ACC's Top 25: No. 4—Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech

Back in April, less than 24 hours before the deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft, junior point guard Malcolm Delaney sent this tweet:

“IM COMIN BACC TO SCHOOL… Final 4.”

At that moment, all of Blacksburg celebrated. Last year’s scoring champ and first-team All-American was returning for his senior year, and just like that, Virginia Tech once again was one of the favorites to compete for the top spot in the ACC.

Of course, it’s not like the Hokies are a one-man band. In fact, two other players (Dorenzo Hudson and Jeff Allen) cracked the top-25 list.

Yet while this team could overcome the loss of Hudson or Allen, the last thing any Tech fan would want to imagine is a world where Delaney isn’t on the floor. Without him, it’s not only goodbye ACC title, but goodbye NCAA tournament bid as well (again).

At 6'3", Malcolm Delaney has good height to run the point, often playing both guard spots throughout the game. Delaney is most dangerous in the paint, becoming one of the ACC’s best finishers.

He’s a slasher and a scorer who can take it in with either hand. He’s got a lightning-quick first step, capable of driving it all the way through the trees to the rim or putting up a sweet mid-range jumper.

Most importantly, Delaney has an amazing knack for drawing fouls. He took a stunning 273 foul shots last year, 52 more than Jon Scheyer, who finished second in free throws.

Of course, getting fouled is even more important since Delaney is the ACC’s top returning free throw shooter. He shot 84 percent from the charity stripe last year, which was actually down from 87 percent the year before.

If a flaw can be found in Delaney’s game, it’s the deep ball, which is a bit shocking considering the kid came in known for his outside touch.

The fact is, his three-point shooting percentage has fallen each year—from .402 as a freshman to .354 as a sophomore, to a pretty unacceptable .306 last year. It’s no wonder he’s been shooting less each year (48 percent of his shots were threes as a freshman, 47 percent as a sophomore, and 42 percent last year).

It’s great that he recognizes this and doesn’t let it rain from deep. It shows great basketball IQ, but the Hokies have a ceiling if their top guard can’t hit threes at a better rate his senior year.

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