Julian Strawther AKA Mr. Clutch

The 6’7” junior wing from Gonzaga was one of the top small forwards in all of college basketball this past season. That’d be thanks to his catch-and-shooting skills from deep and the major clutch factor he possesses.

Coming off his 2023 1st-team All-WCC selection, Gonzaga just seemed to play at their best when Strawther was the main scoring option. If he reached at least 15 points, the Zags consistently won ball games.

Every one of his stats in 2022-2023 increased (except for his 46.9 FG% but that’s because he was taking a lot more shots compared to his first two seasons in Spokane and the team relied on him more offensively). 15.2 PPG, 40.8 3PT%, 77.6 FT%, 6.2 RPG, 1.3 APG is what he finished with in his final campaign repping the Zags. All that gradual growth each season is a fantastic notion for NBA scouts to pay attention to when deciding their selection on Draft Day on June 22nd. His free-throw percentage increase is the most impressive as it means he can continue to become an even better spot-up shooter across the floor down his professional road.

Strawther can also play the off-ball guard position which opens up his versatility on both ends. As a defender, Strawther has a ton of quickness and covers a lot of ground. He will be able to succeed on that specific end of the floor at the next level.

What really stands out about the Las Vegas native is he doesn’t try to do much. He really only takes good shots and allows the offense to just naturally come to him. That’s why Julian’s shooting percentages have been so efficient these past couple of seasons.

Best of luck in the NBA to JuJu. I believe he’s a first-round lock in the 2023 draft and will make any team that much more competitive in Year 1.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho