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A veteran guard for Gonzaga, Julian Strawther established himself as a star player for during his time in Spokane, Wash. He saw his stats improve in each of his three seasons. As a junior this year, he posted 16.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures in all but four games this season. He poured in 40 points at Portland on Jan. 28 and reached 28 points three other times.
Julian Strawther went crazy last night.
— Ryan Hammer (@ryanhammer09) January 29, 2023
40 points (career high)
14-21 FG
8-12 from 3 (!!!)
6 rebounds
3 steals
Has improved wildly as an outside shooter (up to 43.5%). Opens up so much lane space for him to use his speed & get to that floater. Big time player pic.twitter.com/ln5O8Qm9EB
The 6-foot-7-inch sharpshooter knocked down 41.4% of his shots from beyond the arc on 5.6 attempts per contest. In that 40-point barrage, Strawther went 8-for-12 from deep. He has quick release and can knock down shots from seemingly anywhere.
A Julius Erving Award Finalist, he learned from playing with the likes of Jalen Suggs, Andrew Nembhard and Joel Ayayi. Gonzaga has demonstrated a trend of producing elite guards.
Measurements
Height: 6 feet, 7 inches
Weight: 205 pounds
Wingspan: 6 feet, 9 inches
Strengths
Shooting ability, rebounder
Strawther has a quick release that led to 41% shooting from beyond the 3-point arc this season. His shooting percentage increased by five percentage points from his sophomore to junior year. When he catches fire, he can be unstoppable as he poured in eight triples at Portland.
He is a strong rebounder for a guard. He pulled down 5.8 rebounds per game this season, which ranked 10th in the WCC and was third most among guards. He has a unique ability and size for a guard when hunting down loose balls.
Areas to improve
Playmaking ability, dribbling
While his shooting ability is a major advantage, he struggles in making a play for himself. His ball-handling skills need work as well. The guard can’t make too many plays off the dribble and relies more on shooting and moving without the ball. He lacks an explosive first step.
Projected draft range: Second-round pick
Strawther has demonstrated an elite scoring ability and can catch first from three at any point. He is a good rebounder for a guard but lacks strong ball-handling ability. He will provide a good spark to the franchise that selects him but will not emerge as a top player right out of the gate.
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