Post by jhb on Jul 2, 2021 8:17:22 GMT -5
Lester Conner
PG
6'4"
180
23
Oregon State
Born in Memphis but raised in Oakland, Lester was a rare player who is among the best prospects in his draft class who was not a star on his high school team...he was hardly a fringe starter. He left high school and enrolled in Los Medanos Junior College where he finally started to blossom as a player and became a lead option for his team, averaging 25 points per game. He then moved on to Chabot JC in Hayward where he became the California JC Player of the Year and when it was time to enroll into a big time college as a JC transfer, he was finally a blue chip prospect.
Conner quickly broke into the rotation and then the starting lineup in Oregon State, but he was getting time at the 3 while surrounded by much older, TMBSL level-talent. He reverted back a bit to his high school role a bit, serving more as a role player than a lead dog. But after his junior year, a lot of that TMBSL talent moved on and he stepped back into the spotlight a bit, increasing his scoring output to 15 points per game. Despite playing the 3, being surrounded by so much talent allowed Conner to develop his playmaking skills...so much to the extent that despite being a swingman in college, TMBSL scouts now project him as a point guard at the next level to take advantage of his playmaking and having great size and athleticism for the position. His length and quickness will allow him to be a menace to opposing defenders and he is extremely disruptive defensively, averaging 2.5 steals per game in his two years at Oregon State (peaking at 3 per game as a senior). While he was an average rebounder for a swingman, his size and strength at the PG position should mean he'll be above average relative to his PG peers.
Where Conner needs to continue to develop to reach his potential is as a scorer. As he showed in junior college, he can use his athleticism to beat overmatched competition. He struggled to continue to score at that same level against Pac-10 opponents once he got to Oregon State. Working to his advantage is that he is a high IQ and unselfish player, and he doesn't force bad looks. But he needs to work on his skills and fundamentals to be able to develop into more of a shot creator himself. He's a good ball-handler that won't turn it over too much, but he isn't great at using the dribble to create looks for himself. His jumper is only consistent when he's steady and set and he doesn't make off-balance shots well. His form continues to improve and he went from a 67% free throw shooter to 75% in his two years at Oregon State, but he seems to still lack confidence in it, especially moving further away from the basket. Conner is extremely strong in the upper body and used that strength to bully his way to the free throw line quite a bit in college.
Despite being one of the senior citizens of the class at 23 years old, Conner is a great example of a late bloomer who still may have some development left after spending only two years in a major college program. He's got the athleticism of a high upside prospect and should be able to continue to add to his game if he puts the work in.