Guillermo Díaz Graham Scouting Report
For years, Spain has been known for producing high-level talent. Skilled seven-footer Díaz Graham is one. The flashes he has shown as a freshman opened the doors to a breakout season. Why? Find out 👇
We see a trend of skilled seven-footers finding their way to the NBA and impacting franchises fairly early in their career. As a result, we have seen one win the MVP award in the last five seasons. The importance of passing and shooter from the four and five positions has impacted the draft as NBA decision-makers look to improve the versatility of their rosters with these archetypes.
Physical Profile
At 7’0”, Guillermo Díaz Graham, his slim frame is something that immediately caught my attention. Together with his rigid movement, the appeal to play in a faster-paced NBA game was an early challenge in evaluating his draft profile.
An early advantage for Díaz Graham is that he already played high school basketball at IMG Academy (FL), making him more familiar with the American-styled game surrounding more athleticism.
The qualities that set Díaz Graham apart from his peers are the intangibles. He has great footwork and a high basketball IQ which we’ll touch on later in the scouting report. His feel for the game is a testimony to the Spanish youth development system, whom he represented at the U18 and U20 levels, winning gold in 2022.
Offense
As a freshman, Díaz Graham averaged 12 minutes per game and mostly stood out with his ability to dribble, pass, and shoot. In terms of a potential NBA role, I see a combination of a floor-stretching pick-and-pop shooter and a short-roll playmaker.
What I like about Díaz Graham as a pick-and-pop threat is that his screening is at a very high level considering his age. In college basketball, we usually see screens that simply force the defender to make a decision, rather than creating separation for the ball-handler.
When closely looking at Díaz Graham’s footwork, I recognized he’s communicating with the ball-handler via the way he places his pivot foot. In both sequences, Pitt is finding the looks they look for after the switch.
Being a good screener is a must-have to succeed as a big man in Europe. That’s why we see top basketball nations such as Spain remaining so consistent in the long run, despite not having the best talent in terms of NBA athletes. By instilling a high level of fundamentals and basic skills, their players rely less on natural talent and more on knowledge and feel for the game.
Translating the above-mentioned to a potential role for Díaz Graham, the shot is something that has to improve in his sophomore season. After shooting 25.9% on 27 three-point attempts as a rookie, the sample size is negligible. However, there was a form of consistency in every attempt, being:
Reluctant to shoot, has to get more confident;
Consistent shooting form, but fairly late release.
The release is high enough to the point where in a switch-heavy NBA game, the odds of it being blocked are limited. In his defense, as the season progressed, Coach Capel III gave Díaz Graham an improved role, which resulted in a promising NCAA tournament: 8 points and 8 rebounds while dishing 5 assists to only 1 turnover.
This performance shows that Díaz Graham is ready to take on a bigger role as a sophomore. Having a promising jumper is not enough to succeed at the next level, therefore, I expect him to improve as a passer to reach his potential.
When looking at his passing, Díaz Graham does a very good job at reading the defense and being well aware of his surroundings at all times. Although he has the tendency to make the extra pass after the reluctance to shoot, the process is yet again consistent.
Considering his potential NBA role, I expect Díaz Graham to play as a floor-stretching five, rather than a four. For spacing purposes, teams will have the ability to play either five out or use Díaz Graham as a playmaking hub inside the arc. Despite the lanky frame, he is showing promising flashes in the post, especially as a passer.
This extends to the top of the key, where he’s reading the floor very well to find cutters. What caught my attention is that he keeps the ball high to keep the threat of his jumper alive, or places his pivot foot in a way where the dribble drive remains an option.
His high feel for the game will allow Díaz Graham to play as a reliable ball-mover in motion offenses. In terms of the versatility he offers, the building blocks for an NBA prospect are definitely there.
However, an early red flag in his profile is that he only went for 45% at the rim on 62 attempts. The main reason is the lanky build and his struggle to match the physicality of the big men in the ACC.
In terms of improvement in his sophomore season, I expect Díaz Graham to find more looks as the roll man, utilizing his great screening ability. As per ShotQuality.com, Pittsburgh is ranked 38th in frequency on offense via the pick-and-roll.
Defense
Despite the lanky frame, Díaz Graham is a good rebounder. At the next level, I foresee early struggles on the physical end. However, his instincts and positioning make up for a part of this deficiency. In the long run, adding strength to his frame is going to be crucial for him to be able to stay on an NBA floor.
When it comes to the numbers — 3.2 rebounds in 12 minutes per game — the context that has to be added is that a 15.3% rebounding rate is a bit lower than I’d expect from a four at the college level. In his sophomore season, Díaz Graham has to show improvement as a rebounder, physical in box-out, and his play after collecting the rebound.
It caught my attention that it takes Díaz Graham more energy and time to transition back into offense after the pass to the ball-handler after collecting the board. I don’t see it as an early red flag, but more as an element of his game that can cause issues in a faster-paced NBA game where the offensive rating partially relies on shot-clock management.
Another challenging aspect at the next level is the lack of a good vertical jump. In terms of his defensive footwork, Díaz Graham stands out among his peers. His decision-making is also on a high level, especially when it comes to opposing pump fakes. But when it comes to contesting shots, the struggle against better athletes is visible.
This impacts his long-term potential as a defender. Although it’s an area that will improve over time, it does limit the number of minutes Díaz Graham can play as a five, his best NBA position.
In a switch-heavy NBA game, Díaz Graham will likely be a target in creating the mismatch for the ball-handler. The ability to guard in space is limited, especially against quicker guards and wings. What caught my attention is that his hip mobility limits his effectiveness as a defender. Although he’s a good decision-maker in the P&R, the execution of his reads is tougher for him due to the limited athleticism on that end.
The main reason I see Díaz Graham as an NBA prospect is his basketball IQ when it comes to his ability to guard the pick-and-roll. The reads he’s making as a 20-year-old sets him apart from most of his peers. This is a good building block for the NBA franchises to work within the early stages of his career.
In the play below, Díaz Graham goes for the hard hedge, but despite giving up the lay-up, outside of the slow recovery I can’t see anything wrong here. He has consistency in making good decisions as a P&R defender, which gives me confidence it’ll continue to translate into a bigger role in his sophomore season.
When looking at his NBA role, Díaz Graham is going to be asked to play as a rim protector in almost every line-up. Throughout the season, he has gotten stronger, but it’s still a work in progress. To evaluate and project improvements in his sophomore season, I focused on most defensive plays in the latter stages of the season.
What gives me confidence in keeping him in the NBA conversation is his ability to take on contact a bit better than earlier in his freshman year. In the clip below, he does a good job of absorbing contact without fouling and using his long wingspan to deny the lay-up.
NBA Draft Projection
Overall, the lack of athleticism on the defensive end, combined with the lack of lateral quickness puts a limit on his defensive potential. This makes it tougher to use him in long playoff games, which impacts his draft stock.
On the offensive end, the confidence in his own jumper has to improve. However, as a passer, Díaz Graham has a lot to offer. But passing up on good looks to make the extra pass is something that doesn’t help his chances of getting drafted.
Despite the above-mentioned areas of development, his feel for the game, his basketball IQ, and the scalability of his game on the offensive end are at such a high level, that NBA decision-makers should regardlessly have him on their watchlist.
Considering both aspects, I project Díaz Graham to be a late second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
He’s my top sleeper!