Daum Good: Scouting Mike Daum's NBA Prospects

Mike Daum photo by sdsucollegian.com

Mike Daum is the best basketball player that fans don’t know. His production for South Dakota State has been incredible in the last year and half. Here is my scouting report on Mike Daum's strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

·         Size for Position

o   Legitimate 6-9 from coaches that have faced him

o   Long arms – a reported 7-1 wingspan gives him the ability to make plays gathering

·         Footwork

o   Daum is fantastic in the post with pivots and drop-steps

o   Doesn’t get off balanced

o   Does a good job on screens

·         Shooting Consistency

o   43% on 109 three-pointers; 86% on 292 free throws

o   Shots seem to be on the mark on every attempt

·         Shooting Release

o   High shooting pocket and release. He doesn’t waste many movements

o   Quick since he doesn’t drop the ball down, he can get a shot off in a split second

o   Balanced. Whether he is spotting up, running to a spot or coming off a screen, Daum gets his feet set quickly

·         Sealing and positioning

o   Does a great job getting his front foot over the top of his defender

o   His quick feet, long arms and willingness to be physical doesn’t give much room to defenders

o   He understands angles and positioning with relation to the ball

Weaknesses

·         Turnovers

o   The main offensive weakness for Daum is his 16.7% turnover rate

o   Daum doesn’t handle traps that well – leads to travels and mishandling the ball

o   Losses the handle fairly frequently while attacking from the mid-range

·         Athleticism

o   Good but a not great athlete for NBA level

o   He jumps with ease and runs fairly well but won’t be in top 50 percentile in either category of NBA power forwards

o   Guarding on perimeter is going to be a struggle

o   Doesn’t elevate much when executing post moves

·         Defense

o   Low Block & Steal Rates

o   4 fouls per 40 minutes last year

§  High foul rate means the player isn’t moving well

§  Improving to 2.9 per 40 minutes this season

Physical

On TV, Mike Daum doesn’t look that big. He looks closer to 6-7 than 6-9, but a college coach that has faced him multiple times said he is a legit 6-foot-9. That’s a game-changer for the next level. He has a reported 7-foot-1 wingspan. That puts him on the short end of NBA power forwards but not giving up too much. Overall, Daum is a fair athlete that has quick feet in the post. His speed is below average but not terrible.

Offense

If Mike Daum carves out an NBA career, it will be because of his offensive skill set. That can be said about most players, but his offense need to be so good that it offsets his defensive liability by a decent margin. He has a complete offensive game. Daum is very good in the post. He seals and gets position at a high level. Daum is more than comfortable playing beyond the three-point line as well. His 43% shooting from beyond the arc proves that. Daum isn’t cherry picking wide open opportunities either. He can get off shots in a hurry with consistency.

His ability to post up contributes to the 8.6 fouls he draws per 40 minutes. Currently, that is ninth best in the country according to KenPom.com. Daum getting to the foul line is a nightmare for opposing coaches. Daum is shooting 92% from the free throw line this year. In my eyes, that confirms his 43% shooting from three isn’t a fluke.

The only spot that Daum shows weakness on the offensive end is turnovers. He has some struggles against double teams and traps. He has travelled a decent amount so far this season in those situations. He has also lost the ball while trying to dribble out of the traps. Daum usually does a good job of passing before the doubles come, though. Overall, he is a good passer.

Defense

There is no doubt that defense is a major concern for Mike Daum’s professional career. South Dakota State is playing a ton of zone, so Daum isn’t isolated one on one very often. He does not move well laterally, though. Slashers are often able to get by Daum in a straight line when attacking against him. He is active in the zone, but his closeouts are frequently long and late. He takes big strides to try to cover ground but that leaves him unable to breakdown and defend a drive. Daum is going to need to know angles and containment in order to make it in the NBA. That is very possible, he just needs to make the adjustments.

Daum doesn’t get many steals or blocks. That is a concern especially since South Dakota State isn’t playing a high level schedule. For the season, Daum is averaging about one block and one steal per 40 minutes of playing time. Those are very low numbers which usually means the player will be a major liability on defense at the NBA level.

Summary

I really like Mike Daum as a redshirt sophomore. He’s still only 21 years old. Daum will be about 21.5 years old when this year’s draft rolls along. I don’t think his draft stock will ever be higher than it will be this year. He could improve as a ball-handler and become an even better shooter in the next year or two, but that would also cut down on his upside for NBA teams. I’m not saying he should come out this year; I’m saying his stock will level off as his potential is exchanged for improvement.

It’s easy to envision Daum being a deadly shooter from the corner in the NBA while being able to play on the block as well. He’ll need to be paired with a shot blocker since he won’t be able to provide rim protection. The downside to Daum is that it will be struggle for him to switch on all perimeter screens which NBA teams like to do right now in order to stop three-point attempts.

Mike Daum’s shooting ability and all-around offensive game is worthy of a second round pick in my eyes. His shooting gives him a chance; his defense will be the deciding factor if he can stick in the league. He would fit really well in the top Euro basketball leagues with his shooting, passing and versatility.