Tre Donaldson Scouting Report
Being a well-regarded quarterback prospect benefits the Auburn sophomore's game very well. But what else does he have to offer? What's the NBA intrigue? Find out more below.
As a four-star recruit in both football and basketball, Tre Donaldson decided to focus on his basketball journey by committing to Auburn and Coach Pearl in August 2021.
The experience of being a signal-caller translates well to his current role as the Tigers’ leading guard. By consistently executing his reads and finding his paint touches, Donaldson opens the floor up to get himself and his teammates better looks.
With an assist rate of over 30% and usage under 20%, Donaldson plays a pass-first type of role. While showing flashes of being able to get his production in off-ball plays, he shows scalability in both finding his self-created looks via the pick-and-roll and in isolation.
Physical Profile
At 6’3”, Donaldson is built like a rock at about 205 pounds. The combination of handles and strength leads to him being able to get downhill is something that immediately stood out.
In terms of his switchability on defense, his size puts a limit to the one and two spots, with the three in smaller line-ups being an option. However, Donaldson compensates for the above-mentioned with his strength and footwork, which is something NBA decision-makers should pay attention to.
Offense
At the NBA level, Donaldson will not have as many ball touches as he does in college. Therefore, his shooting off-the-catch is a crucial area in his game.
With 1.1 points-per-possession on one catch-and-shoot attempt per game this season, Donaldson doesn’t have much sample size to show for, but he shows enough flashes of being able to be a consistent shooter at the next level.
Whether having the ball in his hands or playing in an off-ball role, Donaldson sets his feet quickly and shows a consistent shooting technique and follow-through. At his size, a higher release is a must-have, which checks an important box.
Making plays out of closeout is another area where NBA franchises will have usage available for Donaldson. What stands out is that his footwork is working to his advantage in terms of making him less predictable.
He sets his feet in a way where both feet can be used as the pivot foot the deceive his opponent. The handles are what make him an effective closeout-attacker at the next level. His ability to decelerate and pull up from basically everywhere he wishes, makes him potentially a big scoring threat at the next level.
However, with a finishing rate of 50% on 74 rim attempts in his college career so far, Donaldson shows that he tends to settle for his pull-up jumper from the midrange, where he’s scoring on 39% of his attempts With NBA usage being scarce, shot selection is key in getting a role early on in his career.
An aspect of Donaldson’s game where he solidifies his name in NBA conversations is his ability to create via the pick-and-roll. In a basketball era where having great handles as a guard is becoming rare, Donaldson shows that he can separate himself from his peers.
The fluidity despite his bulky build, combined with the handles to shake defenders out of balance is what’ll be an area where he can produce at the next level.
With fluid hips, Donaldson shows that he can get to spots by effectively using screens to generate separation. He isn’t an explosive athlete, but knows how to decelerate and accelerate effectively to create advantages.
An area of development of the above-mentioned is his having a midrange-heavy shot diet in these situations. Getting to the rim more often is what NBA franchises would like to see in the long run.
His quarterback instincts are what give Donaldson an advantage as a creator in the halfcourt. What stood out is that he’s staying composed at all times, with his footwork being the main source of the actions he’ll run.
In the pick-and-roll, he shows quick decision-making when it comes to hitting rollers or finding relocating spot-up shooters, as shown in the first and third plays below.
The focus on developing high-end footwork is what we see in most European countries. But when looking at Donaldson’s game, is clear that the coaches in his early life were keen on teaching him all about the fundamentals, before everything else came along.
With his ability to deceive the incoming double team for the drop-off pass to the cutter at the rim, Donaldson shows that he can play himself out of every coverage opposing teams throw at him. When evaluating his film, he has consistently shown timely actions to respond to hedges or blitzes in pick-and-roll sets.
Isolation scoring is a big indicator of scoring scalability at the next level. With a limited sample size, Donaldson’s 0.5 points-per-possession doesn’t stand out. However, when further evaluating his film, we see that opposing teams already pack the paint when recognizing Donaldson is setting up for the isolation play.
The numbers are therefore not telling the whole story in terms of his self-created scoring. He’s consistently showing that he’s able to create separation off the dribble, which is an indicator of this likely translating at the next level.
However, what’s not helping the situation is his tendency to settle for midrange shots, and this leads to teams knowing how to defend him, limiting his potential as a scorer, despite the ability to consistently create advantages off the dribble.
