Trey Alexander Scouting Report

While generating draft buzz in the 2023 cycle, Alexander returned to school to improve his all-around game. Has it been enough to warrant a first-round selection? Find out below.

As one of the best guards in the Big East for multiple seasons, Alexander has proven that he belongs in the NBA. At almost 18 points per game on 44.6% shooting, he earned a spot in the All-Big East, crowning his strong season.

In the NBA the Oklahoma native will be challenged to determine his true position; is he a full-time point guard, or will his shooting prowess lead to him being used as a combo guard? This article focuses primarily on his NBA role.

Physical Profile

Alexander offers superb length with a 6’10” wingspan, which was measured at last year’s NBA Draft Combine. While he’s 6-foot-4 in shoes, he offers the positional versatility to operate as a one and a two on an NBA floor. His tight handles combined with his great feel for the game open his scoring potential due to his improved creativity.

He has decent burst, but even better accelerating, which makes him an effective defender in one-on-one situations, mainly when he’s guarding against closeouts. There’s potential in his role as a screen navigator, which an NBA team must focus on to maximize his talent. With his fluid hips and two-handed dribbling ability, Alexander uses that to his advantage when he operates inside the arc.

At 187 pounds there is room to fill his frame in the future. With good strength in his upper-leg area, his athleticism didn’t suffer from getting stronger. He keeps his verticality which helps him to defend in the NBA when he’s facing opponents near the rim.

Defense

In the NBA, we’ll see Alexander continue where he left off as he’ll be a team’s primary pick-and-roll defender. His size and length combined with the intangibles such as his screen navigation make it clear that NBA front offices view him as an asset to improve their defensive rating.

While he’s at more than one steal for two years in a row now, we see the length and defensive activity translate on defense. What Alexander does well is that he’s able to tag the ball handler well, despite not fully fighting through the ball screens in the first two plays. His fluid hips and defense mobility help him stay attached to his man and use his length to contest midrange jumpers. The same applies to transition offense, as he recovered well from the drag screen in the fourth play below, leading to a good contest despite the made shot.

However, when opponents get to the rim, Alexander has to work on getting more aggressive in how he contests his shots at the rim. In the third play below, the ball handler got separation too easily, and at only 1.7 personal fouls per game, he has room to be more aggressive when he's facing opponents down low.

His screen navigation isn’t consistent, which makes it his biggest area of development on the defensive side of the ball. In hand-off situations, especially in conference play, teams tried to target Alexander in a variety of ways. In the first play, he gets stuck in the screen, while fouling on the three-point attempt in the second play below.

We see Alexander slide well off the screener in the last play below, but the lack of aggressiveness bailed the offense out, leading to the midrange make. While in most cases, an NBA whistle is comparable to how the Big East is officiated, Alexander will improve as a defender overall if he gets stronger in the future. In most of his points given up, his lack of strength leads to him having to work harder on keeping guys in front of him after ball screens. In most cases, this leads to Alexander being hesitant to fully keep the contact initiated.

Against closeout-attackers, Alexander does well in sliding his feet. However, his positioning isn’t consistent more often than not. In the first play below, Alexander is too close to the elbow area on the weak side, leading to the easy side pass and baseline drive. With help defense near the rim collapsing on the ball handler, the lack of good positioning led to two points being given up.

In the second play, we see Alexander in a better-positioned set. But the lack of pure upper-body strength led to him giving up too much space near the rim, leading to the opponent’s make. He can play physically, but often he looks hesitant due to not wanting to pick up fouls. In his role as Creighton’s floor general, they needed to keep him on the floor, which makes it more likely that he was instructed to avoid picking up foul issues.

What improves a defender feasible is that in the last play below, Alexander does well to position himself a bit off his man to absorb contact later on in the play. Taking two bumps into his chest, his shot contest was strong and led to the miss. Comparing it to plays from last year, it’s clear that Alexander worked on his body, but that has to continue in the upcoming years. Therefore, an NBA decision-maker must make it a priority to focus on his strength and conditioning in the early years of his rookie scale contract.

When guarding against spot-up shooters, Alexander’s awareness to rotate makes it a plus for his NBA profile. As a leader on the floor, he puts the word into action by staying flexible and not attached to one assignment. During the season, Alexander got better in his rotations, with an example shown in the first play below, where he had to cover both the elbow and the shooter above the break.

