Getty Buffalo Bulls guard CJ Massinburg
CJ Massinburg has become a name for college basketball fans to know in recent seasons. The Buffalo Bulls star guard has progressively improved as a player and it’s shown in his stats through the years. Massinburg, who stands 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds is currently a senior who didn’t receive the level of attention he obviously deserved out of high school.
ESPN didn’t even have a scout grade or ranking for Massinburg, a member of the 2015 recruiting class. But as the college basketball season approaches NCAA Tournament time, the Buffalo guard will be a player to watch. Even beyond that, Massinburg has shown the upside to be an interesting 2019 NBA Draft prospect but isn’t picking up much hype thus far.
After averaging 11.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the 2015-16 season, his numbers have steadily increased. It’s culminated in Massinburg posting marks of 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field through 29 games this season.
We’re going to take a look at the latest mock drafts and projections for the Bulls guard and see if there’s any hype building around him.
CJ Massinburg NBA Draft Projections & Mock Draft
While a number of draft sites have yet to offer up much insight on Massinburg’s projection at the next level, his impressive play this season should put him in the mix to be selected. It’s likely that the Buffalo guard will have a real chance to be a second-round pick and could make an impact in 2019 NBA Summer League play.
One site which did offer an interesting outlook on Massinburg was Tankathon in their latest mock draft and big board. On the draft front, they currently project him landing with the Boston Celtics at No. 52 in the second round. He’s also pegged as the No. 53 overall prospect on the big board outlook, coming in ahead of Texas guard Kerwin Roach and just behind Purdue point guard Carsen Edwards.
Strengths & Weaknesses of CJ Massinburg
One big question is how Massinburg’s size will transfer to the NBA level. While 6-foot-3 doesn’t necessarily make him small, it’s below the normal heigh of an NBA shooting guard. If he proved capable of being able to find success at the next level and defend bigger players at his position, there could certainly be a path to a career somewhere in the league.
On the other side of things, Massinburg is a strong finisher and an impressive shooter. He’s posted marks of 46.8 and 48.9 percent shooting from the field in the past two seasons while knocking down 40.5 percent or more of his 3-point attempts in both years. The Bulls star is also a strong rebounder for a guard and averages 6.3 boards per game thus far in the 2018-19 season.
You’d be hard-pressed to argue that the positives about Massinburg’s game don’t far outweigh the negatives. The 2019 NCAA Tournament and NBA Combine will both be big for the soon-to-be 22-year-old guard, but regardless, he should be on the NBA radar.
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