Devin Dinkins
Gonzaga High School (DC)
DC Premier
Class
2022
Height
5'10"
Weight
155 lbs
Position
PG
Strong Hand
Right
Committed
George Mason
July 2021
Statistics from 2021 (6 games)
Physical/Athleticism
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Solid build with functional strength
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Low center of gravity contributes to his strength
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Deceptive explosiveness, but not blow-by level
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Effective first-step and good change of direction
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Has a quick burst that shows his fast-twitch quality
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Respectable lateral quickness
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Very good balance
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Great hand-eye coordination
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Not afraid of contact and is capable of playing through it due to his IQ
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Will benefit from increasing in strength to handle consistent physicality from stronger guards at the next level
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Good anticipation
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Solid speed with the ball
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Injured near the end of the winter and a bit this spring. Health is now back on track.
Offensive Qualities
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Setting the context: like his teammate, Judah Mintz, Dinkins took on an increased usage during the shortened 2021 high school year with Gonzaga. In addition to being the primary ballhandler, he took on the additional task of being one of two primary scoring options. As a result, he sometimes struggled to balance the additional scoring aggression with his playmaker duties. Overall, it was good experience that will prove beneficial in his progression as a player.
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A capable playmaker who can score the ball, shooting it well from deep and from mid-range
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Possesses a sizeable bag of offensive moves to create quality looks for himself and his teammates
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Plays with rhythm and swagger. The cadence is unpredictable and keeps the defense guessing.
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As a testament to his creativity and shooting prowess, he doesn’t necessarily have to get to any certain spot with his dribble to be effective from mid-range. He’s not reliant on a rhythm (i.e. one, two-dribble pull-ups) going right or left. Instead, he is comfortable shooting from all over the court and is creative off the dribble to get his looks.
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With that being said, he still gets to his spots, and I’m particularly fond of the way he does so.
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Uses a wicked hesitation in multiple situations, replacing himself with his dribble to:
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Handle ball pressure
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Get out of sticky situations
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Make plays off the dribble
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Has a subtle change of pace that leads to a burst to push him past the defender
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Combines the change of pace with a rhythm hang dribble to feel the defender. If he sees the defender sitting on the hang, he will move to accelerate and get in the lane.
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Has a slight “hands up”/hesitation move into a crossover to his right to get to the rim, where he scoops it high off the board
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Possesses an excellent hostage dribble, takes his time, and keeps his eyes up, all while keeping the defender on his back/hip. Here's a small sample:
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Utilizes a very nice step back going left
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Puts good weight onto his planted foot to sell the drive, and pushes off that planted foot nicely to create the space needed for the quality look. Gathers and shoots with balance, ease, and comfort.
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Drives hard and gives a quick change of direction dribble right into a jumper
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Although he does not possess extreme blow-by acceleration, he still has good burst and decent acceleration, combining those with the following to be effective:
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The change of pace explained above
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Deceptive rhythm dribbles
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Taking the proper angles off the dribble
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Using his body to his advantage
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Utilizing effective dribble moves to keep the defense guessing/off balance
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Terrific craft to generate quality looks. His craftiness plays a big part in his success.
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A variety of shots to go to, from floaters/runners (discussed more below) to turnaround jumpers off of one foot
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Plays with great pace
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Understands when to push it and when to slow it down
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Does not get sped up often; dictates the pace to the defender
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Knows how to run an offense in the half court
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Does not allow the defender to dictate his movements either; reacts to the defense accordingly, attacking their disadvantages decisively
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Can struggle at times to get separation against stronger, more physical on-ball defenders
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Possesses a nice floater/runner that will continue to serve him well at the next level
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Capable of shooting it off of one or two feet
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Very comfortable getting to this shot off the dribble and out of pick and roll action
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Maintains good concentration on the shot
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Will need to continue to hone his finishing craft around the rim and in the paint
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Other than his floater/runner and scoop shot high off the board, he lacks a complete finishing package and struggles against rim protection
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When driving right, he looks to use the scoop shot. When driving left, he is more apt to use the floater/runner.
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Pick and roll action
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You cannot go underneath the screen
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Takes his time when it is given to him, and can pick the D apart as a result
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Will benefit from looking to turn the corner more aggressively (when it is there)
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Uses good angles with the screen and his understanding of time and space are on full display in the action
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Will benefit from developing counters against hard hedges and traps
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Excels against drop coverage where he is able to utilize his hostage dribble, mid-range, and floater/runner
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His runner/floater will prove especially effective in pick and rolls with a lob threat, thanks to his craftiness around the basket and ability to adjust from shot to pass in mid-air
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Goes through periods of the game where he can struggle with ball security, but overall is reliable to value possessions
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Outstanding footwork
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As a result of his increased offensive usage, he showed a tendency to force the drive in an attempt to create for himself or others
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Understands how to move without the ball to get easy baskets
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Capable of changing from scorer to distributor, and back again
Shooting
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Contrary to what his field goal percentage says over the 6 games charted (38.5%), he is a good shooter overall
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Potent mid-range and 3-point capabilities
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50% from mid-range on 3.5 attempts per game (over the 6 games charted)
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Nearly 36% from 3 on 7 attempts per game (over the 6 games charted)
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Shoots a really nice ball off the dribble
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Prefers to shoot going right, but is capable of going either direction, especially when shooting the step back
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As you saw in the “Offensive Qualities” section, he shoots a nice step back jumper going left, and can do so with range
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Very good catch-and-shooter from distance
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Solid 3-point shooter off the dribble
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It’s not smart to give him time to shoot
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Has a relaxed, grooved shot. Shoots the same way every time.
