NBA Draft Scouting Report: Ohio State's Roddy Gayle Jr.

Scouting Report: Roddy Gayle Jr.

Contents

1. Prospect Profile
2. Highlights
3. Draft Projection
4. 2024 Big Board

Roddy Gayle Jr.

Guard | Ohio State

Height: 6'4” | Weight: 205 lbs

2024 Draft Age: 20.99

Alex Martin/Journal and Courier-USA TODAY NETWORK

Prospect Profile

A frontrunner for having a big breakout sophomore season, Gayle Jr. could be the next Ohio State guard to make the NBA. Although he doesn’t have tremendous size, the 6-foot-4 guard is extremely long. He also has a strong frame despite not being an elite athlete. The incoming sophomore is crafty and can score in a variety of ways.

While at the surface it’s clear that he’s a quality 3-point shooter — knocking down 42.9% of his 49 attempts last season — there’s much more to Gayle’s game than just spacing the floor. He will need to take more shots and increase his volume this season, but the stroke is real for the Ohio State prospect. Not only can he knock down spot up jumpers, but is also effective on the move and in midrange situations.

Gayle is also a good cutter and can take the ball to the cup off the bounce and finish in the paint. He navigates traffic very well and maintains low center of gravity when he has the ball near the rim. This really allows him to finish effectively near the basket and not allow contact to impact his ability to score. Gayle finishes well with both hands and should prove to be a three-level scorer as a sophomore.

To this point, Gayle hasn’t been much of a facilitator at the college level, so it will be interesting to see what his role is in year two. He doesn’t need to be a pure point guard, but if he’s able to be more of a combo guard than just an off-ball guy, it would do a lot for his draft stock. Gayle showed a lot more of that upside in high school when he was a higher producer of assists, so it will be interesting to see how much of that comes out this season. It will be important to limit the turnovers as that happens.

Gayle’s length should give him the defensive upside to be effective moving forward and he’s strong enough to take on most wings. As such, he should be able to defend three positions adequately. Ohio State has put a guard/wing into the draft the past two years with Malaki Branham and Brice Sensabaugh, but could Gayle be next? The former four-star and top 75 player in his class has the talent to make that happen. 

Highlights

Draft Projection

Second-Round Pick in 2024 NBA Draft.

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2024 Big Board

Want to know more about other potential 2024 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.

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