Kylan Boswell - Real Talk

[arxpert]

This is an unselfish, non-biased post about Kylan Boswell and I am curious if anyone else has an opinion or observation to add.

I am beginning to wonder what kind of NBA Prospect Kylan Boswell actually is.

As of today I don't see him as a Top 20 pick this season.

My Hot Take: I think Boswell needs to stay for another year and if he does, then he will become a Top 5 draft pick on his own. If he can really improve on playing the game inside the arc, getting to the rim and finishing (averaging 6 free throw attempts per game), then I don't think there is a better NBA caliber PG prospect in College right now.

Carlton Carrington at Pittsburgh is basically the best NBA caliber PG I have seen this year in College Basketball. He is about 6'6" though. That makes him unique. I think Boswell looks very average next to a prospect like Carrington, but overall I think if Boswell stays 1 more season then he will really stand out in next year's crop.

Would Boswell be best suited going pro and essentially hoping to be picked around 15-25th and on a team like Miami for example where he can play within a great coaching system without much pressure like Jaime Jacquez is currently thriving?

Or

Will he think he is something he isn't right now and bolt to the NBA hoping to be what I believe would be a miss (not a bust) or "over-drafted", taken somewhere between Pick 8-15 where he ends up on a moderately bad team and is expected to be something of a Star Player ---> in which case, I believe that he would go down in flames in the immediate, but could develop over time.

Yes, he is young. We all know that. Let's put that to the side because he will be 19 and that is enough to know if he is Generational or not so obviously Age will be on his side as a prospect. NBA Scouts love to draft talent that won't even be 25 years old before having 6 years of experience as a Veteran.

Right now I am not seeing enough of Boswell getting to the rim and finishing for his size and strength. He had basically one play with about 5 minutes left in the 2nd half where he got all the way to the rim and finished, but most of his game this season has been predicated on shooting 3's and deep 2's. Not as much direct drive + dish for assists. His defense is decent. Not elite. He can definitely hold his own and that is important.

I don't believe he should go pro. It may be his (aka his dad's) plan, but I think it's the wrong move. He reminds me a lot of Jason (Jay) Williams from Duke in the Early 2000's. Jay stayed in school for 3 seasons. He ended up drafted #2 overall. He never really played in the NBA as everyone expected him to (big time motorcycle accident)

Jay Williams was a 21ppg 6ast 3reb 2stl per game type player (rounding)

Boswell is an 11ppg 4.5ast 3reb 1.2stl per game type player (essentially stuck in a "System", but obviously could ball hog more elsewhere and get the stats)

The key difference is Free Throws. Williams used to get to the line a lot. I believe around 6+ times per game. Boswell rarely gets to the line (sometimes not at all).

They are similar sized PG's. Both strong for their size and speed.

I see Leadership in Kylan. I see Potential that is largely untapped.

If Boswell can get himself about 6 Free Throw Attempts per game, he would be closer to an 18ppg player. I think in an offense that has so much movement, pace, and general sharing of the ball, there is no excuse for our guards to not be getting about 15 FT's per game combined minimum. There's no excuse for Boswell to be a Deer in Headlights when entering the Arc (Kerr Kriisa anyone?). I think Boswell has more to give. He just isn't unleashing it all.

We are too fast and strong for any of our Guards to be settling for jump shots.

If he can take that next leap, I believe he should be a Top 5 pick. I don't think that will happen this season. It may never happen

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Maybe this is a Tommy Lloyd issue more than a Boswell issue, but the difference I am seeing right now is Kylan is not fighting his way to the Free Throw line.

Tommy doesn't seem to care about player development that much.

We all know this deep down even if no one wants to say it out loud. It is an unbiased comment. As long as the team is winning no one should really care.

I hope Boswell makes the right choice and stays to try to improve his stock. He has a good chance of being the best PG Prospect next year if he does.

[Naterade]

His jump shot is so damn polished. He creates space and stops on a dime. Seems like he will leave after this year and take his chances

[KansasCityCats]

Yup. Another year would likely benefit his defense and decision-making but his passes, ballhandling and jumper are already NBA-ready.

I'd selfishly love to see him as a Junior but it's highly unlikely.

[arxpert]

Another horrible game from Boswell. He got 2 free throw attempt at the end of the game. This is exactly a repeat of why I created this post.

When will you all learn?

Kid cannot play inside the arc. I was not at all surprised he failed at trying to be a hero.

I will still blame Tommy a lot for these failures because his system is not built to help anyone go pro, but ultimately the players are on the court and it is a make or miss game. Boswell has serious issues to work on if he wants to be a 1st round pick this year. Otherwise he will be getting terrible advice to leave school and end up 2nd round. Probably by a greedy family member.

[arxpert]

Yup. Another year would likely benefit his defense and decision-making but his passes, ballhandling and jumper are already NBA-ready.

I'd selfishly love to see him as a Junior but it's highly unlikely.

I don't agree that his Passing, Ball Handling, and Jumper are already NBA Level. They are not.

He can shoot some 3's. The NBA is chalk full of guys who can hit 3's though and are faster, taller, and stronger.

I don't think anything stands out about his game currently except steals, but most of the steals come from help defense, not his own personal ability.

He doesn't fight for boards. He can't do anything inside the arc. He doesn't get himself to the line. He doesn't draw fouls on the perimeter enough either. His leadership is questionable. It seems to go away as soon as his shot doesn't fall and lately he has become a beta to Caleb Love which is cancerous to our team unfortunately in this regard, though as a viewer I have to accept that Tommy brought in guys like Love and Keshad to try to carry the fragile mentalities of Boswell, Pelle, and Ballo.

He is young.
He has a strong frame.
He can hit some 3's.

That's not enough in my estimation.

[KansasCityCats]

Bam Bam has an A:TO ratio that is better than 2:1 and is top-10 in the conference for steals, assists and 3-point % (2nd behind KJ Simpson).

What do "we" need to learn?  If you think Boswell doesn't deserve playing time, tell the staff. I'm sure the coaches of the top-5 program want to know that an online fan doesn't appreciate our NBA caliber PG.

Don't compare him to Grant Jerrett. Arizona's current staff just vacated 4 of our 5 starters from last season and barely skipped a beat. This is a huge improvement from our prior staff, who lost a similar core of players at Xavier and is now losing embarrassing games to Delaware, Oakland, etc.

Still no reason to panic if you're Arizona.

[KansasCityCats]

He's also faster/stronger than most NBA PG's. Yes, Boswell needs to work on attacking the basket and making easier passes in the lane. Staying another season would definitely help.

[arxpert]

Don't compare him to Grant Jerrett.

Grant Jerrett lol. I wouldn't say he had a strong frame.

[KansasCityCats]

Not physically, ha. Strictly that GJ had a selfish family and bad people around him that led to prematurely leaving.

[arxpert]

Not physically, ha. Strictly that GJ had a selfish family and bad people around him that led to prematurely leaving.

Good thing Tommy is a master of tanking draft value for his players.