Dink Pate: Stuck in the G
Pate is apart of the new wave of "jumbo" playmakers, and has two years in the G-League for experience. Is it enough to warrant a draft selection?
As a Dallasite, I remember seeing Pate come up in the Dallas basketball scene as possibly the best player in the city. He made high school basketball look elementary; He towered over his opponents, passed and scored with ease, looking like a man amongst boys. As a result, Pate decided to forgo his senior season and become a man amongst men, signing a contract to play for the G-League Ignite. He had a decent season, averaging 8 a game on some not good efficiency (definitely giving Pate some slack there), but as a result of the NIL space increasing in college basketball, the G-League Ignite really had no purpose, causing it to be shut down. Pate, having signed a contract with a G-League team and forfeiting his amateur status for the NCAA, made the move to the Mexico City Capitanes, spending his last season as their lead guard before becoming draft-eligible. Does Pate’s experience in the league give him enough of a platform to warrant a selection in this year’s draft? Here’s a comprehensive scouting report on what he does well and wrong.
Basic Stats (2024-2025): 26.9 MPG, 10.1 PPG, 2.0 APG, 5.2 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.7 TO, 40.7% FG
PROS
Impressive measurables
Being 6’8” at that position with his skillset will be intriguing for a lot of NBA teams
Considering the kid is only 19, he is probably still growing a bit, and will put on weight when he gets to the next level
Uses it well to playmake, as he can see over a lot of his defenders
Gives him potential in positional versatility, as he can play the 1-4 (small ball four).
Big playmaker
Lots of NBA teams are beginning to try to get a big playmaker, as it gives teams a guard that is less susceptible to defensive pressure and absorb contact at the rim, and Pate fuflills that role.
Ex: Josh Giddey, LaMelo Ball, Cade Cunningham, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokic, Scottie Barnes, Anthony Black, Current LeBron. Not to compare him to any of these players, but just so you get a sense of how popular they are becoming.
Uses height well when rebounding (4.3 DRebs/Game)
Skies up for rebounds and extends arms out to get balls that most other guards can’t get to.
Of note: most of his rebounds are right place, right time things or free throws where no one will crash, leaving him to clean it up.
Transitions quickly from rebounding to being the lead ball-handler; starts transition quickly
Shows flashes of creativity at the rim
Shows bounce when playing above the rim, and can make some impressive plays (windmills) in transition
Uses his steps decently when going to the rim.
Right now in terms of efficiency, he is just average (36th %tile PPS Rank for shots at the rim)
Good in transition (49th %tile PPP Rank for Transition Possessions)
Pretty much all offensive shot types increase in efficiency when he gets in transition, as one would expect.
Allows him to showcase more of his skills due to increased spacing.
Effective isolation player (69th %tile PPP Rank for Isolation Possessions)
Displays a ton of creativity with his dribble and shot creation ability
CONS
Handle isn’t where it needs to be as a potential lead ball-handler
Consistently over-dribbles, wasting possessions that could be capitalized on
Handle doesn’t create a lot of separation and isn’t tight at all. Not strong with the ball either, struggles with ball security in traffic.
Reads that he makes are fairly simple
Makes the clear, obvious read, but doesn’t do too much beyond that. Doesn’t really collapse defenses.
Doesn’t really utilize screens well to create advantages and really doesn’t create a ton of them in general.
Forces a TON of passes, leading to some easily preventable turnovers. Lacks accuracy.
Shot mechanics are inconsistent (24th %tile PPS Rank for Jumpers)
His release point is fine, but the whole process doesn’t look good and doesn’t look repeatable
Shooting splits definitely aren’t there to back up his mechanical issues.
Defensive engagement
Lacks effort and lets players blow by him without much resistance
Gets lost when off ball, and looks very unsure of himself. Lacks deliberacy due to a missing IQ. Has a lot of high school tendencies.
Lack of production offensively in the half court
Struggles to get to his spots, doesn’t get a lot of paint touches, and is inefficient at the rim and from the perimeter
Doesn’t utilize size at all
Not switchable on the defense side of the ball and doesn’t generate turnovers, and doesn’t utilize his size well to get to his spots or create advantages.
Final Take: Big guard with playmaking ability who excels in transition and in isolation, but is still very raw in all parts of his his game.
Draft Projection: Undrafted. Unfortunately, he is kind of forced to declare due to the forfeiture of his college eligibility. If he doesn’t get drafted, he’s back in the G-League or maybe overseas.
Player Comp: Rawer Shaun Livingston: Big playmaking guard with length and isolation ability.