Guardians in the NBA must threaten defenses as drivers. Rim pressure and oblique stripe are necessary skills, especially when projecting translation to the pros of the university or pro competitions. Even for guards who are not high flyers, driving helps to open their passing and shooting games.
Learning about driving and finishing prospects can help us project guards to a higher level. I have drawn up data for all relevant waiting perspectives in the 2025 class that describe their ability to express the basket to score on the edge and make high value shots:
| HC Rim -Frequency | HC RIM% | Dunks | Free throw | |
| Xaivian Lee | 45.50% | 48.30% | 1 | 29.2 |
| Kam Jones | 43.60% | 64.80% | 0 | 16.6 |
| Dylan Harper | 39.30% | 63% | 10 | 42.1 |
| Wesley Yates | 37.70% | 51.70% | 6 | 27.7 |
| Labanan Philon | 37.20% | 49.30% | 5 | 26.7 |
| Sergio de Larrea | 36.40% | 56.30% | 5 | 36 |
| Jeremiah fears | 36.30% | 46.40% | 7 | 51 |
| Mark Sears | 36.20% | 48.40% | 0 | 51.2 |
| Egor Demin | 34.60% | 63.50% | 12 | 30.8 |
| Jaland Lowe | 33.40% | 56.50% | 0 | 37.5 |
| Anthony Robinson | 33.30% | 51.30% | 6 | 78.3 |
| Nolan Traore | 33.10% | 58.60% | 2 | 31 |
| Jase Richardson | 32.90% | 72.20% | 4 | 39.2 |
| Kaspar Jakucionis | 32.70% | 62.90% | 1 | 47.8 |
| I SAF | 32.20% | 56.70% | 10 | 30 |
| Ian Jackson | 31.50% | 55.60% | 8 | 30.3 |
| Bennett Stirtz | 31.40% | 66.70% | 10 | 40.2 |
| in Lipsey | 30.90% | 63.60% | 1 | 37.1 |
| Vj edgecombe | 30.90% | 46.50% | 29 | 35.6 |
| PJ Haggerty | 29.70% | 59.60% | 0 | 54.3 |
| Tyrese Proctor | 25.10% | 52.20% | 7 | 18.6 |
| Hunter Sallis | 23% | 63.70% | 22 | 31.8 |
| Walter Clayton JR | 22.30% | 53.70% | 5 | 22.6 |
| Javon Klein | 22.20% | 57.70% | 13 | 38.5 |
| Boogie Fland | 17.70% | 26.50% | 0 | 26.4 |
| Tahaad Pettiford | 16.60% | 48.50% | 5 | 26.3 |
| Tre Johnson | 16.30% | 51.70% | 7 | 25.2 |
| John Mobley JR | 16% | 49.10% | 0 | 26.1 |
| Smith roasting | 15% | 52.70% | 0 | 19 |
| Joson I say | 14.50% | 41.90% | 0 | 22.5 |
These are the four statistics that I have taken to include the power of a player to drive and end at the edge:
Half -Court Rim frequency: What percentage of the half -court photos of a player will be on the edge. Players with a higher rim frequency usually have more tools or skills that help them cut. We exclude transition bins, given their variability and challenges that translate into violation against regular defenders.
Efficiency of half of the rim: What percentage of the half -court edge of a player ends in a brand? This helps us to evaluate the touch of a player, as well as their ability to put the edge under pressure and to finish in traffic.
Dunks: How often did a player immerse this season? This can help us approach the vertical athletics of a player.
Free-throw rate: How often does a player generate free throws compared to his field target attempts. Historically, the free throw speed is a powerful indicator for NBA translation, which approach the functional power of a player, strength and benefit generation.
Now let’s discuss some of the most interesting prospective results of the table, from the best oblique guards in the class to the worst.
Dylan Harper
Harper is the only prospect of the 30 I followed to place in the top quarter for all four relevant statistics. This makes sense for a prospect that is generally considered a blue chip player and someone who will almost certainly be a top two or three pick. The greatest power of Harper is his continuous peripheral pressure, fed by its size, incredible handle and power.
He is not a perfect driver, because Harper does not have a first step or vertical bouncing. His dominance in so many areas, whether that is an error drawing, strength, touch, touch or benefit, should help him seamlessly translate to the NBA. When Harper develops into a superstar, it stems from his greatness.
Bennett Stirtz
One of the breakout stars of college basketball, Drake Sophomore Bennett Stirtz is one of the best driving and finishing perspectives in the classroom. He is the only prospect with three of the four statistics in the Top Quarter, with still a respectable rim frequency above 30%. Mid major guards often struggle to translate to the NBA level, but Stirtz’s driving behavior is good for him.
He must move forward as a shooter to combine with his passing, cutting and defending, but Stirtz has to translate himself as a driver, especially with less defensive attention at NBA level. His pace with the ball, touch (second in HC Rim Efficiency) and vertical doll are all factors that make Stirtz one of the most undervalued players of the design.
Kam Jones
Of all waiting perspectives in the database, Jones’s profile fascinates me the most. The 6’5 senior presses on the edge against the second highest percentage (43.6%) with the third highest efficiency (64.8%). However, has not immersed the entire season (3 career dunks) and pulls the least free throws of a prospect on the list.
Jones’ lack of functional explosion and strength, especially for a 23-year prospect. His touch and vessel are both fantastic and those skills, combined with his passing and shooting, Jones should help to become a solid rotation piece. The statistics can suggest a limited NBA ceiling, in particular with excess use on-ball.
Vj edgecombe
The statistical profile of Edgecombe also raises questions and offers some optimism for the future. He leads all prospects on the list in Dunks (29) and has a solid free throw and half-court rand frequency, with his elite athletic aids. Few prospects in the classroom can correspond to his first step and vertical strout, which leads to quite a bit of theoretical advantage.
However, Edgecombe is an extremely inefficient finisher in the Half Court despite its Dunkriekness. Its 46.5% Half-Court randefficiency ranks in the lower five and shoots a worrying 41.9% on half-Court layups. Edgecombe certainly has the characteristics to dominate as a director, but his coordination of contact and handling are remarkable concerns about that development.
Boogie Fland and Tahad Pettiford
Short guards often struggle to adapt to the NBA because of their size, strength and athletic aids. Fland and Pettiford both place in the lower quartile for three of the four statistics, but the solid vertical bounce of Pettiford is a saving property. Yet their struggles that work downhill and score some worries for pro -translation in the basket.
Fland and Pettiford both have NBA quality skills, elite handles and impressive repertoires for making shot. In order to succeed in the NBA, however, both have to achieve elite levels for their other striking properties to compensate limitations on the edge.
Xaivian Lee
The leader of the class in Half -Court peripheral pressure, Xaivian Lee, comes as a bit of a surprise given his lack of explosiveness and size. He is not an efficiency finisher in the Half-Court, but Lee presses on the edge at an elite level in the university game.
Lee wins with a strong first step and one of the best handles in the class, able to shift in and out of the defense. This rim pressure in combination with Lee’s excellent shooting and passing can be worth more than he currently receives.
All statistics via Synergy and Bart Torvik
