Trey Alexander 2024 NBA Draft Profile
We are less than one week away from the 2024 NBA Draft. Today, we are continuing our draft profile series with Creighton guard Trey Alexander, a mid-range maestro who was one of the top scorers in the Big East last season. Without further ado, let’s hop into it!
Height: 6’3.25″ (6’10.50″ wingspan, 8’5.50″ standing reach)
Weight: 187 lbs
Draft Age: 21.3
Position: Guard
Trey Alexander, a cousin of NBA guard Mike Conley, was a top-90 prospect and a four-star recruit out of Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City, Okla., in the 2021 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. He was a top-20 combo guard and the top player in all of Oklahoma. Alexander won the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 23.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals.
He ultimately chose Creighton over Arkansas, Kansas, Florida State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Auburn and Georgia, among others. Alexander started his freshman off the bench before being a full-time starter after Ryan Nembhard broke his wrist in Feb. of 2022, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. Alexander made the Big East All-Freshman and started all 72 games for the rest of his collegiate career.
In his final season, he averaged 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals on 44.6 percent shooting and 53.8 percent true shooting. He led the Big East in total field goal attempts and was third in field goals made. Alexander had the fifth-most points and assists with the seventh-highest usage in 2023-24.
Let’s discuss some of his strengths and weaknesses, shall we?
Strengths:
Alexander loved the mid-range; he took 40 percent of his shots in the mid-range last year, where he converted on 46.3 percent of his attempts–the No. 8 mark in America amongst 24 players who attempted at least 200 non-rim 2s–per Barttorvik.
He was very good at getting to his mid-range off the pick-and-roll where he would either snake dribble or create separation with a fluid stepback when he couldn’t create an advantage. Alexander had good lift with a decent lower half. I don’t think he has a terrible first step and wasn’t poor around the rim, where he netted 58.6 percent of his attempts.
He drastically improved as a secondary creator in Creighton’s offense; they had a lot of weapons with Steven Ashworth, Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner, but Alexander improved as a facilitator and with his decision-making. Those on-ball reads were important for him to rack up–even in one of the most prolific college offenses in America.
Alexander has a plus-seven wingspan, one of the biggest in the class. He used it to his advantage defensively, where I thought he was above average at the college level. He never wowed me, but did a solid job staying in front of ballhandlers while utilizing his length to be disruptive at the point-of-attack.
Weaknesses:
I may be a bit higher on Alexander’s shot creation, but I don’t know how his athleticism–or lack thereof–will translate against NBA athletes. There were plenty of times when it was difficult for him to self-create and he either settled for a low-efficient shot or passed it off. He also took a lot of contested attempts, which doesn’t project to be fully sustainable.
I think he will operate better off-ball. Alexander was a good-not-great spot-up shooter, even though his overall 3-point percentage (33.9 percent) wasn’t ideal. I think steady usage off-ball could help his efficiency, but what happens when he’s not able to create an advantage off-the-bounce? I think that limits his offensive upside, even though I still think he has potential as a solid secondary facilitator.
I think he’s a player who will need to improve his frame to hold up better defensively. That will come with time; his great wingspan will help him out a lot, which could lead to him being at least a league-average guard defender.
Projection: Mid-Second Round Pick
I think there are other second-round options I’d take a gamble on, but I don’t hate taking a flier on Alexander, if need be. I think he’ll likely be a player who starts on a two-way contract and could parlay that into being a rotation player. He could potentially a 3-and-D type player, even though he doesn’t currently have the best athleticism relative to his peers.
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