Micah Peavy Scouting Deepdive
One of the best wing defenders in the draft, Micah Peavy's unique path to college stardom could suggest that he still has development ahead of him, despite his age
At this point in the draft cycle (just in case you’re reading this late, I’m writing this a few weeks before the draft) there are some prospects who we know won’t make a push for the first-round. Of those players, some aren’t even confidently slotted to be selected in the second-round. This doesn’t mean that they’re undeserving of a chance at an NBA roster spot, more so that there are sixty other players who organizations are likely to deem more deserving. My goal today is to convince you that one player who finds himself teetering between the second-round and undrafted free agency, Micah Peavy of Georgetown, is deserving of a second-round selection and is likely to stick around in the league.
Player Profile:
Micah Peavy is a 6’7” and 215lb wing from Cibolo, Texas who played his high school career for Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. He was a consensus top 50 recruit in the 2020 graduating class, earning a four-star classification before committing to the Texas Tech Red Raiders and head coach Chris Beard. He played an important role for the Red Raiders during his freshman campaign, averaging 20.3 minutes per game across 29 contests, 25 of which he started. However, after Beard was hired by Texas, Peavy entered the transfer portal and would eventually join Texas Christian University (TCU) and head coach Jamie Dixon.
He had a solid three-year career with the Horned Frogs, serving as a defensive sparkplug coming off the bench for his sophomore and junior seasons. For his senior season he would become a full-time starter for TCU, taking on a greater role on the offensive end while maintaining his defensive presence for the program. That season he posted averages of 10.9 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists (1.7 turnovers), 1.3 steals, and .2 blocks on shooting splits of 45.8% from the field, 31% from the three-point line (2.6 attempts), and 60.7% from the free-throw line (2.5 attempts). Following his senior year with the Horned Frogs, he would once again enter the transfer portal to find a new home for his final year of college eligibility.
Peavy would find that home with the Georgetown Hoyas and head coach Ed Cooley. However, he would now be tasked with being his team’s first option on the offensive end for the first time since high school. He would also be given the opportunity to play alongside highly touted freshman big man Thomas Sorber, who almost certainly will be a first round pick in this year’s draft. Not only did he handle his newfound responsibilities, but he emerged as one of the better first options in the Big East, putting together a season that would vault him into NBA Draft consideration. He posted averages of 17.2 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists (2.6 turnovers), 2.3 steals, and .5 blocks on splits of 48.1% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc (4.1 attempts), 65.9% from the charity stripe (2.8 attempts). He would go on to earn Big East First Team honors following a season ending loss to Nebraska in the College Basketball Crown.
Interior Scoring:
Peavy found a ton of success attacking the rim this season, and he did so while developing his interior scoring game both on- and off-the-ball. After spending four years playing almost exclusively away from the ball, he was able to seamlessly transition into a hybrid ball-handling role that demanded more on-ball creation. While I’m firmly of the opinion that he’s best suited to play without the ball in his hands at the NBA level, it’s comforting to know that he’s capable of creating his own opportunities off-the-dribble if asked to do so. Overall, he converted 58.5% of his at-the-rim attempts, a good-enough percentage for front office evaluators to feel confident in his offense from this range translating to the league.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how well Peavy got to the rim off-the-dribble this season, and even more so how well he converted on attempts once he got there. He has a deep bag of acceleration and deceleration skills that allow him to not only blow past defenders on the perimeter but also maintain an advantage all the way to the hoop. Once he reaches the basket, he possesses a truly unique finishing package for a 6’7” wing. His touch is excellent, and he’s elite at evaluating the position of interior defenders and basing his finishing strategy on where they are and what they’re doing. Because of that, he attempts a ton of reverse layups and converts them at an impressive rate. Once again, while I do think he’ll primarily play away from the ball at the next level for a multitude of reasons, there is a world where a coaching staff could get a lot out of his on-ball rim pressure.
