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A Royal Prospect : Wesley Iwundu

By Arthur Stepanyan

Mar 14, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) moves the ball in the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) moves the ball in the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the NBA Draft coming up, A Royal Pain continues its coverage of players the Sacramento Kings could select. Today’s prospect is Wesley Iwundu from Kansas State University.

Wesley Iwundu is a 22-year-old senior who has shown flashes as a versatile wing player with the potential to be a nice rotation piece at the next level. He is also the first player ever in his school’s history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 300 assists throughout his tenure. Although it’s not likely he falls all the way down to pick 34 overall, anything is possible on draft night.

Iwundu is probably one of the smartest players in the entire draft class. He received the Spring 2017 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for achieving a 4.0 GPA while starring for Kansas State.

Profile/Measurements:

Name: Wesley Iwundu

College: Kansas State

Position: SG/SF

Birthday: 12 / 20 / 1994 (22 years old)

Height: 6’7

Weight: 193 lbs (4.0% Body Fat)

(via. BleacherReport)

2016/17 Statistics

Points Per Game: 13.0

Rebounds Per Game: 6.3

Assists Per Game: 3.5

Blocks Per Game: 0.3

Steals Per Game: 1.0

Minutes Per Game: 31.4

Field Goal Percentage: 48.1%

Three-Point Field Goal Percentage: 37.6%

Free-Throw Percentage: 76.7%

Strengths:

Wesley Iwundu is the prototypical wing player that stands at 6’7″ with an insane 7’1″ wingspan. He also showed flashes of being a secondary ball handler for a team and possibly a backup point guard.

Iwundu has untapped potential to be a player who can defend positions one through four, be a potential pick-and-roll ball handler, and make wide open three-point shots. He shot a decent percentage from the perimeter in his college career (33.8%), and it would’ve looked a lot better if it wasn’t for his dreadful 20% connect rate in his 2015-2016 campaign.

Iwundu is one of if not the most versatile player in this entire draft. He’s a tweener when it comes to positions as he can play positions from the two to four spots. The NBA values versatility, and this could make Iwundu one of the bigger steals in the draft on June 22.

Weaknesses:

Although Wesley has great length and height for his position, he is underweight and must get stronger to be a real factor at the next level. He weighs approximately 193 pounds and will be going against players that weigh 220 or more. If he doesn’t get stronger, his defense might not translate.

Related Story: 5 players Sacramento should avoid in the NBA Draft

Iwundu is also a little too loose with the ball. He has a real turnover problem which could affect his ball handling in the NBA. He consistently averaged two turnovers a game for three seasons in a row. The over 30 minutes a night played a factor, but nonetheless, it’s a red flag.

Lastly, Iwundu isn’t known as a consistent three-point shooter. He could end up being a huge spacing liability which would limit the former Wildcat’s playing time. He doesn’t do so well against bigger defenders, and he could get bullied because of his size.

Next: 2017 NBA First Round Mock Draft 2.0

Fit With Sacramento:

Sacramento is currently in a rebuild and is looking for high potential players, especially in the second round of the draft. If Iwundu falls to the Kings, it would be a shock if they didn’t snag him. He has potential to be a great three and D player with ball handling skills which is a great fit for the Kings going forward.

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