Analyzing Prospects the Warriors Should Draft Part 3: Dalen Terry

Welcome to the third and final article analyzing potential prospects that the Warriors should consider drafting with their 28th overall pick. In the first article, the player in discussion was Wendell Moore Jr., the junior wing out of Duke. The second article analyzed the freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler, from the University of Tennessee. In this article, the player under analysis will be Dalen Terry, a sophomore guard out of the University of Arizona. 

Dalen Terry played for Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona for his freshman and sophomore year, and for his junior and senior year, he played for Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was teammates with future 1st overall pick Deandre Ayton. Though Terry still played for a quality prep school and played against some of the nation's best high school teams, he was not as highly touted coming out of high school compared to the previous two players, Kennedy Chandler and Wendell Moore Jr. Terry was still a consensus four-star recruit and averaged around 16 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals per game at Hillcrest Prep. On July 23, 2019, he committed to play for his hometown university, the University of Arizona. As a freshman, Terry did not get much playing time, averaging just 4.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1,5 assists per game. Overall, the Arizona basketball team performed poorly during Terry's freshman campaign. The next year, a new coach was hired, and a bunch of the Arizona players graduated, giving Terry and other players in his class, such as Bennedict Mathurin, projected top 10 pick, more opportunities and playing times. In Terry's sophomore year, the Arizona basketball team flourished, being a one seed in the NCAA tournament. Though Terry played more of a backseat role behind PAC-12 Player of the Year Bennedict Mathurin, Terry was still effective as the team's point guard and facilitator, averaging 8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He declared for the draft after his sophomore year while remaining college eligibility, but after hearing positive reviews from NBA teams, he kept his name in the draft.

Strengths

Though Terry's stats are a bit underwhelming compared to the other players, there are still lots of things to look forward to, and his potential is off the charts. First off, his positional size is something that all NBA teams crave. In NBA teams' eyes, tall, long, and lanky point guards are the new wave, which is why Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham were picked so high in their respective drafts. Terry lacked the physical production of Luka and Cade, but he certainly fits the mold of a tall and lanky point guard. Standing at 6'7 while having a 7 foot wingspan, he has a significant advantage over shorter point guards. His length also gives him tons of defensive versatility, and some scouts have even said he may be the Herbert Jones of this year's draft class. Herb Jones had a historically great defensive season for the Pelicans last year as a rookie, and he too is a long and lanky player. However, Terry is a natural point guard, while Jones is not. Terry averaged 3.9 assists per game even though Bennedict Mathurin was very ball-dominant. Also, Terry averaged just 1.5 assists per game. In some ways, Dalen Terry is just like Draymond Green in that they both are great passers, especially for their size, and Terry can be a fantastic defender just like Draymond with Terry's incredible size and length. Also, Terry is only 19 years old even though he is a sophomore, so he certainly has lots of potential and time to develop into the modern-day point guard like Cade Cunningham. If Terry were to be drafted by the Warriors, Draymond would honestly be a great mentor for Terry, as Dray would help Terry maximize his defensive potential and make Terry's passing even better. 

Weaknesses

The one thing holding Terry back from being a lottery pick is simply his lack of scoring production. 8 points per game as a starting point guard is certainly not good enough. Part of his inability to score at a high rate is his poor shooting. Terry honestly is not a great shooter from anywhere on the floor, including three-pointers, midrange pullups, and even free throws. However, the promising thing is that his percentages for almost all shooting categories have improved from his freshman season to his sophomore season. Terry's shot is not very fluid nor fast, and it has a slight hitch, which is not ideal in the modern NBA. Another thing that Terry is not great at is his pick-and-roll management. Though Terry is a point guard and averaged 3.9 assists in his sophomore season, it is clear that he flourishes a lot more in transition rather than in the pick-and-roll. Pick-and-roll offense is something that the Warriors run a ton, so if Terry were to be drafted to Golden State, he would have to improve on his pick-and-roll reads. One other thing that is an issue for Terry is his frame. Though he is very tall and long, Terry is not very strong. Part of the reason NBA teams highly desire these tall and lanky point guards is that they can usually punish shorter point guards in the post (look at Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham, for example). However, in Terry's case, he is not strong whatsoever, and his frame makes him seem kind of fragile, meaning that he cannot really punish shorter guards in the post early on in his career. On the positive side, though, shooting, strength, and basketball IQ can certainly be developed through time, especially with the Warriors' superb player-development system and veteran leadership. Terry would be a fantastic fit with the Warriors as he can add different dimensions to the team that has not been seen before, and he can develop to his greatest potential under the Warriors' elite staff.