His volume of off-ball layups wasn’t as great as his on-ball work this year; however, he shows all the signs of being a very talented off-ball operative. Not to mention (again) that he spent the first four years of his career working almost exclusively as an off-ball scoring option. He’s a solid vertical athlete, has good first-step acceleration, and can work away from the ball in more than one or two ways. He’s a more-than-capable off-ball cutter and play finisher. Where he separates himself from other off-ball agents is his ability to attack closeouts and his comfort attacking via handoffs. These hybrid scoring methods (by that I mean instances where he receives a pass but still must put the ball on the floor in order to get to the hoop) diversify his interior scoring/rim pressure game and make him a better overall offensive player.
Another area where Peavy showcased his offensive talents at Georgetown was on the fast break and in transition. You’ll see his fast break work scattered throughout this write up, most notably in the passing and playmaking section. That said, he was a 63rd percentile fast break scorer this season, a decent number considering it doesn’t make up a huge percentage of his scoring total. This is an area he uses to bolster the rest of his offensive game, and as long as his athleticism and passing IQ translate to the NBA level, I think he’ll continue to find success in these scenarios.
Peavy is a solid rebounding wing, which is a skill I expect to translate to wherever he eventually finds himself playing. That said, where he impresses me most is on the offensive glass, where he gives an active effort and often creates second-chance points. I will say, I saw a ton of instances of him failing to convert on tip-ins and put backs throughout my film dive. If he were a bit more comfortable in these situations, he may have averaged one or two more points per game this season. This is an area where I could see him growing once he reaches the league, even if that growth only has miniscule positive results for his overall game and output.
Mid-Range Scoring:
For a lot of players, their at-the-rim scoring and mid-range scoring feel like two entirely separate elements of their offensive arsenal. For Peavy, his ability to create scoring opportunities from the mid-range nearly mirrors the methods he utilizes to find offense around the basket. As I’m sure you could guess, this naturally predisposes him to be a solid pull-up shooter, as his drives into the mid-range are identical to his drives to the hoop. In addition to that, he does an excellent job creating space on turnarounds, fadeaways, and step-backs, shots that diversify his game from this range. All in all, he’s both proficient and unpredictable from the mid-range, a combination that makes him wildly effective.
In addition to his unpredictability, what makes him such an effective pull-up scorer is his comfort attempting shots from every part of the level. He primarily operates on the elbows but is also proficient pulling up along both the left and right baselines. His creation versatility on pull-up jumpers is seriously impressive, as he’s confident creating them off screens, via handoffs, off the catch, and in isolation. The value that this skill provides his professional outlook is immense, as proficient pull-up jump shooting will always be valued by professional organizations and within NBA offenses.
Peavy’s non-pull-up mid-range jump shooting is also impressive, even though he won’t be asked to attempt these once he gets to the NBA. Instead of looking at these attempts as something that will directly translate to the NBA game, I look at them as something that proves his comfort as an offensive option. Perhaps, if his team needed a bucket, him taking one of these shots wouldn’t be their worst option. His comfort and confidence in these situations also support the idea that his growth as an outside shooter is real, as he clearly took his increased offensive responsibilities in stride.
Just to further strengthen his mid-range/in-between scoring game, Peavy adds solid soft touch scoring abilities to his arsenal. His volume of floaters/push shots isn’t as great as his volume on other shots, but he’s effective when he does attempt them. If I were on a development team in charge of supporting his growth, I’d have him convert almost all his turnaround, fadeaway, and step-back jumpers into floaters. Soft touch shot making is significantly more important than difficult mid-range shot making. If he were to make this change, his offensive profile would be significantly more enticing for NBA organizations.
Outside Shooting:
For the first four years of his college career, evaluators were in universal agreement that Peavy was a three-point shot away from being a real NBA Draft prospect. He only attempted three shots from beyond the arc during his debut season with Texas Tech, making none. The following season with TCU, he’d make 5/30 on the year at a horrid 16.7%. The next season he went 16/60 to finish the season shooting 26.7%, a 10% increase from the previous year. He’d finally crack 30% for his senior season, going 27/87 on the year for a final mark of 31%. At this point it was clear that he was following a clear path of improvement throughout his career. That brings us to this past season, when he jumped all the way up to 40% on the year, going 52/130 from beyond the arc. So, is this improvement real and will it translate, or even continue, at the professional level?
