College Prospect Spotlight: Stanford's Kanaan Carlyle
There's always a handful of college players who don't get as much national attention as they deserve, but are incredible players that could make an impact at the next level. This is especially true for freshman who are still finding their footing and don't play on top teams in the country, but quietly are having very impactful seasons.
Whether it's as a starter or off the bench, freshman earning any playing time at all is impressive, but being a key piece of the rotation is even better. For this week’s spotlight, we take a look at Stanford guard Kanaan Carlyle, who has legitimate NBA talent.
Kanaan Carlyle (Guard | Stanford Cardinal)
6'3” | 185 lbs
Season Stats: 11.9 PPG | 2.7 APG | 2.7 RPG | 33.3% 3PT
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Background
Coming out of high school, Carlyle was widely considered a top-50 recruit in the country. A combo guard with the ability to score points in a hurry, there was a sense he could be a two-way weapon at some point in his college career. Luckily for Stanford, that impact has been felt from day one.
Not only did Carlyle have success at his traditional high school and at the FIBA level, but he joined Overtime Elite for his senior season and put together an extremely impressive campaign. He helped the YNG Dreamers get to the OTE Championship game, where he faced off against Amen and Ausar Thompson. That experience in a professional setting absolutely helped him make the transition to collegiate play much easier.
NBA Upside
Anytime a freshman can come into a high major program and make an immediate impact, it's worth paying attention to. Splitting time as a starter and reserve this season, Carlyle has truly been a key piece of the Stanford roster from opening night. He's also shown improvement in multiple areas as the year has progressed. Seeing a player's skillset translate quickly, but also develop at a high rate, should leave reason for optimism as he eventually makes his way to the NBA.
His perimeter shooting numbers don't tell the full story. Carlyle projects to be a capable 3-point shooter at the next level and has even earned a 72 3PE from Cerebro Sports this season despite converting on just a third of his shots from deep thus far. In conference play specifically, he's shot nearly 35% from beyond the arc on almost five attempts, many of which are high-difficulty looks. In the NBA, he will likely be playing a simplified role and take more catch-and-shoot triples.
Efficiency overall has been an issue for Carlyle, but again that's largely a function of difficult shots. You could argue his shot selection could improve, but he's an electric three-level scorer at this level which comes with some advanced looks. If he's able to prove in the pre-draft process that he can be more of an efficient complementary scorer in the NBA, it will be a huge boost.
On the defensive end, Carlyle is limited to guarding two positions but has great point-of-attack instincts. He's a pesky defender who is extremely quick with the upside to be disruptive on that end moving forward.
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