Why NBA teams looking for the next OG Anunoby should consider drafting Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper announced his intentions to declare early entry for the 2023 NBA Draft, and he deserves your attention.
Prosper averaged 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game with a true shooting percentage of 61.7 percent. Those are solid numbers, but a lot of what makes Prosper shine does not show up in the box score.
Instead, it shows up in the win-loss column. The former NBA Academy Latin America star from Canada (where he was teammates with Pacers rookie Bennedcit Mathurin) was integral to Marquette’s success and played a crucial role in leading the program to win its first-ever Big East Conference title.
Marquette outscored opponents by 26.8 points per 100 possessions when Prosper was on the court relative to when he was not, per CBB Analytics, which ranked second-best among all top-tier Division I programs.
Overall, per Evan Miya, Marquette maintained an overwhelmingly positive point differential (362) when Prosper played.
Olivier Maxence-Prosper improved a LOT as a shooter and should continue trending up. Went from 31.7% from 3 to 34%, and his guarded spot-up 3P% went from 18% last year to 33.3%
Sure, it's not perfect but it's a good sign. Very versatile defender as well; could grow into 3&D mold pic.twitter.com/PmU4RC5lBF
— Mavs/Magic Draft (@MavsDraft) April 12, 2023
He uses his 6-foot-8 frame and 7-foot-1 wingspan to impact shots, especially on the perimeter. Opponents shot merely 17-for-71 (23.9 percent) on all possessions when he was credited as the nearest defender, via AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.
Prosper also held opponents to shoot just 15-for-57 (26.3 percent) when he contested their jump shots, which was the best among all consensus top-100 prospects with more than 50 contested jumpers tracked.
He defends well against opposing drives, pick-and-roll ball handlers, and one-on-one in isolation. He is a versatile defender, which matters at the next level.
(via CBB Analytics)
Meanwhile, on the offensive end of the floor, Prosper didn’t create his own offense off the bounce very often. But, according to CBB Analytics, he was 18-for-48 (37.5 percent) on corner 3-pointers.
He also improved his shooting percentages during each of his three seasons in college.
Additionally, via Stats Perform, he got to the rim often and averaged 0.18 drives per touch. That trailed only Overtime Elite’s Amen Thompson among prospects currently projected in a draftable range.
He was also efficient when attacking the rim in transition, cutters, and as the roll man following ball screens. He was also one of only a handful of high-major players to record at least 30 dunks and 3-pointers in 2022-23.
Although he is a junior, he is only four months older than Alabama freshman Brandon Miller. He is also younger than several notable sophomores in this class, including UConn’s Jordan Hawkins.
Prosper prospects as someone who will scale especially well in the NBA.