Kobe Sanders Scouting Deepdive
In an era where the jumbo playmaker is held at a lofty premium, Nevada's Kobe Sanders could check off several important boxes for front office decision makers.
As we near the 2025 NBA Draft, players who may not have gotten the most attention during the actual season could start to climb up draft boards as they showcase their skills at pre-draft events. One of those players has already emerged, and even though he had a very good senior season at Nevada, Kobe Sanders is just now cementing himself as a potential draft pick. The jumbo guard who spent the first four years of his career at Cal-Poly is incredibly well-rounded on the offensive end, with more growth ahead of him than your typical fifth-year senior. An NBA organization is going to be thrilled to add him to their prospect stockpile, as his role versatility will allow him to immediately support a contending team or bolster the young core of a rebuilding one.
Player Profile:
Kobe Sanders is a 6’9” and 207lb wing who played a ton of point guard for the Wolf Pack this season. He was an unranked recruit coming out of high school, standing at only 6’5” and 165lbs during his senior year at Christian High School in El Cajon, California. He was a solid contributor throughout high school but was only able to earn a single division-one offer via the Cal-Poly Mustangs. Because of this, Sanders would join the Mustangs and head coach John Smith, remaining in San Luis Obispo for the next four seasons.
Throughout the first three years of his career with the Mustangs he was nothing to write home about. During those seasons, he played in most of the team’s games and by his junior year he started 20 games. He never averaged more than 7.7 points per game, and his efficiency was pretty abysmal all three years. However, he took a major leap during his senior season, emerging as one of the best low-major players in the nation. That final year with Cal-Poly, Sanders averaged 19.6 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, .8 steals, and .3 blocks on shooting splits of 45.9% from the field, 33.9% from beyond the arc, and 87.4% from the free-throw line.
Sanders was able to leverage this elite final season with the Mustangs into strong transfer portal position and would eventually commit to the Nevada Wolf Pack and head coach Steve Alford for his final season of eligibility. Not only did he not regress during his lone season with Nevada, but I’d argue he got even better. He averaged 15.8 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and .3 blocks on splits of 46% from the field, 34.2% from the three-point line, and 79.5% from the charity stripe. He saw his biggest leap as a passer, bolstering his assist numbers while going from 2.9 to only 1.8 turnovers per game from year four to year five. Now he heads into the 2025 NBA Draft as a potential early second rounder despite not receiving much attention throughout the season.
Interior Scoring:
Sanders has a strong interior scoring game, which is heavily predicated on him creating his own opportunities off-the-dribble. While he did find significant success in this department this season, one could argue that his lack of off-ball offense around the rim could handicap his ceiling at the professional level. That said, he proved he’s capable of being a primary ball handler, something that comes with a hefty premium considering he stands at 6’9”. While I doubt he’ll ever be a full-time point guard at the professional level, these lead guard skills could potentially be scaled down into an interesting role within a rotation that prioritizes versatility.
He’s at his best driving directly to the hoop from the perimeter, and he possesses a myriad of traits and skills that allow him to convert in these situations more often than not. His first-step acceleration is solid, but it’s not elite by any means. His stride length and ability to maintain his acceleration all the way to the basket are probably more important for him in these scenarios. In addition to his footspeed, he absorbs contact on his driving path very well, standing his ground and maintaining forward momentum despite his somewhat slight frame. Finally, his finishing is very solid. He’s not an elite vertical athlete, but he’s a strong enough leaper that, when combined with his 6’9” frame and long arms, he makes for a weapon above the rim. When he’s not throwing down poster dunks, he’s able to use his length to extend and create the space necessary to utilize his soft touch on finishes from multiple angles.
Sanders has super strong footwork, which is more evident when considering his mid-range game but is still important to his overall interior scoring game as well. His pivot foot management is second to none, and he’s excellent at utilizing pump fakes to get defenders off their feet. As I already mentioned, his extension abilities allow him to attempt layups in positions that would hinder most players’ ability to find a clean look. He likes to turn these situations into mid-range attempts, but one could argue that he should operate near the rim more to enhance his efficiency and prove to professional organizations that he could become an effective off-ball agent.
