2025 NBA Draft: Dink Pate Scouting Report
Evaluating the Mexico City Capitanes prospect ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
DRAFT EVALUATION: Second rounder who could go undrafted; should consider another year abroad, but in a different league, before trying for the 2026 draft
NBA ROLE: Big shooting guard who will need more seasons in the G League
REMINDS ME OF: Trentyn Flowers
RAW STATS: 10.3 PTS, 4.8 REB (0.4o/4.3d), 1.7 AST to 1.8 TOV, 0.7 STL, 0.1 BLK, 2 PF in 24.8 MINS over 50 GAMES
ADVANCED STATS: 8.8 PER, 21.8 USG%, 50.7 TS%, 1.9 OREB%, 17.8 DREB%, 11.2 AST%, 15.3 TOV%, 0.9 A/TO, 1.4 STL%, 0.3 BLK%
Background:
Birthday: March 10, 2006
Height: 6-foot-81
Wingspan: 6-foot-10, as of Sept. 20222
Weight: 210 pounds
Currently in his second G League season. First played for the G League Ignite, becoming the youngest pro in American basketball history, before the program’s closure. Then joined the Mexico City Capitanes.
Sought a waiver to enter the 2024 NBA Draft due to Ignite shutting down but was deemed ineligible.
Played at L.G. Pinkston (Texas) in high school. Played AAU ball for Team Trae Young. Was a five-star recruit before signing with the Ignite. Would have likely chosen Alabama or Arkansas for the college route.
Signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Reebok in Oct. 2024.
Takeaway:
Dink Pate was a highly-touted high school prospect who was billed as a big playmaker when he joined the G League Ignite. After two seasons in the G League, his NBA outlook is very unclear — and nowhere near that.
Pate, if anything, looks more like a 6-foot-8 score-first shooting guard whose best moments come against an unset defense. This has usually meant in transition (1.190 PPP) or knocking down open spot-up threes (37.5 3P% on catch-and-shoots this year). Basically, the easiest of shots. It’s not nice to say, but Pate’s scoring profile, in all honesty, has been severely underwhelming. He can score in isolation on occasion, but I find that those buckets largely feel disconnected from his team’s flow.
For the most part, Pate really struggles to create efficient looks against a set defense. He is shooting 44.6% on layups for the season, a paltry figure that dips to 34.5% in the half-court. Pate’s self-creation doesn’t improve much as a pull-up shooter. He's hitting 31.6% of his off-the-dribble jumpers in the half-court, and 29.4% of his threes. These issues go back to his first season with the G League Ignite. Then, he made 31.6% of his half-court layups, 17.4% of his off-the-dribble threes (4/23), and 25.5 3P% of his catch-and-shoots.
On defense, Pate’s outlook is really messy. He gets lost a lot. His teammates have to point out where to go or who to guard. On the ball, most drives at him result in a lane to the rim opening up. It’s not necessarily that he plays lazy or doesn’t try, but I don’t really spot Pate making multiple efforts. More than that, he doesn’t leverage his size at all. He’s 6-foot-8 with a wingspan that’s at least 6-foot-10, but that doesn’t show up anywhere. Not on the glass, not on either side of the pick-and-roll, not offering help defense… He plays high school level defense with high school level habits.
I truly believe that Pate is a talented prospect. There are some tools to look into with his open court scoring, want to playmake, and positional size. But going into the NBA right now might result in him getting lost in the shuffle because so much development is still needed. I think Pate should really consider another year abroad — ideally in a different league, such as the NBL but even Overtime Elite — and aim for the 2026 NBA Draft.
Offense:
Open court flashes are most consistent part of his game right now. 1.190 PPP in transition, per Synergy. Can leverage positional size and length — although these are a lot of wide open shots.
Scarce glimpses of using ballhandling and passing. Has down a handful of big dunks, a couple of windmills. Important to stress that nothing consistent in terms of advantage creation.
Still growing into his body. Wants to handle the ball.
Adds almost nothing in the half-court right now. Doesn’t pass the eye test or a look at his advanced stats.
Really struggles to get to his spots. 6-8, long, presumaby athletic - but barely touches the paint.
Creates very few advantages as a scorer and playmaker. Can’t finish at the rim or break down defenses with his handle or passing.
Shooting 44.6% on layups for the season. That goes down to 34.5% on layups in the half-court.
Made 31.6% of his half-court layups in his first G League season in the Ignite program.
Can hit easy spot-up shots. Shooting 37.5 3P% on catch-and-shoots this year.
Positional height and release point on his shot looks fine, although shot as a whole doesn’t look very clean.
Very little volume or movement shooting.
Some of his best moments have come attacking closeout, but very sporadic. Has a floater worth believing in.
Pull-up shooting, especially against a set defense, is entirely theoretical. Process and numbers are both poor.
Making 31.6% of his off-the-dribble jumpers in the half-court, and 29.4% of his threes.
These issues go back to his first season with the G League Ignite. Made 37.1% (36/97) of his off-the-dribble jumpers in the half-court, and 17.4% of his threes (4/23).
Seems like he wants to operate around the elbows.
Idea with Pate was that he could act as a big playmaker, but his reads are very basic, and he mostly doesn’t create separation or advantages. 36 assists to 43 turnovers3 so far this season.
Lots of unforced errors with his handle and passing. Frustrating mistakes. Mexico City has Trey Burke or Juan Toscano-Anderson playing point guard a lot, and doesn’t give Pate many reps at the point even in the G League setting.
Inaccurate making passing reads.
Going to need a lot more developmental time overall, but especially if he’s going to be used as a ballhandler.
He told ESPN in April 2023: "In the eighth grade, my coach put the ball in my hands and told me to start dribbling -- that's how the whole big guard thing started. […] I was skeptical at first, but I had the height to see over everyone, and the assists came easy after that. It was like a snap of the finger." He can’t just see over the top anymore.
Defense:
Outlook is rough on defense. Young… 18 until March 10… but NBA moves very quickly nowadays, and Pate needs a lot of development on both ends still.
On-ball, gives up dribble penetration on straight line drives far too often. Doesn’t seem to make second or multiple efforts.
Context: G League broadly lacks rim protection, but the tape looks very ugly nonetheless…
Has the means to recover with his size and such if he tried more often.
Gets lost off-ball a lot. Too many possessions in which he appears very unsure of what to do, where to be, or who to defend.
Teammates regularly have to call out who he’s supposed to guard. It’s his second year as a pro.
Lots of gaffes and, again, unforced errors.
Doesn’t provide switchability.
Goes back to the idea, also applicable on offense, of how he doesn’t leverage his size.
Lacking production for the second season in a row.
In 26 games so far this season: 23 steals, 3 blocks (1 stock per game)
In 31 games last season: 19 steals, 4 blocks (0.7 stocks per game)
Optimism on this end has to rely on coachability and NBA ability to teach defense to prospects with tools.