At the NBA level, Donaldson’s calling card will be to serve as a spot-up shooter that plays out of closeouts. Despite all the available guard talent, Donaldson’s combination of strength, ball handling, and pick-and-roll playmaking, is something that separates him from most of his competitors for that NBA roster spot.
Defense
At the NBA level, one of Donaldson’s primary tasks on defense will be to guard against the spot-up shooter. It’s more likely than not that opponents switch to him, or make sure that the spot-up shooter will be able to shoot over the top against him.
Therefore, timely rotations and playing physically without fouling are two key elements where Donaldson can mitigate the risk of the lack of switchable size. In the plays below, we see a few examples of the above-mentioned.
What stood out is that Donaldson is consistently showing activity on defense, offering help defense, or making rotations while still covering the area between the paint and the perimeter. NBA decision-makers could see the risk of a different size of the court in NCAA games versus the NBA, and that Donaldson could struggle to rotate in space from the paint to the perimeter.
However, when it comes to guarding the perimeter, Donaldson’s focus and timing stand out. Despite 0.8 steals per 20 minutes per game this season, Donaldson shows that he can generate deflections, with his ability to rotate being the main source.
The defensive awareness is something where Donaldson is showing signs of being a good defender at the NBA level. This effect partially mitigates his struggles as a screen navigator, as shown in the second play below.
In the long run, Donaldson’s motor is going to be crucial to avoid him becoming a situational player in the NBA, rather than being able to play consistent minutes.
When closing out, Donaldson shows that he has the defensive footwork and lateral quickness to keep most guards and wings in front of him. However, at the NBA level, he’ll have to be able to guard against stronger players consistently.
He is consistently showing that the footwork is giving him an advantage in avoiding being shaken out of balance. However, Donaldson is vulnerable when it comes to biting on fakes, especially on jab steps, as his will to make winning plays on defense can get the best of him at times.
In the long run, the risk of the above-mentioned is limited, because the footwork is already on a level where Donaldson can improve his decision-making on defense, as the area of executing his reads is something an NBA decision-making has to worry less about.
As a pick-and-roll defender, Donaldson has an opportunity to play consistent minutes at the next level. However, the screen navigation must improve for this to happen. When evaluating his defensive plays, it stood out that the average SEC big man screens to force him to take a decision, rather than it being hard screens that create separation.
This makes evaluating him as a pick-and-roll defender more challenging because the quality of ball screens at the NBA level will be significantly higher. What Donaldson does well, is that he’s using his strength to try and get between the screener and the ball handler, but the lack of awareness when guarding in space leads to him not timely recognizing the incoming screen more often than not.
The flashes he has shown so far are clear signs of being able to be a good pick-and-roll decision-maker and defender at the next level. However, improving his screen navigation is a must and something NBA decision-makers should consider giving a more important role in preparing their developmental plan for him.
The footwork gives NBA teams a clear watermark for thinking about their defensive schemes to avoid teams targeting Donaldson on defense. The experience of playing both football and basketball is something that gave him an advantage over most of his peers in terms of the fundamentals.
Physically, it’s not likely that he’ll grow a few more inches in the next few years, therefore, an NBA team should value the fundamentals more in this situation. The two plays below show the type of impact Donaldson can make at the next level.
Being able to play without fouling is a key element for his potential success at the next level. Where Donaldson had one foul per 10 minutes as a rookie, he’s averaging the same amount of fouls while doubling his minutes per game. That’s an improvement that makes it more feasible that he’ll continue to improve in the long run.
NBA Draft Projection
Donaldson will have two years of eligibility left after the draft. Therefore, his decision to declare this year will depend on the summer workouts he does for teams. Testing the waters should be something to consider, as Donaldson has key elements in his game that NBA teams look for, being his solid handles, strength, and pick-and-roll playmaking.
In the last years, we have seen a trend of NBA franchises being more cautious in drafting below-average-sized guards. However, the tools to utilize him as a defender are there, with his footwork and quick decision-making being the most important ones.
While growing in his role at Auburn, Donaldson has the opportunity to leap in his junior year to improve his draft stock. Taking into account that most drafted guards are playing G League basketball at the moment, Donaldson should consider coming back after the summer.
Based on the above, Donaldson will likely garner interest for summer workouts with NBA teams while we move closer to the end of the season. However, I expect him to bet on the bigger role he’ll get as a junior, to officially declare for the 2025 NBA Draft, where he’s projected to be an early second-round pick.