I believe his growth as an outside shooter is very real, for a multitude of reasons. Most obviously, his trend of improvement is clear and consistent throughout the entirety of his college career. His 9% leap between his fourth and fifth years wasn’t even the biggest jump he made during that time. Next, the large majority of his long-range attempts are catch-and-shoot looks. These shots are less difficult, easier to duplicate, and players tend to get better at them through simple practice and repetition. Next, and this is something we learned at the combine; Peavy has wildly short arms, something that tends to translate to strong outside shooting (see, Desmond Bane and Koby Brea). Finally, his percentages on different types of three-point shots are relatively uniform around that 40% mark, with his best shot being the transition three (45.8% on 24 attempts) and his worst being the pick-and-roll ball handler three (37.5% on 24 attempts).
Much like his non-pull-up mid-range jumpers, Peavy’s on-ball/off-the-dribble three-point shots are something I don’t expect him to attempt once he reaches the NBA. That said, also like those difficult mid-range shots, these attempts are strong indicators for future shooting success. Why? Because he went from having no interest in attempting even a wide-open catch-and-shoot three a few years ago to having the confidence to attempt step-back off-the-dribble shots. If his growth in this department wasn’t real, he wouldn’t be this comfortable attempting difficult shots from long range. His mechanics are solid, although admittedly slow, and he maintains a consistent release point and fluid motion. Overall, I like Peavy to be an average to above average off-ball shooting threat at the professional level.
Passing & Playmaking:
Another surprising development for Peavy as he progressed through his college career was his passing. Unlike his outside shooting, he was never a bad passer, but he got marginally better throughout his career. Most importantly, he managed to improve his assist-to-turnover ratio to a +1 by his fifth year. I know this doesn’t sound like an extraordinary feat, but I actually think that improvement in this area while he was focused on being a primary scoring option for the first time in college is more impressive than it seems at face value. He found success utilizing his newfound scoring gravity to create opportunities for his teammates, adding another dimension to his game on this end of the floor.
I’d categorize Peavy as a high usage connective passer. A good amount of his assists are generated via his scoring gravity, as he’s become proficient at finding teammates inside once the defense collapses on his drives. However, where I think he truly shines is serving as a cog in his offense’s passing machine. Not because this results in a high volume of assists, but because it best supports ball security and promotes offensive flow. Luckily for Peavy, this is how he will be used once he gets to the league, despite him admittedly having some primary initiator qualities.
Where he could make significant improvements is on kickout and swing passes to shooters along the perimeter. He’s solid as a connective swing piece when stationed on the perimeter himself, but at times is hesitant to throw passes out of the paint on his drives. For a guy who reaches the rim as consistently as he does, developing a better kickout game could go a long way for not only his game, but also that of his teammates. I’d assume that both his connective passing and his kickout passing would be more useful than his pick-and-roll or dump-off passing at the next level, but all forms of ball movement are a positive as far as I’m concerned.
Defense:
This is where things get interesting, and where I may stray slightly away from Peavy’s typical evaluation. While I agree with most evaluators that he was one of the better perimeters defending wings in the country this season, I do have some serious issues with how he approaches the defensive end of the floor. When he plays conservatively, he’s an excellent defender. But when he attempts to play a high-risk high-reward style of defense, he often does more harm than good. So, allow me to spotlight what he does well on this end of the floor while providing word to remain cautious when projecting him to be a major defensive difference maker at the professional level.
There’s no denying that he’s a legitimate defensive playmaker. There’s no wonder why he averaged 2.3 steals per game this season. He has quick and active hands when he’s a primary defender, regularly poking balls loose and forcing turnovers. He’s a good lateral mover and he’s super strong. The issues arise when considering his jumping of passing lanes. The guy just adores jumping passing lanes. This is, of course, fine when done in moderation and in low-risk situations, but he does it basically any time he’s given the opportunity. While this does result in the occasional steal or even emphatic fast break dunk, most of the time it has negative results. When he gets to the league, he’s not just going to get a light slap on the wrist when he does this...he’s just not going to play.
This was the only block of his I saved, mostly because it was the only one that I found truly impressive and standout. Most of the time he just happens to be in the right place at the right time to pick up a block, but I liked this one because it's a strong example of his athleticism and potential recovery instincts.
