NBA Draft Scouting Report: G League's Dink Pate

Scouting Report: Dink Pate

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Dink Pate (1) of the G League Ignite shoots the ball against Team BallIsLife during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

1. Player Info
2. Prospect Profile
3. Highlights
4. Draft Projection
5. 2025 Big Board

Player Info

Dink Pate

Guard | G League 

Height: 6'8” | Weight: 210 lbs 

2025 Draft Age: 19.28

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Dink Pate (1) of the G League Ignite shoots the ball defended by Team Strictly forward Darius Bazley (13) of the Delaware Blue Coats during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile

After a season with G League Ignite as the youngest ever US-born player to go pro, Pate will be a seasoned prospect by the time he gets to the NBA given he will have two G League seasons under his belt. Once the Ignite program was shut down, he made the decision to then go to the Mexico City Capitanes for another season at the professional level. 

A jumbo guard at 6-foot-8 with the ability to run an offense, Pate is the complete package on that end. He has an easy advantage against smaller guards from a physical standpoint but is also incredibly skilled. Whether he wants to score the ball as the primary option or facilitate for others, Pate can operate however his team needs in a given situation. 

With primary lead guard skills at his size, it’s easy to see why he has as much upside as nearly anyone in this class. Pate is a natural playmaker with elite positional size and more experience than most at his age bring to the table. He’s also a very good athlete with length and three-level scoring upside if his offensive game continues to develop at the rate it has of late. 

For obvious reasons, his size as a guard presents quite a bit of upside on the defensive end as well. While he’s certainly not an elite prospect on that side of the floor, his tools and reps against seasoned professionals will come in handy. At a minimum, Pate has the size to guard two or three positions and will allow for teams to have lineup flexibility at the NBA level. 

Pate attempted to enter the 2024 NBA Draft despite being under the age criteria, but ultimately will have to wait to hear his name called during the 2025 NBA Draft. Not only is he the ideal prototype for the modern game, but he enters the league still very young and with two years of high-level G League experience. 

Highlights

Draft Projection

Late Lottery Pick in 2025 NBA Draft.

---

2025 Big Board

Want to know more about other potential 2025 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

For a free account and access to Cerebro Sports, the largest Basketball Player Database in the world, sign up here.