College Prospect Spotlight: Pepperdine’s Houston Mallette

This week, we highlight the spectacular play of Pepperdine guard Houston Mallette.

There's always a handful of college players who don't get as much national attention as they deserve, but are incredible prospects that could make an impact at the next level.

Sometimes, the biggest steals in the draft were overshadowed at the college level by an elite talent. This provides a unique opportunity for teams to make a high value selection given the circumstances.

For this week’s spotlight, we take a look at Pepperdine guard Houston Mallette, who has legitimate NBA talent.

Houston Mallette (Guard | Pepperdine Waves) 

6’5” | 185 lbs

Season Stats: 13.0 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 36.6% 3PT

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Notable Accolades 

While Maxwell Lewis is getting major attention from a draft standpoint at Pepperdine, Houston Mallette is quietly putting together a second-straight solid season.

Coming off of WCC All-Freshman team honors, he’s once again been a highly impactful player as a sophomore. Mallette has been a starter his entire career with the Waves, and one of the best scorers in the conference since he stepped on campus.

Last season, he set the Pepperdine freshman record for 3-pointers in a season with 71. At the next level, he projects to be a 3-and-D guard, which is further validated by his 77 3PE and 70 DSI according to Cerebro Sports.

NBA Upside 

The former three-star recruit has worked hard to get to where he is today as a potential draft candidate. His stats this season and last have been nearly identical, which is actually a promising sign. While you want to see growth and development from a player, consistency in playing at a highly impactful level is also impressive.

Mallette is known for being a volume 3-point shooter, but more holistically has a good jumper and can score on the move. He’s also a good positional rebounder and an underrated passer.

The Pepperdine sophomore has the size to play guard at the NBA level, and will likely spend most of his time off-ball. However, he’s got the handle to also take on some lead guard responsibilities.

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