I clipped up a ton of games for this write up, in addition to watching Nevada play live throughout the season. Despite this, the above clip is the only example I found during my film dive of Sanders cutting off-ball and attacking the rim. This lack of off-ball potency may have been acceptable for Nevada, where he could work almost exclusively on the ball and still find success against Mountain West opponents. That won’t be the case in the NBA, as in almost every situation he will not be the preferred ball handler for his team. I believe he has the traits and skills necessary to be a successful off-ball operative, but at this point that is mere hypothetical projection.
Where he may find the most success on the ball once he reaches the professional level is on the fast break. He’s an absolute weapon in fast paced scenarios and can go from end to end starting with a defensive rebound and finishing with an easy look at the rim. As I mentioned earlier, he’s great at maintaining and even gaining speed once he begins accelerating toward the rim, and this reigns true no matter where that acceleration begins. Not only is his scoring in these scenarios impressive, but his passing also serves as an optional layer making him all the more dangerous. On the fast break he faces weakened defenses both on his way to and at the rim, allowing him to rely less on his handle and more on his physical advantages.
Mid-Range Scoring:
I’ve alluded to Sanders’ reliance on mid-range scoring, but the word reliance doesn’t truly describe just how prevalent this aspect of his game is. Apart from layups generated via a drive from the perimeter and the occasional three, the large majority of his attempts come from this range. For most players, dependance on mid-range scoring greatly hinders their efficiency and ability to smoothly transition to the professional level. However, Sanders has only gotten more efficient throughout his collegiate career, despite attempting a greater volume of mid-range jump shots as his career has progressed. Not only am I almost certain this part of his game will translate to the NBA, but I also trust in the off-ball flashes he has shown from here, something that isn’t typical of mid-range operatives.
As far as on-ball potency is concerned, Sanders’ most translatable mid-range shooting skill is his pull-up jump shooting. Instead of straight-line drives to the rim like we see when he’s attacking the basket, he often utilizes a herky-jerky poke and prod method to penetrate the interior when he’s looking for a pull-up jump shot. While this has led to good results for him up to this point, it could be argued that this difference in penetration makes him more predictable than you’d like to see from a strong pull-up shooter. That said, he has shown he’s capable of stopping on a dime or stepping back to create the space that he would otherwise create if he aggressively penetrated the paint. This feels a bit nit-picky, but for a guy with such a unique, yet risky, offensive arsenal, I think it’s important to point out ways how that arsenal could be limited at the NBA level.
Sanders’ non-pull-up jump shooting game from the mid-range is very clearly where evaluators see the most star potential from him. I’m not sure this could be argued. He’s absolutely fantastic on self-created turnaround, fadeaway, and step-back mid-range attempts. This is where his footwork is at its best. This is where he’s the most confident and comfortable. If his professional team needs a bucket in crunch time, I think this aspect of Sanders’ game could be a very viable option for that. However, considering that I highly doubt he’ll ever be a team’s first option on the offensive end, I simply don’t see a world where he’s able to consistently operate this way. If anything, the most valuable aspect of this part of his game from a scouting perspective is that he clearly has excellent shooting feel, something that could hopefully translate to his long-range game in the future.
In the same way most elite off-ball shooters love to run around screens for wide-open looks from beyond the arc, Sanders runs off of screens to get open looks from the mid-range. While this is an interesting element of his game because it works, I think it’s even more interesting because it should translate to long-range shooting. Much like how his turnaround, fadeaway, and step-back mid-range shooting could translate to future improvement as a three-point shooter, the same thing could be argued for this element of his game. All in all, I expect Sanders to always be a well above-average mid-range shooter at the professional level, but his growth as a three-point shooter is significantly more important than the maintenance of his mid-range shot.
Outside Shooting:
Despite his elite mid-range shooting acumen, Sanders is just okay from beyond the arc. He doesn’t attempt a ton of shots from long-range, and he doesn’t convert on an outstanding amount of those limited attempts. That said, I do think he has gotten better in this department throughout his college career, even if that growth has been somewhat miniscule. I am hopeful that he could become a good enough three-point shooter at the NBA level to stick around in the league, and I’m basing that hopefulness on his clear comfort shooting from the mid-range and free-throw line. He doesn’t have to become an elite marksman; he does enough other things to still have a role in the league, but improvement in this department would go a long way.
