After helping lead his Team to a National Championship, Josh Hart declared for the 2016 draft. He quickly withdrew and came into the 2016 season to lead the Wildcats to another championship. The team had high hopes and while they fell a bit short in that run, Josh Hart still rose to the occasion. Hart dominated his college opponents, winning Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He also made first team All-American. Hart increased his skill and draft potential as NBA teams saw a guy make that next step into a legit scorer and defender.
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 215 pounds
College averages 18.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg
Strengths
Josh Hart took on a new role in his last season at Villanova. The shooting guard stepped into a first-option role for the team and he thrived. He rarely brought the ball up the floor, but when the going got tough he was money in isolation. He could post up his defender, attack the rim, and shoot from the outside. He made a ton of improvement offensively, and it starts with his shot. He increased his shot to 40 percent from beyond the arc. This is a necessary skill for him at the next level. He's got the build to be a contributing player but his shot has to keep improving over time.
Hart's leadership role will translate well to the NBA.
The day-to-day work, the grind of playing so many games, and the criticism that comes with poor play. He's matured through his college career and it will be one less thing he has to learn when he gets into the NBA.
Weaknesses
Hart's age is a bit of a worrying factor. There has been a lot of success lately from college players who stayed multiple years and then went to the NBA, but teams will have to think about this when deciding to draft Hart.
He made a lot of improvement through college but it is unknown whether he hit his ceiling as a player or if he can still improve while he's in the NBA. Hart played great defense in college, but it will be interesting to see if he can adjust to the speed of NBA players. Hart lacks length on the defensive end but he's got the effort and has good lateral quickness.
Josh Hart doesn't bring huge upside to the NBA, but he brings an established role as a scorer, defender, and player. Mock drafts have Hart going in the late first round, but any solidified team that grabs him will be getting a quality player. Hart won't be the main guy on your team, but if you already have a solidified group, he will fit right in with the system and can contribute on day one.
