Measurables
- Class: Senior
- Age: 23
- Height: 6’6″
- Weight: 200 lbs.
2015-2016 Statistics
- 33.6 minutes per game
- 15.9 points per game
- 2.0 assists per game
- 42.8% shooting overall (34.1% from three)
- 84.3% free throw shooter
Analysis
If you want instant offense, look no further than Louisville graduate transfer Damion Lee.
Lee, who played the majority of his collegiate career at Drexel, where he averaged 15.8 points per game, transferred to the Cardinals for the 2015-2016 season and continued his scoring ways in the ACC.
With the Louisville program mired in off-court distractions stemming from their paid escort recruiting scandal, Lee was still able to shine in his lone season with the school, despite essentially playing for nothing with the Cardinals self-sanctioning a postseason ban. After making the jump from the Colonial Athletic Association to the much tougher Atlantic Coast Conference, Damion Lee showed no visible signs of his offense slowing. He averaged 15.9 points per game on nearly 43% shooting, consistently leading the Cardinals in scoring throughout the course of the season.
For all of the good in Damion Lee’s game, there have been a couple of knocks as far as how it may translate to the NBA. Despite above average ball handling and good range on his jumper, Lee is not an elite athlete, and at times had to work extremely hard in college to get open and make shots. It won’t get any easier to get open once he turns pro, but NBA coaches will continue to teach Lee the nuances of creating enough space to get a clean look for his jump shot. Additionally, his court vision is average at best, and the fact that he never averaged over 2.3 assists per game as a guard on the college level is certainly a cause for concern.
Defensively, Lee has shown flashes of being a quality stopper. However, Lee often reaches a bit for steals, taking chances to make a big play when it is not always warranted. As a result, Lee has frequently gotten beaten on back door cuts, as he has focused more on individual play on the defensive side rather than staying connected with good team defense. This is something that is correctable at the NBA level, but it is important to note that while his 1.5 steals per game this past season at Louisville seems rather solid, Lee still has work to do to become a consistent defender as he moves on to the NBA.
Damion Lee stands at a lanky 6’6″, 200 lbs. He has good height for his position of shooting guard, but he will undoubtedly need to put on some muscle if he wants to become an impact player on the boards. Lee was an average rebounder for the majority of his collegiate career, with the outlier coming in his final season at Drexel, where he averaged a notch over six rebounds per contest. He averaged around four boards per game in his lone season with Louisville, but relied more on run-outs and long rebounds than solid technique on his box outs. If he fails to put on muscle weight when he hits the NBA weight room, his rebounding fundamentals will become all the more important to his success in this particular facet of his game.
Overall, the story on Damion Lee will always be his ability to put the ball in the bucket. While the fact that he is already 23 years old may deter some scouts from drafting him, Lee is a solid option mid-to-late second round as a project pick. His game will need some refining on the defensive end, and he will have to add some size to his frame, but Lee has the offensive game to make a considerable impact on the NBA level, thus making it all the more interesting to see where he ends up.
NBA Draft Projection: Late Second Round
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