Maryland Basketball: NBA Draft Combine primer

Jake Layman

Layman is one of the real feel-good stories in college basketball. This is a prospect that bought into Turgeon’s plan before he even coached a game in College Park. Two years into his Maryland career, the mass exodus happened with players like Seth Allen, Nick Faust, and Charles Mitchell leaving the program. Layman could’ve followed suit, but instead, he believed in Turgeon and stayed at Maryland when there were quite a few question marks surrounding the program.

Layman came to College Park labeled as a pure three-point shooter, but even that was a struggle for the Massachusetts native as a freshman. He only shot 29.1 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 5.5 points in fairly significant minutes off the bench. The story over his first two seasons was his inability to read the defense. He would settle for jump shots rather than putting the ball on the floor and driving towards the basket. However, something seemed to click as a junior. His field goal percentage drastically improved from 40.1 percent as a sophomore to 47 percent as a junior. His three-point shooting also spiked a bit as it went up from 36.5 to 37.8 percent. While his three-point numbers don’t seem drastically different, Layman was also making his way to the free throw line more often. As a senior, Layman shot 50 percent from the floor while averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds for a very deep Maryland squad.

At the NBA level, it’s likely that a team would be drafting Layman for his shooting ability and length. However, there are a few areas of his game that could stand to be improved. While Layman can shoot and put the ball on the floor, he isn’t exactly what you would call a fluid playmaker. His handling skills leave a lot to be desired at times and he can often become erratic when pressured by opposing defenders on his way to the basket. Oftentimes, Layman tries to finish the play on his own rather than dishing the ball off to his teammates. He will have to become more fundamentally sound as a whole if he wants to be a key reserve or even starter at the next level.

Layman should be selected sometime in the second round. DraftExpress has the Maryland swingman being scooped up by the Orlando Magic with the 47th pick. With Tobias Harris being dealt to the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline, that could be a great situation for Layman. Layman’s strengths definitely outweigh his weaknesses, so whoever selects him should get a player that can be developed.

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