De'Anthony Melton

Among the more well-rounded freshman in college basketball last season, USC's De'Anthony Melton measured just 6'2 in shoes here, but his 6'8 wingspan and 195-pound frame are terrific for a combo guard.  Melton is long enough to defend shooting guards, which gives him nice versatility to fall back on, similar to what we see from the likes of Langston Galloway and Terry Rozier, who both have very similar dimensions physically.

Unheralded USC freshman guard De'Anthony Melton has exceeded expectations through 21 games, evolving into a starter for the Trojans in a do-it-all, two-way role that's led him to become the NCAA's only player to average at least 5 assists, 8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per 40 minutes.

An 18-year-old from Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California, Melton didn't even crack the RSCI Top 200 out of high school and wasn't expected to make this type of impact in his first year with USC . While he has a ways to go in terms of his ball-handling, lead guard skills, and shooting stroke, and certainty needs more time and experience before he's ready to play in the NBA, Melton has caught the attention of scouts thanks to his impressive physical tools, sharp defensive instincts and strong feel for the game.

Here's a look at how Melton has been able to have an impact for the Trojans despite only scoring 13.3 points per 40 minutes on 48% from 2 and 33% from 3.



Mike Schmitz is the video analyst for DraftExpress. Follow him on twitter and check out the DraftExpress Video section. He will be breaking down the NBA draft in digital format all year long for us.