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Tough shot maker; no issue shooting with a hand in his face
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Terrific free throw shooter
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Form/mechanics
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Takes time to set his feet, whether on the catch or off the dribble
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Severely inverted right leg/knee (I don't have a problem with it); uses his legs for power
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Here's a good look at the leg inversion
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Shooting elbow is comfortably tucked in
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Release is from around the eye level or slightly higher
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Tends to leave the left shoulder open, causing un-squareness
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Recognized when he was struggling from the outside, and made the effort to be more selective with his shots
Shot Chart (6 Games)
Dribbling
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Has a rhythm to his dribble. There is a certain cadence to it, almost like an always-changing algorithm that you can’t completely predict. So he is able to keep the defense guessing and off balance.
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Tendency to use the hang rhythm dribble a bit too much and can get into trouble as a result
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Good ball control with very effective dribble moves going right or left
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As stated above, he has an outstanding hesitation dribble, and will combine it with single or double changes of direction to add to the deception
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Sells his dribble moves very well
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Has a very effective crossover going from left-to-right (or vice versa) that he sets up with his hang rhythm dribble. So if you sit on the hang dribble and he goes by you, he has you set up for later on when you move to cut that off and he snatches it back with a crossover.
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Uses his body very well to protect the ball (i.e. see comments above in the “Offensive Qualities” section on his hostage dribble)
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As stated above, will benefit from improving his strength to handle on-ball physicality from bigger defenders
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Replaces himself very well with the dribble, creating small windows of space for him to operate that would otherwise not be available
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Does a nice job of keeping his dribble alive
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Handles full court pressure nicely
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Eyes are up
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Excellent ball control on the move/run
Passing
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Effective drive-and-kicker to his shooters
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Good court vision
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Able to locate shooters on the perimeter from amongst the trees in the paint, despite his size
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Can struggle to deliver the pass against height and length
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Knows where his teammates are positioned
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Nice passer from the paint, delivering to his bigs off the dribble with the right touch and in the right place
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Knows how to thread the needle and lead cutters with on-point passes so they do not have to break stride
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Delivers the pass to the shooters’ pocket
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Strong left-handed passer, and is capable of throwing different types of passes as the situation dictates (i.e. bounce passes to the post, entering the offense via the wing pass to create a better angle, bullets, etc.)
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Consistently makes the right pass
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Good overall decision-maker
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Accurate off the live dribble
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Although he can score the ball at a good rate, he is a willing passer and generally displays good balance between the two
Basketball IQ
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Very high basketball intelligence
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Extremely heady with the ball in his hands
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Crafty player overall
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Capable of seeing a move ahead
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Recognizes weaknesses and disadvantages in the defense and exploits them appropriately
Recognizes the defense is loafing back and decisively attacks the basket, knowing he has the advantage.
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Understands space and time, and how to take advantage of it
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Possesses a nice feel for the defense
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Functions as an extension of the coach on the floor
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Good court awareness and overall basketball instincts
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Knows how to manipulate the defense with the ball in his hands
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Understands time and score situations
Defense
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Would like to see more feistiness and activity on this end
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Exhibits stints of solid defensive possessions. Exhibit A against UCF-bound Darius Johnson:
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On-ball, looks to stay in front of his man and force him into a jumper, but does not allow the man the space to operate freely either
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Defends without fouling
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Has a tendency to give up drives to the bucket
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Understands and is capable of executing team defensive concepts/strategies
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Struggles to defend the pick-and-roll, as he has a tendency to get hung up on the picks
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Has good awareness and maintains balanced attention between his man and ball
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Can improve stopping the ball (in transition/semi-transition)
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Good long rebounder, using his anticipation and quickness to the ball
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Can improve blocking out more consistently
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Disposition/Presence
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Confident in his abilities
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Even-keeled temperament
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Has a business-like approach to the game, but enjoys himself on the court
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Seldom becomes flustered under pressure or other circumstance
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Stays well-composed
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Showed some contempt for his teammates out of frustration following turnovers and unconverted dimes, but, overall, is a good teammate who is encouraging