They Smell Like the Future: Donald Sloan

Posted by Rob Mahoney on June 24, 2010 under Commentary | 3 Comments to Read

Photo by Jeff Tuttle/Wichita Eagle/MCT.

Texas A&M Senior
6’3”, 205 lbs (Combine measurements)
22 years old
Point guard
Projection: Second rounder/undrafted

Donald Sloan is a scoring point guard, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What is a bad thing is that he’s not particularly skilled defensively, athletic but not a standout, and isn’t an especially deadly shooter. He simply did well for himself at A&M, but not well enough to warrant serious draft consideration.

For comparison’s sake, look at former Texas A&M star Acie Law. Law is cut from a similar mold, even if his talents made him more of a jumpshooter than Sloan. Acie was a much better three-point shooter in college (.458 his senior year vs. .364 for Sloan), a more efficient overall scorer, and an intelligent defender. Package those abilities with some playmaking skills, toughness, and leadership, and it’s not so surprising that Acie was taken with the 11th pick in the 2007 draft. Yet Law has struggled to earn and keep a consistent role in the NBA, despite being a superior talent to Sloan. If the best player in A&M’s history can’t even produce at the professional level (though to be fair, Law’s hardly been given the opportunity that other lottery picks have), why should we be optimistic about Donald’s chances?

Sloan is actually a pretty decent rebounder for a point guard, but at this stage it doesn’t look like he has the chops to run an offense (note his mere 2.8 assists per 40 minutes and 1.0 assist to turnover ratio). That wouldn’t be so big of a deal if Donald had proven NBA range, but at the moment he’s merely a solid shooter from the college three. Maybe he’s more reliable from outside than I’m giving him credit for, but if scoring is his lone attractive NBA skill, I expect better efficiency. Even second round/undrafted prospects need to impress with either their skill set (even if it’s highlighted by one single skill) or potential, and Sloan doesn’t quite do either.

He’s still something of a scorer though, and his quickness is fairly enticing. I wouldn’t mind seeing Donald hang around as a back-up for the Mavs’ summer league team, but there are likely better point guard prospects than he.

2009-2010 Traditional Per Game and Per 40 Minute Stats:

2009-2010 Per Possession Stats (Offense):

2009-2010 Per Possession Stats (Defense):

Other People:

Jonathan Givony, Draft Express: “Much more of a scorer than a pure playmaker, Sloan played on and off the ball in college in a system that was largely geared to maximizing his strengths. He has good speed in the open floor and finishes creatively around the basket, even if he’s clearly undersized for the shooting guard position. Although his 2-point percentages weren’t particularly high in college, he got to the free throw line at a good rate and shows nice instincts in this area, particularly in terms of the strength and aggressiveness he brings to the table.”

Stats courtesy of Draft Express and Stat Sheet.