It is hard to fit the classic under-appreciated late-bloomer mold better than Derrick White does. He was merely 6'1 and 150 pounds as a senior. The only school that recruited him was Division II nobody University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Finally, after an illustrious three seasons at the D2 level he transferred to Division 1 Colorado University to play his final season.

Then, at Colorado, he proceeded to do this:

Images via Basketball-Reference

Regardless of everything else in a player’s profile, when an NCAA prospect shows that they can shoot, pass, score inside the arc, and create defensive events they deserve further examination.

White spent most of the year outside the draft conscious, but after a strong showing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, he has emerged as the 50th pick in DraftExpress’s current mock draft.

White also helped himself in the measurement portion of the event. At 6'4 in shoes with a 6'8 wingspan he’s a bit undersized for a two-guard, but he still has better size than other wings like Malik Monk. His slim 191 pound frame is the most obvious flaw in his overall profile, but his 34 inch no-step vert and overall athleticism help compensate for his skinniness.

Between a Mike Schmitz recommendation, Mike Gribanov showing him some love, and Kaiser Lindeman having mentioned him to me, I realized I needed to see more White.

I came into the tape a little skeptical, but I quickly fell head over heels for him. The guy just has a complete, smooth, and cerebral game.

His pull-up game is simply exceptional. Like Markelle Fultz, he plays a balanced and controlled style that allows him to transition into his jumper seamlessly.

White’s numbers bear out how good his shot looks on film. He shot 39.6% from three, 81.3% at the line, and 43.7% on mid-range jumpers according to Hoop-Math. Those are incredibly strong numbers, and look particularly good when you consider the large volume of unassisted off-the-dribble looks White had to create.

Historically, his shooting numbers are more mixed. As a junior at Colorado-Springs he shot 34.8% from three, and as a sophomore he only shot 28.6%. The good news is that White was always stellar at the line. 83.9% as a junior and 82.7% as a sophomore. His consistent elite shooting from the free throw line in conjunction with steady improvement from three suggests he just had to expand his range but always had talent as shooter.

The threat of his jumper sets up the rest of his offensive game. He slithers by guys and finishes creatively around the rim when they press up on him.

In pick-and-roll situations, if teams takeaway his shot and drive he has the savvy to navigate the lane and float the ball in with delicate touch.

Just when you think his game is all finesse, he surprises you with the explosion that allows him to finish at the rim so well.

What makes White such a great role-playing prospect is his understanding of his own game. He picks his spots carefully and knows how to get his in the natural flow of the offense. He’s never going to be an iso-scorer in the NBA. Against a guy like Edmond Sumner who is longer and more athletic than him he won’t consistently create good looks.

Yet, White managed to convert from inside the arc at an elite 56.9% mark on heavy volume precisely because he knows how to pick his spots. Interestingly enough, when I included White’s hoop-math numbers in the table from my De’Aaron Fox piece, he came out pretty well.

His volume is above-average even amongst point guards and his efficiency is top-five in the entire group. He might be most valuable in an off-ball role in the NBA, but his penetrating ability gives him the versatility to survive as a lead guard.

The other reason he can transition between the 1 and the 2 on offense is his advanced passing ability. He has good vision on standard dump-offs.

But he also flashes the ability to find shooters on the back-side in pick-and-roll. Or even the more advanced read of looking the shooter off in order to hit the late roll.

A 28.6% assist rate is not great for a point guard. It is great for a wing though, and given White’s combo guard role in the NCAA he projects as a plus passer in an off-ball role at the next level.

The crucial question in White’s projection is whether he can survive as a wing in the NBA. That question mostly revolves around his defense. His offensive game is good enough to be a backup point guard in the league. If he is able to guard players on the wing and play off-ball his offensive game suddenly becomes a big plus.

Working against White is mostly his size, and somewhat his athleticism. At only 6'4 in shoes and 190 pounds White is small for a wing. When you add in solid but not great athleticism it becomes tough to see him guarding NBA wings. However, there are important indicators in his statistical profile that translate to his film that suggests he can play bigger than one would expect.

The stat that jumps out for White is his shot blocking. He blocked 1.7 shots per 40 pace on a 4.9% block rate. Among all point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards in DraftExpress’s current top-100 prospects, only the massive OG Anunoby and Jonathan Isaac have better block rates than White.

