Alabama point guard Mark Sears, who just led the Crimson Tide to its third-ever Elite Eight, made history by hitting 10 three-pointers in a rout over BYU. While ‘Bama still has national title dreams, many basketball analysts and scouts are already looking at Sears’ tape.
Here are five potential NBA landing spots for the Alabama native in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Top NBA Draft Landing Spots For Mark Sears
Golden State Warriors
Future Hall of Famer Steph Curry is still going strong at 37 years old, but time is not on his side. The Warriors sent out Dennis Schroder at the trade deadline, and the rest of the Warriors’ roster is littered with unproven players at the position.
Sears, undersized but incredibly productive in college, could be a great fit here to play alongside Curry in his “golden” years.
Boston Celtics
The defending NBA champs have some salary cap questions that need to be answered this offseason, which may result in the trade of guards like Jrue Holiday.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are established options at the point, but the Celtics routinely take veteran, productive collegiate players in the second round, including Gonzaga forward Anton Watson last year.
Phoenix Suns
Tyus Jones was supposed to lock down the point coming over from the Washington Wizards last summer, so shooting guards Bradley Beal and Devin Booker were in the backcourt for numerous fourth-quarter collapses.
But Jones is struggling as the team’s lead facilitator, often sitting in the corner waiting for a shot instead. Sears could offer a fresh reboot or at least support reserve Monte Morris, who could supplant Jones in the starting lineup moving forward.
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio, more than a decade removed from its last NBA title, is rebuilding around Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, their starting point guard, who was acquired in-season from the Sacramento Kings.
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Chris Paul could return, but he could also retire or move on to a championship contender. Blake Wesley is still developing, but there is a reasonable opportunity here for Sears.
New Orleans Pelicans
With Dejounte Murray out for the season with an Achilles injury, Jose Alvarado leads New Orleans guards with 4.7 assists. More than 20 NBA teams have at least one player bettering that number. Most of the Pelicans’ distribution comes from shooting guards, so Sears could provide some respite in that regard.
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