Unlike basically every other element of his offensive arsenal, Sanders is significantly better as an off-ball outside shooter than an on-ball one. His on-ball outside shooting is very limited, which at times can weaken his scoring from other levels. That said, he’s not an awful shooter off-the-dribble, and even though I highly doubt this will ever be a major part of his game, he could pull it out of the bag from time-to-time. I actually look at this as a positive, because not only will he need to adopt an off-ball game from now on, but he also needs to do so with a focus on the outside shot.
He’s actually a somewhat impressive catch-and-shoot operative from beyond the arc. If he didn’t take as many off-the-dribble outside shots (relative to his catch-and-shoot outside shots), his three-point shooting percentage would be far more enticing. His mechanics are solid, although not perfect, and he seems significantly more confident taking these shots than he is on other long-range attempts. This is fantastic news. If he can continue thriving in a catch-and-shoot capacity once he reaches the professional level, I believe he could have a very long and successful professional career.
Playmaking and Passing:
This is where things get really interesting. While I do think his average handle will keep him from playing many point guard minutes at the professional level, I can’t say the same for his passing. He’s an immensely talented passer, a skill that he seemingly did not discover until well into his college career. Even once he did start playmaking for others more consistently, he dealt with significant turnover issues until he got to Nevada. This season with the Wolf Pack, he emerged as not only a talented passer, but also a smart one capable of prioritizing ball security. Even if he never becomes a full-time point guard (which I’m rather certain will be the case) I can guarantee you that he will be a very good secondary passer and playmaker.
What makes Sanders such a strong passer is that he’s, for the most part, not a flashy one. He simply delivers the ball where it needs to go in a timely fashion, and he properly picks and chooses when to and when not to make a pass. In many cases, he relies on his scoring gravity to collapse the defense or draw a help defender before delivering a pass. When he orchestrates the offense from the perimeter, throwing passes to teammates near the basket, he does so in a way where the defense can’t intercept the pass. These are things he struggled with before coming to Nevada, so shoutout to the Wolf Pack coaching staff for assisting him in his development as a floor general.
When considering his potential as a secondary passer at the professional level, his ability to find open shooters from beyond the arc is more important than his ability to set up teammates inside. Luckily for organizations and for Sanders, he’s also very effective in this department. Much like his ability to find teammates inside, he creates many of these opportunities by collapsing the defense using his scoring gravity. He’s great at not second-guessing himself, often giving his teammates extra time to get their shot off cleanly. Finally, he’s a strong connective passer who’s willing and able to swing the ball around the perimeter to an open shooter. Overall, I feel very confident about his passing ability translating to the professional ecosystem.
Defense:
I think Sanders’ biggest swing skill will be his defense. There’s no reason why a 6’9” athletic guard/wing with great feel for the game and high IQ isn’t a good defender beyond effort and motor issues. While I don’t think Sanders is a bad defender, he’s a rather invisible one who doesn’t do much to make an impact on this end of the floor. He may occasionally come up with a help side block or luck into a steal, but for the most part the extent of his effectiveness on the defensive end is maintaining lateral movement and not allowing easy opportunities. He’s not a defensive playmaker in the slightest, something that I believe will have to change if he wants to stick around in an NBA rotation.
Like I said, the only “defensive playmaking” that stood out to me during my film dive for Sanders was his occasional block, which makes sense. He’s 6’9” with extremely long arms and solid vertical pop, that’s a perfect recipe for a good help side rim protector. However, he averaged only .3 blocks per game during his final season with Nevada, a not-horrible number for his role but also not a number that jumps off the screen. The bigger issue is that he doesn’t always give the strongest effort when offering help at the rim, allowing for easy around-the-rim offense at times. This is certainly an area where he could place a heavier emphasis on.
I saw more than just this lone steal from Sanders during my film dive, but this was the only one that I was somewhat impressed with. During my deepdive, I found that most of his steals were the product of his teammates’ defensive efforts or just plain ole’ luck. In this clip, we see a legitimate effort from him to strip the ball away from an opponent. This is not something I saw from him throughout my dive. Like I said, he’s willing to stick with his matchup and offer a decent lateral effort, but he’s not a big proponent of recovery defense in either the half or open court. While I do think he obviously has a solid ceiling on this end of the floor based on his physical and athletic traits, I am concerned that his lack of standout effort could hold him back at the professional level.
