Why LSU Basketball's Skylar Mays is a Sleeper Candidate in 2020 NBA Draft
The evolution of Skylar Mays' tenure in Baton Rouge has been one of the many bright spots to come out of the LSU basketball program since Will Wade took over in 2017.
As a freshman, Mays was asked to be a primary ball handler and floor general but when Tremont Waters and Javonte Smart arrived, it allowed Mays to fill a more natural role off the ball as a combo guard. Improvement each season, including a senior year that saw him average a career high 16.7 points and five rebounds a game while shooting 49% from the field and 39% from three point range, have Mays as a sure fire NBA draft pick come October.
Mays became the first player in program history to score 1,600 career points, dish 300 assists, grab 400 rebounds and swipe 200 steals. He was a first-team All-SEC player in 2020 and second-team honoree in 2019.
For all of his on-court accomplishments, he was equally successful off the court, being a two-time SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year and most recently winning the H. Boyd McWhortor Award by the SEC last week.
Now that he's moving on to the NBA, Mays figures to be a second round pick come Oct. 16. On Thursday, ESPN analyst Mike Schmitz released his "Nine 2020 Sleepers and Steals" list for the 2020 season and Mays was on the list.
Mays, 22, has the makings of a rookie contributor thanks to his stellar on-ball defense and versatile offensive game.
At 6-4, 205 pounds with a 6-6 wingspan, Mays uses his quick feet, strong base, understanding of player tendencies and high motor to make an impact. He ranks in the top 10 in steal percentage among our prospect list, and his ability to defend either backcourt spot and make open 3s suits him for an Avery Bradley-type role, at least early in his career.
Schmitz's analysis of Mays is spot on as a combo guard role off the bench that can come in and knock down shots at a consistent clip is a valuable trait in today's NBA. While Mays isn't the quickest, he's strong and is a versatile defender that can guard both guard positions and possibly the three on a limited basis.
Mays diversified his game as a senior, looking more like a mini Malcolm Brogdon than a 3-and-D off guard, which gives him greater upside than most players in his mold. Mays was the most efficient ball-screen scorer among all players who used more than 100 pick-and-roll possessions, thanks to his improved pull-up game and ability to get downhill, regularly unleashing violent spin moves in traffic. Mays plays longer than his measurements suggest and has the type of stop-and-start game that has made Brogdon effective.
The fact that Mays did finish his career shooting the three ball at just 34.5% is concerning as an inconsistent jumper would probably keep him off the floor even as a plus defender.
However, it's important to point out that his percentage jumped from 31.4 in his junior season to 39.4 as a senior, pointing to hard work and dedication in the gym to get his mechanics down pat.
“He’s going to stick, even if he goes undrafted, because of his character and his work ethic,” Will Wade said ahead of senior day. "The whole Skylar is going to be a doctor thing is a nice story but Skylar is a really good basketball player and is going to have a long career. He’s going to make a lot of money playing basketball. Medical school’s going to be on hold. He’s going to make a great doctor and I’d let him operate on me but he’s going to have a 10-12 year NBA career first.”
