NBA Draft prospects: Wildcats’ Dalen Terry, Mathurin in Hollinger’s top 20

Three Arizona Wildcats have decent chances of getting selected in the 2022 NBA Draft next month.

And while Pac-12 Player of the Year Bennedict Mathurin and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Christian Koloko have been in the draft conversation for some time, the latter was not on The Athletic’s analyst John Hollinger’s top 20 prospects list released Wednesday.

Instead, it was guard Dalen Terry who cracked the ranking.

Broken down into six tiers, Terry landed at No. 18 in the “relatively safe and less spectacular” category.

Terry is still on the fence about whether to stay in the draft, but I have him rated as a first-rounder if he stays because of his ability to handle the ball, defend multiple positions and … hopefully … shoot? Terry’s stroke isn’t overtly terrible — he made 35.0 percent from 3 on low volume and 68.0 percent from the line across his two seasons at Arizona — but he’ll need to be a more persistent perimeter threat as a pro.

Last season as a sophomore (37 games), Terry averaged eight points on 50.2% shooting (36.4% from long range) to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists over 27.8 minutes per contest.

On top of his offensive output, Terry was also a solid defender for Arizona last year, averaging 2.5 steals per 100 possessions.

The tape shows a defender who is more “good” than “remarkable.” Some of his best stuff came against smaller players, where he could give a bit more cushion with his length but still had the quickness to keep the play in front of him. Against bigger players, he gave the same cushion but couldn’t affect the shot as well, and he shuns physicality a bit because of his skinny frame.

Terry’s measurements helped his draft stock at the 2022 NBA Combine, with the guard coming in at just over 6-foot-7 in shoes with a 7-foot wingspan and 8-foot-10 standing reach. He weighed in at 195.2 pounds with 5.4% body fat.

As for Mathurin, the small forward sits at No. 5 in Hollinger’s ranking, landing in the “reliably solid wings” category.

Mathurin still needs to tighten his handle and improve his feel, factors that could limit him from moving beyond a 3-and-D role at the next level, but his size and plus athleticism give him outs even if he never turns into a ballhandling wizard. Additionally, he doubled his assist rate as a sophomore at Arizona, showing visible progress as an on-ball creator.

Last season, Mathurin averaged 17.7 points on 45% shooting (37% from deep) to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore.

At the combine, he measured in at 6-foot-6 in shoes with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and an 8-foot-8 standing reach. He weighed in at 204.6 pounds with 5.7% body fat.

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