Liam McNeeley has a chance to improve his draft stock with his 3-point shot, both at the NBA Draft Combine and during his individual workouts.
The former UConn star, projected to be a first round pick in the June NBA Draft, put together a solid showing in the combine shooting drills on Tuesday in Chicago. McNeeley was at his best shooting off the dribble, where he made an impressive 24 of 30 attempts from beyond the arc. He shot 17 of 25 in the spot-up drill, 15-for-25 in the 3-point star drill and 12 of 26 in the side-mid-side drill, which placed him among the better shooters in the pack of NBA hopefuls.
McNeeley also made nine of his 10 free throw opportunities and sped through the shuttle drill in an unofficial 2.75 seconds. Like many other projected first round or lottery selections, he did not participate in the five-on-five scrimmages on Monday.
The 6-foot-8 forward shot 43.9% from beyond the 3-point line in his senior year at Montverde Academy, but struggled with consistency once he got to UConn and finished his one-and-done freshman season at just 38.1% from the field and 31.7% from deep. He missed eight games after suffering a high ankle sprain early in the Big East season – on the court in Wintrust Arena, where the combine is being held. The lottery pick potential was evident shortly after he recovered, most notably when he went off for a UConn freshman record 38 points in a game at Creighton, during which he made five 3-pointers on 10 attempts.
McNeeley was projected to be selected No. 20 overall by the Miami Heat in the mock draft ESPN released after the lottery was drawn Monday night. His Montverde Academy teammate and good friend, also a former UConn recruit, Cooper Flagg is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks, McNeeley’s hometown favorite team.
Another mock draft from CBS Sports had McNeeley joining UConn’s second NBA Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, with the San Antonio Spurs’ 14th overall pick. If that is the case, he would be the fourth lottery pick out of Storrs in the last three years.
The NBA Draft is set to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the first round on Wednesday, June 25, and the second round on Thursday, June 26.
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