2024 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Trentyn Flowers
Trentyn Flowers attended Combine Academy this past season, playing alongside talented players like Silas Demary Jr, Rakease Passmore, and Collin Tanner. The 6-foot-8 wing made headlines recently for changing his commitment from the University of Louisville to deciding to play for the Adelaide 36ers through the NBL's Next Stars program.
His intention is to be the starting point guard for the 36ers, which would be intriguing to NBA front offices at 6-foot-8. Interestingly enough, however, he currently projects to be more of a stationary shooter at the wing.
Let's dive into Flowers' strengths and opportunities to grow his game from this past season at Combine Academy.
Strengths
Catch-And-Shoot Threes
One of Flowers' two clear strengths is his ability to convert on catch-and-shoot threes. His form is consistent from shot-to-shot, and his 6-foot-8 height makes his release hard to contest.
Attacking Closeouts
An important component of translating as a stationary shooter is an ability to attack hard closeouts. Flowers oftentimes resorts to off-the-dribble midrange jumpers when attacking closeouts, but he's also a capable driver when he has a lane to work with.
Shooting Off-the-Dribble
In addition to hitting midrange pull-up jumpers when attacking closeouts, Flowers has shown potential hitting shots off-the-dribble in other situations: both in the pick-and-roll and beyond the arc.
Opportunities to Grow His Game
Flowers currently projects as a stationary shooter at the next level, as he's able to consistently hit catch-and-shoot threes at 6-foot-8 and has shown an ability to attack closeouts. Additionally, there are three areas of his game that could propel him into first-round conversations for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Cutting
While not a commonly discussed microskill, the ability to cut off-ball and relocate is valuable when playing in the NBA -- especially if the initial fit is an off-ball role. If he can continue to cut more consistently off-ball in the NBL, it can be another area that will allow him to be playable with more lineups in the NBA.
On-Ball Defense
While currently inconsistent in this area, Flowers has the length to be a plus on-ball defender at the next level. When locked in, he's shown the potential to contain ball-handlers on drives. A few X-factors for him in this area, in addition to increasing focus at times on-ball, are his lateral quickness, upper body strength, and ability to handle quick first steps.
Off-Ball Defense
Lastly, the 6-foot-8 Combine Academy wing has shown flashes of off-ball defensive potential. In the first clip below, after playing quality on-ball defense on Cian Medley (#1 on Camden), Flowers' stunt forces Billy Richmond (#0 on Camden) to gather his dribble and attempt a more difficult shot at the rim.
In the two clips that follow, Flowers shows his ability to offer rim protection at times -- rotating from the weakside in the first clip and an adjacent man in the second clip. The final clip shows an example of shot-blocking in transition, most notably after he didn't give up on the play after he missed a three-point attempt.
Summary
Flowers recently switched his commitment from the University of Louisville to the NBL's Next Stars program with the Adelaide 36ers. While his intentions to play point guard are clear, his current strengths of catch-and-shoot threes and attacking closeouts fit the mold of a high-level, 6-foot-8 stationary shooter at the wing. He's also shown flashes of both on and off-ball defensive potential, as well as cutting ability that will help him mold with a variety of lineups.
It will be interesting to see if Flowers has an underutilized skillset revolving around playmaking and creating rim pressure, or if both are areas he's been working on since the high school season ended. If he can show NBA scouts he's capable of being a primary or even secondary ball-handler at 6-foot-8 for the 36ers, he'll likely be in first-round pick conversations in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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