Liam McNeeley Scouting Deepdive
UCONN's five-star freshman fits like a glove.
In pursuit of a three-peat, UCONN has big shoes to fill after producing four draft choices in the 2024 NBA Draft. Luckily for the Huskies, five-star Liam McNeeley projects to be a perfect fit for one of the most creative coaches in the Western Hemisphere. McNeeley is a tall wing standing at 6’7” and weighing in around 210 pounds. He will be just 19 years of age on the night of the 2025 NBA Draft. At Montverde, McNeeley shined as an off-ball court spacer alongside fellow top 10 recruit Cooper Flagg en route to another dominant season for the historic high school program.
Now, the Huskies’ dynamic offense finds itself with another weapon for Dan Hurley to employ. While McNeeley’s skill set isn’t the most dazzling to the naked eye, his value will be unequivocally essential for UCONN this college season. Let’s look through a microscope at McNeeley’s tools, how Hurley will utilize the sharpshooting wing, and realistic 2025 NBA Draft expectations for the incoming freshman.
Shooting Plus
Liam McNeeley isn’t just a shooter. He’s a capital-S Shooter. Over his final two high school seasons with Montverde, he shot an impressive 44% from deep on 271 total three-point attempts. One causation for McNeeley’s ability to shoot (and make) this many threes stems from his off-ball movement skills.
In the above clip, after McNeeley gets off the basketball, his teammate drives toward the left slot off the top of the key. With McNeeley on the left wing, his man feels comfortable to dig in on the drive while filling the gap. The timely drift by McNeeley toward the strong-side corner leads to a wide-open triple for Montverde’s best shooter. This clip is a good display of the importance for a shooter to feel the game and to be able to quickly find open space off of the ball.
Montverde Academy often relied on Liam McNeeley as their zone breaker. Against various zone defenses, Kevin Boyle placed McNeeley all over the court. At times, McNeeley would play a few feet behind the three-point line off the wing. His range provided ultimate spacing for easy catch and shoot looks while the zone defenders were in rotation. Other times, McNeeley would operate below the free throw line as a baseline runner. His ability to stretch defenses down into the corner would either free up space in the middle for Cooper Flagg and company or would result in an open catch and shoot look in the corner following a ball reversal.
What makes McNeeley so dangerous is his ability to attack off the catch if the shot isn’t there immediately. Going forward, teams will likely utilize hard close outs to deter catch and shoot looks from three. McNeeley’s ability to put the ball on the deck, play in traffic, make some reads off of a live dribble and score at the rim all make him more than just a shooter. The following drive shows off his coordination and the ability to beat defenders off the bounce.
In this next clip, Montverde flows into an empty-side ball screen for McNeeley. After a strong screen for Derik Queen, McNeeley works to the middle of the floor. Tremendous timing following the screen puts Columbus’ big in a bind. McNeeley delivers a well-placed dime to the rolling Queen ultimately leading to a strong finish on the right side of the rim.
While it’s not likely for McNeeley to ever maintain a high volume of pick and roll usage, the timing and feel he has displayed at times gives reason to believe that his impact at the next level won’t be solely reliant on his outside shooting.
McNeeley connected on 56% of his two-point attempts at MVA. His shot diet gives us great insight to how his game will translate moving forward. Over 55% of his total shot attempts in his junior and senior season came behind the three-point line. McNeeley’s three-point heavy shot diet projects to be a valuable tool both for UCONN and eventually for his NBA career.
UCONN Role
It’s not difficult to imagine what McNeeley’s role under Dan Hurley will look like. Let’s start by comparing McNeeley to former Huskies’ lottery pick Jordan Hawkins. In the two seasons Hawkins played at UCONN, the flamethrowing shooter attempted 5.7 threes per game, including 7.1 threes as a sophomore. Over 62% of Hawkins’ shot diet stemmed from three-point land. With Hurley’s halfcourt creativity, the combination of ball movement and player movement should create even more opportunities for McNeeley to shoot from deep.
The above clip is a great example of one set play the Huskies ran for Hawkins a couple years ago. After getting off the basketball, Hawkins sprints through a series of wide-pin screens. The utilization of the entire width of the court makes defending a movement shooter nearly impossible. With UCONN’s recent utilization of ball reversals, split action, unique screening and timely passing, McNeeley’s skill set can be viewed as a real chess piece for Dan Hurley to work with. It will be tough for McNeeley to completely mirror Hawkins’ off-ball movement skills, but with Hurley’s ability to teach while coaching, it’s fair to expect a big season for McNeeley as a freshman.
In contrast to Hawkins, McNeeley’s play inside the arc is a bigger tool for Hurley to utilize as well. If teams overplay McNeeley on the perimeter, backdoor cuts will become an offensive wrinkle for UCONN to lean into. The presence of transfer guard Aidan Mahaney will provide much needed ball handling after the draft departures of both Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle.
2025 NBA Draft Projection
In a stacked draft class, McNeeley likely won’t garner the love or attention he deserves. His game isn’t overly flashy, he’s not the most athletic player in the class and he doesn’t handle the ball all that frequently. However, in today’s NBA, his impact will far outweigh some prospects who will be drafted before him. Shooting gravity is and will always be important. Presently, I expect Liam McNeeley to be a fringe lottery selection. The conversations around McNeeley and Kon Knueppel will ramp up quickly as draft gurus speculate which shooting threat will come off the board first on draft night.
As for NBA comparisons, McNeeley will likely be most often compared to the following prospects:
Cam Johnson - 6’8”, 210 pounds, 11th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft
Corey Kispert - 6’6”, 215 pounds, 15th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft
Gradey Dick - 6’6”, 205 pounds, 13th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Each year, multiple prospects are overlooked in the name of potential and upside. Some teams aim for franchise-defining players while other organizations look for additive pieces. Liam McNeeley will be an additive piece. His shooting gravity will fit tremendously around scoring talent. Whether your favorite team is on the cusp of making the postseason, early in a rebuild or a true contender, additive players, like McNeeley, are always valuable.
If the focus is on winning, the offensive functionality provided by a movement shooter in the halfcourt can be jarring. If the focus is on development, surrounding young talent with improved floor spacing might be one of the easiest ways to see signs of production early.