Brace Hemmelgarn-USA Today Sports
Name: Nate Wolters
Age: 21 (will be 22 by draft)
Height: 6-foot-4
Position: Point Guard
School/Country: South Dakota State
Latest Stats: 22.3 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.6 rpg, 1.7 spg
If you are not familiar with the name Nate Wolters, you should probably take note. Wolters averaged 22.3 points, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game this past season and guided the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances as both a junior and senior. Wolters’ time at South Dakota State has come to an end however, but with that comes a potential for a budding future at the NBA level.
Wolters has great size for the point guard position, measuring in at 6-foot-4. He can do a little bit of everything, but he didn’t necessarily do himself any favors in terms of improving his stock in the NCAA Tournament this past March. Either way, Wolters has drawn some peculiar comparisons to Steve Nash and although that may be a bit farfetched for the time being, you can see just how talented this point guard prospect really is.
Wolters is looking like a sure-fired second round selection in the 2013 NBA Draft, but could potentially rise into the latter portion of the first if he can raise some eyebrows in pre-draft workouts.
Strengths: Wolters’ size and versatility is what makes him a legitimate NBA prospect. At 6-foot-4, Wolters can score, he can rebound and most importantly, he can run an offense. Wolters averaged 38.5 minutes per game this past season at South Dakota State, so you know that he is durable. While the Summit League doesn’t readily groom NBA prospects, Wolters has more than enough offensive tools to contribute at the next level.
Weaknesses: Wolters lacks some common components for the NBA in his lateral quickness, athleticism and speed. He has proven in the past to make up for those unfortunate characteristics, but this is the NBA. Wolters is going to need to find a way to be more crafty within the professional ranks and show that he can compete and produce in the back court for an NBA organization.
Draft Projection: Late First, Early Second
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