In the second play below, Alexander shows his fluid hips with the quick turn after the kick out, but the extra pass on the play led to the open shot. Compared to the first play, he was positioned too close to his assignment. This isn’t a concern for the long run; the contrary is true on this part as he’s actively seeking to use his excellent length in guarding a bigger area while also utilizing his quick reaction speed and decent burst, where the same applies to the last play below.

Offense

While increasing his three-point volume to 5.2 attempts per game, shooting 33.9% makes it look as if Alexander is a below-average shooter. NBA front offices should add the nuance of his catch-and-shoot heavier role as a sophomore compared to having to create more for himself as a junior. Regardless, Alexander is a better shooter than the numbers indicate.

His shooting form is consistent and with his length, he adds value to his by having a high-arcing release. He’s quick to set his feet and uses jab steps very well to create extra space to get his shots off, as shown in the last play below. The combination of having feet set quickly and being in a shooting motion instantly adds value to his role as a catch-and-shoot option. This will be his role in the early stages of his career where he’ll have fewer on-ball reps compared to his junior year at Creighton.

Another area where Alexander has to get his production is making plays out of closeouts. To keep a team’s offensive rating neutral, his creativity on this end will be crucial to fulfill his part of the team’s scoring when he’s on the floor.

In the first play below, we see Alexander forcing the issue near the rim. But that’s not a concern, as the lack of upper-body strength led to the struggle to finish his play down low. As a 57.5% rim-finisher, the numbers confirm his lack of consistency on his rim finishes. What makes it intriguing for NBA teams is when he’s stronger, he’ll be more comfortable in handling contact near the rim, as his jab step is the first part of him creating separation off the dribble without relying on his burst, as shown in the second play below.

Alexander is a two-handed finisher at the rim, which raises the value of his profile. He’s not predictable when he’s attacking the rim, and combined with his handles and craft to get to his sweet spots, Alexander has the tools to be an above-average finisher at the next level. But as mentioned earlier, strength will have a crucial role in how good he eventually will be.

As a shooter, Alexander thrives on utilizing screens to get to his spots. As mentioned above, he’s quick to set his feet and get to his shooting motion. This makes it more likely that on an NBA floor, his team will use him as a spot-up shooter more often than not. In the first play below, we see Alexander get to the elbow quickly by using the screen to get an open look.

In the second play, we see the same for his interior scoring, where he’s utilizing the pindown the get the ball near the free-throw line followed by a quick turn and midrange jumper. His signature move. The high-arcing release combined with excellent footwork should give an NBA decision-maker enough confidence to create sets for him on offense where his rim pressure leads to these scoring opportunities, or Alexander performing kickout passes to find open shooters on the outside.

The last play below is an example of how well his craft works in his favor. While putting his pivot foot inside the arc, the fake wrap-around pass led to the easy drive to the hoop to finish the play while the opposing defense was locked to stay on the strong side.

At 4.7 assists per game, Alexander is one of the better playmakers in the Big East. However, in pick-and-roll sequences, it’s more likely that he’ll find his production due to his offensive creativity. That’s an asset for NBA teams they’ll exploit in the future when he earns more on-ball reps.

In the first play below, Alexander switches sides to reject the ball screen to utilize the dropping defense. His fluidity leads to him getting to his sweet spot whereafter he puts in the fake to cash in on the open midrange jumper. Despite the miss, that’s a good execution of his read. In the second play, we see Alexander utilize the screen this time, while again switching gears to initiate contact on the fake near the low post.

At 3.1 free throws per game, Alexander doesn’t get to the foul stripe often. But when considering the fact he’ll get stronger in the upcoming years, his creativity on offense will likely lead to him earning more trips to the free-throw line more often, as the second and third plays below show.

NBA Draft Projection

With a lack of depth in guard talent in this class, Alexander did well to return to school before this year. In his role, he was asked to carry the scoring load more than he did as a sophomore, which benefitted his game. The lack of strength was telling at times. This makes it his primary area of development.

As a two-handed finisher with good handles and offensive creativity, Alexander fits in the mold of the NBA combo guard of this era. His plus value as a playmaker will lead to him maintaining a team’s offensive rating as the production as an upperclassman is feasible in both sample size and outcome—an All-Big East selection.

On defense, the combination of solid rotations and good pick-and-roll defense in general makes him a good option to play as both a one and a two. His screen navigation does need some cleaning up, which should be another focus for NBA teams. However, Alexander learning to utilize his length to make winning plays is the value that experience is bringing to NBA teams that want to draft him.

Based on the high demand of the role he’ll have in the NBA, his production as an upperclassman, and the tools to build on his role even further, it’s likely that Alexander will end up as a late first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.