NBA Draft Profile: Dorell Wright

In the days leading up to the June 24 NBA Draft, SchoolSports.com will give you the scouting report on the nine high school players with a shot to be selected in the first round of this year’s draft. Today, we profile South Kent Prep (Conn.) shooting guard Dorell Wright.

Dorell Wright
South Kent Prep (Conn.)
Shooting Guard, 6-7, 200

Strengths: Wright is an athletic freak who’s as good of a run-and-jump athlete as there is in this year’s draft. But his game is more than just athleticism — he’s also an excellent shooter and passer with a nice feel for the game. He uses his athleticism and long arms to block shots and grab rebounds, and he could develop into a fantastic defender in time. Wright, who has been compared to Tracy McGrady for his complete package of skills, scored a game-high 24 points in this year’s Jordan Capital Classic.

Weaknesses: There’s got to be a reason why Wright wasn’t rated as a Top 10 high school player this past year, right? Part of it is that he only recently started playing big-time basketball on a national scale, but part of it is that he’s also still pretty raw. The potential is there, but he’s not quite as polished as some of the other high schoolers in this draft. He’s also still very thin and not ready for the physical nature of the NBA game.

The Lowdown: Although he’s not close to tapping his potential yet, Wright’s athleticism and upside make scouts drool and will likely land him a spot in the late first round if he stays in the draft. He committed to DePaul and didn’t hire an agent when he entered the draft, meaning he could still withdraw by the June 17 deadline and attend college. But considering he’s projected to be taken in the first round, that should be enough to keep him in the draft. If a team drafts him in the 20s and gives him a couple years to develop, he could end up being a steal.