Trendon Watford was Will Wade’s prized recruit this season. The freshman forward was ranked 17th in his recruiting class. Watford was solid all year and demonstrated a wide breadth of skills. Now, it seems like he will make the NBA jump.
Trendon Watford 2020 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Watford, a 6’9 forward, played with the ball in his hands a lot this year. He showed more guard skills than anything this year and is more of a big guard. Watford finished the year averaging 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. LSU was very talented this year and when Watford was on the floor, he had the ball in his hands. That is a lot of trust to place in a freshman, which shows how highly his coaching staff thought of him.
Watford was awarded a spot on the All-SEC Freshman team this year. He probably could have earned a spot on one of the All-SEC teams as well, but was ultimately left off. Regardless, it appears he did enough to at least intrigue some scouts and be drafted if he chooses to leave LSU.
Strengths
Watford’s main strength is scoring off the bounce. He is excellent at navigating through traffic and getting to the rim. Watford can use his body and length which allows him to finish once he does get in the lane. He has shown a decent pull-up game and a solid transition game. Watford is best in space when he can create off the dribble.
There are not many 6’9 forwards that can handle the ball the way Watford does so he creates a matchup problem that way. This creativity will make him a very solid point-forward. He does a decent job getting his teammates involved with this creativity and handle.
All of Watford’s strengths involve his long arms in some way. He always has great outstretched finishes where he can protect the ball and avoid defenders. Long arms in the NBA are a major plus and that plus his skillset will pique the interest of scouts.
Weaknesses
The major weakness in Watford’s game is his shooting. He is decent with his midrange game but very poor from beyond the arc. Watford shot 27 percent this season on 2.2 threes per game. His shooting form has been critiqued and noted to have a bit of a hitch in it. It seems that his jump shot will need serious work with a shooting coach during his first few seasons in the NBA. This will somewhat limit his offensive ability in the NBA.
The other significant concern for Watford is turnovers. He averaged 2.6 turnovers per game with a usage rating of 23 percent. A lot of freshmen struggle with turnovers in their first year against college competition. Watford just needs to understand situations better and the turnovers will be limited. He should protect the ball better in the right system in the NBA.
NBA Player Comparison
Nassir Little. Trendon Watford has a good midrange game and is great at attacking the rim. He has a good handle and can navigate the lane. Little is a prototypical point forward in today’s game and Watford will be the same. Little is a bit more built than Watford which is the main difference. Both need to improve their jump shot.
NBA Draft Projection
Late first to early second.
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