All in all, I think he could be a very good defender at the professional level. When he’s at his best he’s a switchable, versatile defensive playmaker and stopper capable of guarding one-through-four. When he’s at his worst he showcases poor decision making and a worrisome defensive IQ. However, I fully expect an NBA organization to get the most out of him on this end of the floor, because if they don’t I fear he could fizzle out before he ever has a chance to showcase the rest of his game.
Summary:
Before I summarize Peavy’s game, I want to cover any and all of his flaws and weaknesses in order to get a better understanding of his game in its entirety. A quick disclaimer: Every player has countless weaknesses, but what makes great players great is their ability to account for their weaknesses and work to improve them. As long as Peavy, and any prospect for that matter, views their weaknesses as areas in need of improvement, they will be better for it.
He’s a solid vertical athlete, but he’s not a spectacular one and I worry that he won’t stand out athletically at the NBA level. Add to this his short wingspan, something that tends to support above-the-rim offense for lesser athletes.
He has a solid handle, especially for a wing. However, I’m not convinced his handle is strong enough to support his on-ball offense, particularly his driving to the rim and into the mid-range for pull-up looks, at the NBA level.
It wasn’t an issue for him in college, but as he transitions into an NBA offense, he will most likely have to cut out his turnaround, fadeaway, and step-back mid-range shooting out of his game. I’m just not sure he can get these shots off effectively against NBA defenders.
He doesn’t attempt enough floaters, especially considering how often he penetrates the paint for mid-range jumpers and at-the-rim offense. I must assume he doesn’t trust his floater/push shot because of this lack of volume.
For a guy who applies as much rim pressure as he does, he shies away from contact far too often. He only attempted 2.6 free-throws per game this past season, and during an era when getting to the charity stripe is highly valued from slashers, I’m not sure that number will cut it.
That said, it may be a good thing he didn’t spend too much time at the free-throw line, because he’s been a bad free-throw shooter throughout his entire career. This season was his best mark at 65.9%. Not only is this an (obviously) bad sign for his free-throw shooting going forward, but it's also a bad sign for the reality of his three-point shooting development.
While I do trust his catch-and-shoot three-point shooting as he moves up a level, I can’t say the same for his off-the-dribble work. However, much like his non-pull-up mid-range shooting, I highly doubt he’ll be asked to create much of his own offense from beyond the arc.
While he is a solid passer; probably better than you’d expect from a wing of his archetype; he does suffer from turnover issues. I think him playing as a connective piece with less on-ball responsibilities will make this less of a problem for him moving forward.
He has struggled with fouling throughout his career but was actually pretty solid in this department this season. I just hope that he doesn’t revert to his old tendencies once he matches up against elite NBA offensive agents.
Defensively, like I harped on throughout the defense section, he seriously struggles as a decision maker. He takes way too many risks, misses switches, and allows his opponents too much easy offense after he takes himself out of the play.
If he gave the effort as a help side/secondary rim protector that he gives when overzealously jumping passing lanes, he’d probably be an excellent secondary rim protector. Overall, he needs to greatly alter his entire defensive philosophy.
To summarize Micah Peavy’s game, I’d say we are looking at a player who can make an immediate impact on both ends for an NBA team while also still possessing room for development. Throughout the first four years of his college career, he wasn’t given the opportunity to be the player he proved to be this season. However, during that time he slowly developed so that once he was given a real opportunity, he took it and ran with it. Because of this, I do believe he probably still has some development left in the tank, development that I trust an NBA organization to assist him with. Any competitive/semi-competitive team that is looking to add a developmental piece to their prospect stockpile would be foolish to not consider Peavy, a player who can fit into the stockpile while still offering an immediate impact.
With that room for development also comes issues that you typically don’t see from upperclassmen prospects. Namely basketball IQ, feel, and decision-making issues, mostly on the defensive end. That said, these issues seem fixable to me, and I trust an NBA staff to fix these issues more than I trust a college staff to do so. If they are able to solve these problems while also molding him into the off-ball connective role player that I think he could be, I see no reason why he couldn’t exist within an NBA rotation. That said, these issues do present a larger risk than we typically see from older prospects, so I can see why he’d fall out of the draft. I simply caution organizations, fans, and evaluators alike to cut him some slack, because his path to college star and now NBA hopeful was anything but typical.