Marcus Sasser Provides High Value Two-Way Player in Draft

Houston’s Marcus Sasser plays at a high level on both sides of the court, and would mesh into the OKC rotation off of the bench.

There are always players who enter the NBA as lower drafted products who make impacts when they are given a shot.

Early second-round picks have more of a likelihood of being able to find a consistent roster spot in the NBA. A good chunk of the time these players are excellent college guys who may be slightly undersized or a little older, but had really productive college careers.

Marcus Sasser is an example of one of those players who could be available early in the second round when OKC will be back on the board. He is a 6-foot-2 guard from Houston who helped lead the Cougars to a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A late season injury and an early exit in March Madness likely hindered Sasser’s draft stock, leaving him in the early second round.

He fits the build of a typical undersized combo guard at the NBA level. He played more of a shooting guard role at Houston, but also showed the ability to play in a point role as well.

Sasser was a defensive juggernaut at Houston as his effectiveness, averaging 1.6 steals per game, helped turn the Cougars into one of the nations best defenses this past season. However, at only 6-foot-2, he could face a learning curve or difficulty defending bigger guards in the NBA.

Despite that, the high IQ on the defensive end is a major plus to his resume. Sasser’s offense also adds a bright spot to his stock. Sasser averaged 16.8 points per game, while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 38.4% from the 3-point line.

Sasser’s shooting firepower paired with his defensive intelligence would fit into an OKC rotation that could use more defensive minded guards off of the bench. As OKC continues to develop their young roster and focus heavily on shooting, Sasser could be an intriguing plug-in player to the rotation.

As a four year contributor to one of the nations top programs and reigning American Conference Player of the Year, Sasser could hear his name called in the late-first round, but if he slides OKC could be a landing spot for him. 

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