Despite a rocky start to the season for the Syracuse Orange, Freshman guard Judah Mintz is making a name for himself and climbing up draft boards. The number one recruit from Washington DC in his class, Mintz is an explosive athlete with an intriguing upside.
Judah’s ability to create for himself and others in the lane is elite. He’s shown flashes as a long, disruptive defender on the perimeter. The major question mark is his jump shot, which has been a struggle so far in his Freshman year. Mintz has respectable size for a point guard, measuring 6’3″ with a reported 7′ wingspan.
In this draft profile, we’ll break down strengths and weaknesses in Mintz’s game, project his draft range, and explore potential matches with NBA franchises.
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The Good
Offense
Deadly pick and roll operator that is a legitimate threat to finish at the rim or make the right pass. Mintz is a plus passer in transition, in the half-court, and out of the pick-and-roll:
Patient on drives, comfortable in the teeth of the defense, and consistently finds an open lane or teammate. Utilizes change of pace to create angles:
Effective coming off screens and pin-downs while playing off the ball:
Elite dribble package. Comfortable breaking out crossovers and behind-the-back moves in transition:
Defense
Active hands and uses his elite athleticism to make create turnovers:
The Bad
Offense
Has the ability to create separation and get a variety of shots off, but currently has shooting splits of 43/16/78. His high for threes attempted in a game so far this season is just 4.
Defense
In an attempt to not leave this section blank, I’ll say he can be overly aggressive in passing lanes at times. This should be honed in with more experience at the college level, and he projects as a solid and disruptive point-of-attack defender at the professional level.
Projected Draft Range
It is within the realm of possibility that Mintz could stay in school another year if he’s not projecting into the first round or early second. At this point in the draft cycle, most boards are ranking him between 25-40. HoopSocial’s big board has Mintz ranked currently at 30.
If he’s able to get his free throw percentage into the mid-80s, and his three-point percentage to a non-atrocious number, Mintz could go as high as the late lottery. Assuming that doesn’t happen, late first round is the most likely range.
Comparisons
Looking at plus passers with elite athleticism but a below-average jump shot: Markelle Fultz, Brandon Knight, John Wall, and Ja Morant come to mind. Remember, comps are never 1:1 and we’re strictly looking at play style, not ceiling or overall potential.
Ideal Fits
Virtually any team in the NBA could use depth at the point guard position. However, if the 3pt shot doesn’t come around at the next level, Mintz will have a hard time cracking any rotation and getting regular minutes. Teams like Charlotte, San Antonio, and Orlando may be good landing spots initially.
Michael Burns
Founder of HoopSocial. Girl Dad. WNBA stan. Syracuse Orange and Charlotte Hornets fan. Sarcasm is my native tongue. You can follow me on Twitter at @mike_hoopsocial.