An inside look at 2020 NBA Draft prospect Devin Vassell

The Golden State Warriors hold the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. One player who is considered to be among the top prospects is Florida State guard Devin Vassell. The 6’6 sophomore averaged 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds and shot over 40% from the 3-point line over two seasons with the Seminoles.

Vassell has a 6’10 wingspan and can guard multiple positions. FSU’s head coach Leonard Hamilton thinks the 20-year-old will develop into an impact player in the NBA. I caught up with Leonard to discuss Vasell’s potential and how he would fit with the Dubs.

Q: Where did Devin improve most between his freshman and sophomore seasons?

Hamilton: Devin is a very, very focused, hard working, smart, knowledgeable, high IQ basketball player. Devin [Vassell] made tremendous improvements coming out of high school because he’s coachable. He gives attention to detail. He’s a great teammate. And he allows himself to immerse himself into whatever you ask him. He actually made tremendous progress as a freshman. Even though he’s extremely athletic, I think that his best basketball is still ahead of him.

Q: Which NBA player would you compare Devin to?

Hamilton: People like to identify a player in college with a player in the pros. And I always said I thought he was more like Klay Thompson. Thompson shot, close to 40% as a junior, I believe in Washington State. Well, Devin shot 40% as a freshman and a sophomore at Florida State. And he has a lot of those qualities where he knows the ball is suppose to go going to the basket. He’s extremely confident, he always anxious to take big shots. One of the aspects of his game, I probably didn’t utilize as much was his ability to create his own shot. When we needed him to create his own shot, he was able to go and make fall away fades and step-back jumpers and things that are going to allow him to be even more effective at the next level. He is a shotmaker, there’s no doubt about that. He’s developed the ability to create his own shot. Obviously, he led us in a lot of statistical categories. He’s extremely athletic, but I think his best basketball is ahead of him, and I think you’re going to see him, as he continues to mature in relation to his physical biological clock, you will see him become bigger, stronger and even more effective. As he goes through his basketball career.

Q: How do you think Devin would fit with the Warriors?

Hamilton: I think he fits probably Golden State as well as he will any team because we utilize similar offensive philosophies as Golden State. From what I’ve watched, they probably make around 300, maybe a little bit more than 300 passes per game. In college we have less time so we we probably clock in about 230 to 240 in terms of number of passes. We create for each other, very similar to the system that Golden State uses. We move the ball, we move our bodies, we cut hard, and we create for each other and spacing is very, very good. I expect him to probably make the adjustments to Golden State, as well as any place in NBA.