Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Frank Mason is one of the most exciting athletes in college basketball. Although he doesn’t project to be much of a pro, he’s still slotted as a late second-round pick by Draft Express (DX).
Mason’s numbers on the season are astounding; the senior point guard holds averages of 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest, to go with 1.3 steals. His shooting splits of 49.2 percent from the floor, 48.2 percent from three and 79.1 from the foul line are also impressive.
His diminutive size (listed at 5-foot-11, but probably closer to 5-foot-9) and lack of athleticism hurt his next-level outlook. However, people said the same about Isaiah Thomas back in 2011, and he has blossomed into a dark horse MVP candidate. And Mason is the much better college player of the two.
In tournament play, Mason is scoring 22.7 points and dishing out 6.7 assists per game, while shooting 56.1 percent overall, 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. Don’t be surprised if Mason turns out to be a very solid NBA player. The Heat could target him as an undrafted free agent, since they don’t own a second-round pick this season.