NBA Draft Scouting Report: Tennessee's Ja'Kobi Gillespie

Guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a four-year guard who spent two years with Belmont, one with Maryland and finally capped his collegiate career off at Tennessee, functioning as a microwave scoring option with some other interesting wrinkles throughout.

Gillespie is undersized for a guard, having stood at 5-foot-11-and-three-quarters at the NBA Draft Combine, though his 6-foot-4 wingspan helps. He toes the line between lead and shooting guard, leaning more toward the latter though offering skills in both areas.

Gillespie’s major strengths include shooting, defensive instincts and play-making, passing and play-making, as well as his handling and craft.

Strengths:

Shooting

Gillespie saw a shooting ascension in his four-year career, eventually topping out at 34% with Tennessee on a blistering 8.2 triples per game, good for 14 per 100 possessions. He’s at his most effective catching and shooting, but has limitless range and can shoot off the dribble as well. His value to the NBA is likely to be tied to shooting gravity, regardless of if the ball is going in.

Defensive Instincts and Play-Making

Gillespie is a truly prolific stealer of the ball. He averaged just shy of two steals per game through his career, finishing at 2.1 per game with the Volunteers. He has extremely active hands and great awareness for stunting, blitzing and doubling, having posted a 3.7 steal percentage for his career. What he lacks in size defensively, he makes up for with toughness and instincts.

Passing and Play-Making

While Gillespie profiles more as an off-guard at the NBA level, he took major strides as a lead passer and play-maker at the college level. He began his career off at just 3.3 assists per game, before evolving to 5.4 at Tennessee, good for a more than 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. He’s capable of operating basic actions, and even providing more advanced looks in moderation. In the least, he’ll take care of the ball.

Handle and Craft

While Gillespie doesn’t have elite creation tools, he does have a serviceable enough handle and craft on the ball to make things happen. He has a good blend of speed and strength, able to get to his spots or carve his way to the rim via the threat of his gravity. He has improved as an at-rim finisher through his career, and will largely be looked to capitalize on open chances in the NBA.

Areas of Improvement:

Defensive Ceiling

While Gillespie has been a proven impactful defender at the college level in all four seasons, his size at 6-foot does leave the door open for hunt-ability at the NBA level, especially if he’s playing off-guard. He’ll need to continue to get stronger and consistently apply pressure to opposing guards to win matchups.

Shooting Consistency

Gillespie can fill it up with the best of shooters, but was prone to some cooler stretches with Tennessee. He was relied on to be an offensive engine, and will benefit from NBA gravity. Though those cold stretches won’t be as viable at the NBA level. His time on-court will have a direct correlation to his 3-point shot.

Outlook:

Gillespie offers a blend of several skills that NBA teams look for. He shoots the ball at an unbelievably high volume and stands to improve his numbers. He can handle the ball in moderation, and scale his turnover-free passing up and down. He has incredible defensive instincts, even accounting for a lack of size.

His ceiling is likely to be capped by his height, but we’ve seen a player with a similar stature in Jose Alvarado play in the NBA Finals against the well-sized Spurs, and Gillespie’s profile is even more complimentary.

He’s likely to be looked at as early as the second round, with a floor of the late-second range. Teams that could stand to add his skillset include

Range: Early-Second to Late-Second

Role: Connective Guard

Impact: Rotation Upside

Swing Skills: Size, Defensive Ceiling

Teams: Magic, Kings, Raptors

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