Summary:
Before I summarize Sanders’ game, I want to list out any and all of his weaknesses and flaws. I include this disclaimer in all my scouting deepdives (admittedly with different wording every time) but it’s important to consider these things if we want to garner a better understanding of his game in its entirety. Every player has countless flaws, but what makes great players great is their ability to recognize their weaknesses and work to improve them.
His burst from the perimeter isn’t spectacular, allowing defenders to stick with him on his way to the basket and funnel him toward rim protectors.
His handle is better than your usual 6’9” hybrid guard/wing, but it’s far worse than your typical lead guard. If he wants to get the most out of his passing and on-ball juice, he’ll have to develop a stronger handle.
He tends to finish through the teeth of the defense (probably because he isn’t quick enough to beat defenders to the hoop), which does result in a decent number of drawn fouls. However, if he went straight through defenders instead of extending and avoiding them as much as he does, he’d probably spend even more time at the charity stripe.
He has solid vertical pop, and it showed throughout his time with the Wolf Pack. However, I am worried that it won’t translate against NBA rim protectors. That said, his arm extension will support his rim finishing at every level.
His mid-range game is strange and unique, which leaves a ton of questions about how he’ll use it in the future. At face value, I don’t think he deals with many weaknesses from this range. The only issue I have is that he’s better on turnarounds and fadeaways than he is on pull-ups, which is undeniably the more important shot.
He’s a below average off-the-dribble outside shooter, even though I think he does a decent job of creating the shots themselves. His mechanics seem to falter in these scenarios, and I doubt he’ll be asked to take many in the future.
His catch-and-shoot outside shot mechanics could also be polished. His motion isn’t exactly quick, and it looks like he might have a slight hitch as he goes up. That said, I expect him to be solid off the catch next to NBA-level passers.
I really don’t have any issues with his passing, the only thing I’d say is I’m not sure how well his passing will translate considering he’ll play primarily off the ball. I’m confident in his secondary and connective passing abilities, but I do worry that his full potential as a passer will never be reached because of role inconsistencies.
I have a ton of issues with his defensive production, but luckily for him they’re all concerning his effort and motor. He has the physical and skill profiles to be a good defender; he just doesn’t give the strongest effort on the defensive end. That will have to change once he reaches the NBA.
It’s difficult to summarize Kobe Sanders’ game, not only because of its uniqueness but also because his game will likely have to drastically change once he reaches the professional ranks. As of today, Sanders is a point guard in a wing’s body, who possesses strong scoring chops near the rim and elite scoring acumen from the mid-range. In fact, he’s one of the better mid-range prospects I’ve evaluated in a long time. He’s a decent outside shooter, but it’s obvious that he’ll have to improve in this department going forward. What made him such a good initiator for Nevada this year was his impressive passing, a skill that he developed throughout his five-year college career. His only glaring flaw (apart from his age I suppose) is his lack of defensive effort, something that won’t fly down the road. When considering only his production in college and the methods he adopted to achieve that production, Sanders is a wildly entertaining player to watch and a wildly intriguing prospect to evaluate.
With all of that being said, it’s important to consider what his role in the NBA could look like. His handle and burst are probably too weak for him to be a legitimate point guard, which is the role where he was at his best in college. For example, consider someone like Josh Giddey, who is able to play point guard at a similar size and even similar handle (Giddey’s handle is definitely better, but not by leaps and bounds), he’s far quicker and has better first-step acceleration than Sanders. So, Sanders will likely have to play off the ball as an ancillary playmaker, a role that will demand things from him that he’s currently not fantastic at, most notably three-point shooting and off-ball cutting. I think he can achieve this, but I don’t think it will be overly successful immediately, and when considering someone of his age you’d like him to be an immediate contributor. Because of this, I expect organizations to be skeptical when deciding to select him in the draft.
In conclusion, Sanders isn’t a finished product despite his age, but he offers a ton of skills and a strong feel for the game that a good development team should be able to mold into a productive player. I believe he is an NBA player, and in the draft, there are less of those than you’d probably imagine.