Joe Wieskamp spent a lot of time getting buckets for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He really flourished as a Big Ten wing and helped his team to heights they have not been in forever. Now, Wieskamp turns his sights to the 2021 NBA Draft. He has a good chance to carve out a solid role in the NBA.
Joe Wieskamp 2021 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Wieskamp leaves Iowa after three really solid seasons. He averaged double-figures all three seasons, including a 14.8 point, 6.6 rebound per game junior season. Additionally, he was named to the All-Big Ten team twice and the Big Ten Freshmen team.
Wieskamp was never the focal point of his team, spending a lot of time on the court with Luka Garza. However, when Iowa needed to get going, Wieskamp was a big part of the plan. His consistency is what endeared him to Iowa fans. He ranks very highly in several advanced statistics including win shares and offensive box plus-minus. While Iowa will certainly miss Garza, the hole Wieskamp leaves will be just as big.
Strengths
Offensive Efficiency
Wieskamp was dominant offensively for three seasons. His effective field-goal percentage for his career was 56.7 including two seasons north of 60%. Additionally, he shot 41% from three on nearly nine attempts per game. Finally, per 100 possessions, Wieskamp had an offensive rating of 120, meaning his team averaged 1.2 points each time they had the ball with him on the floor. All of that is code for Wieskamp can get you a bucket.
At the next level, he will operate in more space without Garza in the lane and with help-side defense being a few more steps away. This should only help his offensive efficiency. He is also great at playing without the ball in his hands. Wieskamp finds the open space often and finds the right shot.
Size
Wieskamp checks in at 6 foot, 7 inches with a 6-foot-11-inch wingspan which makes him a bigger NBA wing. He can play either the two or the three in the NBA and this size makes him a tough guard for the smaller NBA wings. Additionally, he will be able to get his shots off because of his length advantage. He played well out of the mid-post in college. Since the NBA game is so much faster, that will be a key to helping Wieskamp get his feet wet early on.
Weaknesses
Playmaking
For his career, Wieskamp averaged 1.5 assists per game. Iowa never really had a true playmaker and they wanted Wieskamp to take over a portion of that role. That never really manifested. However, I will say his assist numbers could be higher if Garza scored a bit quicker. While they didn’t count as assists, Wieskamp set Garza up on a silver platter occasionally. Still, he needs to get better at creating for others. He is a very unselfish player but a lot of that is just moving the ball, as opposed to creating.
Physical Strength
As mentioned, Wieskamp is long, but he is also lanky. He weighs 212 pounds but plays a bit smaller than that. Throughout his career, he was knocked off balance occasionally and moved off his spots. Obviously, in the NBA players will be stronger and more physical, like P.J. Tucker. Wieskamp will have to continue to work on his body and put on some more muscle, which he has done throughout college.
NBA Player Comparison
Joe Wieskamp has a ton of similarities to Bojan Bogdanovic. Both are elite shooters who can run up the score when hot. They also can fade away into the mist at times. Wieskamp is a little bit better defensively than Bogdanovic which will help him. Regardless, Bogdanovic is a good player on a great team and Wieskamp can be the same.
NBA Draft Projection
Wieskamp will fall somewhere in the late first-round range. After the top ten of the 2021 NBA Draft, the board gets very similar. Wieskamp could go as high as the teens, but most likely will fall somewhere in the 20-30 range.
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