Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs Declares for NBA Draft: Draft Stock

Gibbs, the Panthers leading scorer (16.7 PPG) declared for the NBA Draft today, but has not hired an agent.

He has been a great perimeter player in the Panthers system since he set foot on campus. He has worked hard on his mid-range game and has shown slight improvement.

The one obvious area of improvement would be driving to the basket, which is something he hasn't been able to do consistently.

He isn't the type of player you can give the ball to down the stretch and expect him to takeover. He can't go one-on-one, so he is unable to create his own shot.

He has to to rely on his teammates for screens to get good looks.

Teams figured out this season that he is still just a perimeter shooter. They played tight defense, followed him closely around screens and forced him to drive the basketball and that gave him problems. 

In the biggest game of the year against Butler, Gibbs took one three-pointer. He shot 48 percent on the season and was forced to do other things to have an impact. He finished 5-7 for 11 points to go along with four assists.

The defense of Butler deserves some credit, but as an All-Big East performer he failed to live up to expectations. He has shown that he disappears in the second half of big games.

This is something that Gibbs could work on for his senior season at Pittsburgh.

I can't see him starting in the NBA without being capable of driving to the basket. His 6'2", 180-pound frame would draw concerns from scouts because he isn't a point guard. He loves to shoot the basketball, so therefore he would be a shooting guard.

There are some smaller shooting guards, but most are much taller than Gibbs. He might not be able to get his shot off because he doesn't get great lift either.

He needs to stay at Pittsburgh and show people he can be the guy down the stretch. He will need to be that guy, as well, if they expect to make the NCAA Tournament, making it a great test. 

Gibbs is just testing the waters for this year and next. I expect to hear that he would be a second round draft pick at best, which will mean that Gibbs will be returning for his senior season.

He has until April 24 to make a final decision.