a guy who would be more of a schematic pick-up rather than a project.
Lastly, Lamb needs to continue to develop his three-point shot. His field goal percentage decreased last year compared to his junior season. This was largely a result of shooting more threes without them dropping. That shows it is something he wanted to work on. Now he just needs to continue to craft it, especially if he gets used in NBA lineups at the two-guard slot.
NBA Player Comparison
Trey Lyles. Lamb compares pretty similarly to the San Antonio Spurs forward. Lamb is obviously a bit smaller, but both players do the most damage when operating down low. Like Lyles, Lamb should be able to provide meaningful minutes off of the bench at both ends of the court.
NBA Draft Projection
Late 2nd round to undrafted.
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