Getty Buffalo Bulls guard CJ Massinburg
CJ Massinburg has seen his stock jump a bit through the 2018-19 college basketball season. In turn, this has culminated in the Buffalo Bulls star guard becoming a prospect to watch in the 2019 NBA Draft. Massinburg, who stands 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds is currently a senior and has become a consistent leader for the Bulls over the past two seasons or so.
After averaging 11.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the 2015-16 season, his numbers have steadily increased in the two seasons to follow. This has led to Massinburg posting marks of 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field through 33 games this season.
With Massinburg quickly becoming a name worth watching for in the draft, we’re going to evaluate his latest projections. Beyond that, we’ll also look at where the Bulls star lands on any mock drafts.
CJ Massinburg NBA Draft Projections & Mocks
Massinburg seems to be largely getting overlooked as an NBA draft prospect but will have an opportunity to change that during the NCAA tournament and pre-draft workouts. The Buffalo star could certainly become a second-round pick and could land in the 2019 NBA Summer League.
One site which did offer an interesting outlook on Massinburg was Tankathon, who currently projects him as a second-round pick. According to the site, they have him landing at No. 50 overall and going to the Utah Jazz. He’s also pegged as the No. 52 player on their big board.
Massinburg’s ranking places him just ahead of Belmont standout Dylan Windler, as well as Purdue star Carsen Edwards. There are a number of intriguing guards in the 2019 draft class, but the Bulls guard is a name to monitor.
Strengths & Weaknesses of CJ Massinburg
To this point, the talking point surrounding Massinburg has been how his size will transfer to the NBA level. He’s not considered “small” at 6-foot-3, and if he’s able to convince scouts he can defend in the pros, it’ll help his draft stock out immensely.
Massinburg is a strong finisher, shooter and rebounder for his size. He’s shot 40.5 and 39.6 percent from 3-point range over the past two seasons. The Bulls star has consistently been a strong rebounder, averaging 5.6 boards as a sophomore, 7.3 last year and 6.6 this season.
Overall, the positives about Massinburg’s game far outweigh the negatives, but whether he’s able to increase his stock prior to the draft will be a big question. The 2019 NCAA Tournament and NBA Combine will both be big for the guard, but regardless, he should be on the NBA radar. One thing that may hold him back is the depth and number of guards with upside who could be second-round picks.
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