That is what one would consider an outlier skill. White has two things going for him that allow him to rack up so many blocks. For starters, he is simply a better leaper than he looks at first glance. The type who is really good at jumping from a standstill or without much windup. Secondly, and more importantly, he has great instincts and understanding of angles on the defensive end that allow him to make up for his frame.

He can fight in the lane and come up with blocks you would normally see from a big man.

He can closeout on somebody and recover to alter their pull-up. Note that he does this to an NBA wing prospect in V.J. Beachem.

He can even fly out on a shooter and unexpectedly block a three-point look.

White’s shot blocking instincts are only part of a larger smart and aware defensive game. Watch here as he communicates a switch with his teammate before realizing Bonzie Colson is going to shoot and coming up with an impressive block.

On this play, White communicates the same switch and almost jumps the passing lane, but he then has the balance to recover quickly and cut off his man.

He is capable of tracking guys off the ball and denying when necessary. Against Oregon he spent large swaths of the game on Tyler Dorsey and did a great job trailing him and preventing him from finding space to shoot. He starts in the top left corner of this clip.

Drawing charges has been shown to be an important sign of defensive ability that is hard to notice. Which makes sense intuitively. Drawing a charge either requires the off-ball awareness to understand where a player is going, or the on-ball reactive ability to square off your mans attacking. White is a master. He can step in on other player’s drives.

Or he can simply anticipate where his man is going and get in the way (though this might be a little bit of a flop).

White makes all the kind of little plays on the defensive end that add up to being underrated. He communicates on switches, he closes out aggressively on shooters, he denies guys off the ball, and he draws charges. He even makes the type of hustle plays that cause high school coaches to play the 5'10 guy who can’t shoot or dribble.

White looks like a plus defender off-the-ball, which makes up for his mediocre on-ball defense. Some of his off-the-ball goodness is apparent on the ball. His anticipation and reactive ability allow him to stay in front of guys quite well.

Here he shuts down a Kadeem Allen drive by beating him to his spot.

On this play, he’s able to stay in front of the extremely quick Kobi Simmons in transition because of his understanding of angles.

He’s at his best in closeout situations where his reactive ability shines. Follow him closely on this play as he stunts and recovers multiple times.

I forgot to get a good clip of it, but White also does a great job of wriggling around screens and staying with his man. Still, staying in front of people is only half the battle. His lack of strength sometimes prevents him from really bothering someone as they attack.

Against a bigger player who can score the ball, like Dillon Brooks, he is at a major disadvantage.

White is not going to be a super-versatile, switch-everything, wing stopper. He is quick enough to guard point guards some and long enough to match up on the occasional small forward, but he is best suited to facing opposing shooting guards.

Defenders that lack versatility are usually minuses. Being a minus is not a death sentence for White. Given his athleticism containing penetration and off-ball awareness he projects as a minus on the defensive end but closer to average than a huge negative. That distinction is enormous for White’s future and will allow him to contribute in an off-ball role.

I don’t mean to paint too rosy of a picture of White. He has his obvious weaknesses on the defensive end, and he is not overwhelmingly athletic or big enough to be a star on offense. Nonetheless, he looks like a potential plus offensive and passable defensive wing who could fit on any team in the NBA.

When you compare him to some of the players projected to go ahead of him in the draft, it is hard to understand their rankings. Take Luke Kennard. Kennard is actually an extraordinarily similar scorer to White. Very smooth game. Elite efficiency on pull-ups and floaters. Low turnover rates because they understand how to pick their spots.

Kennard is the better pure shooter, but White blows him away in the other aspects of the game. He’s a far more advanced passer. His instincts on the defensive end are wildly superior. The biggest difference is their athleticism. White’s athleticism allows him to get by on the defensive end where Kennard is terrible, but it also gives him more hope of translating some of his offensive creation ability to the NBA.

A prospect with elite instincts, high-level skills, and good athleticism who can play on the wing is simply not a second-round guy. Malcolm Brogdon, Josh Richardson, and Norman Powell have shown in recent years that senior wings who can handle the ball and survive on defense are easy to overlook. White is old and has legitimate flaws. Yet, he has real strengths that give him the chance to be a very useful player in the NBA. Teams should be looking at him in the middle of the first round and as high as the late lottery.