Devin Askew is a sophomore PG who transferred from the University of Kentucky to play for Chris Beard’s Longhorns. A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Askew struggled to adjust to the college game, and his numbers reflected that. In 29 minutes per contest, he averaged 6.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.9 APG on 34.5% from the field and 27.8% from three. Despite his poor FG%, he shot 80.6% from the line, meaning his mechanics aren’t bad and he could develop into a much better shooter.

Unlike the other prospects for whom I’ve made these GIF breakdowns, Askew is much more of a project than a completed product. He’s shown flashes of really good playmaking and defense, but has had trouble scoring consistently.

Askew made his mark more last year as a distributor than a as a bucket-getter. He averaged more assists (2.9) than turnovers (2.0), which is a good sign, although two turnovers per game with his usage of just 15% is concerning. For reference, Marcus Carr had a usage of 28.5% and had 2.3 turnovers per game.

He made some impressive plays this year anyway. Here is an example of his finding the cutting man in transition. Though not an explosive athlete, he’s able to use his handle here to put him in position for a flashy pass that leads to a dunk for Kentucky.

Here’s another clip of Askew in transition, this time laying it off the backboard for a teammate for the alley-oop. Watch his defensive awareness at the beginning of the play, picking up the loose ball and immediately turning it into a fast-break opportunity. He realizes he’ll get blocked if he puts up a lay-up attempt, so he uses his basketball IQ to make the right decision. He’s aware of the trailing man and gets it to him in the only way possible.

Below is another example of his court vision in action. He takes the look at the three-point line, dribbles closer to the basket, realizes his shot may be blocked, then throws the lob to the center for another alley. The Florida defense collapses to the ball handler and the post players are out of position, making for an easy two.

Askew is a solid defensive player, despite the complaints about his offense. Watch him read the post pass here and intercept it, leading to a transition possession. He’s able to get in position and avoid fouling the intended recipient of the feed.

Here’s another example of his defense. He is essentially playing free safety on this series, and intercepts the pass before gliding to the rim and laying it in against arch-rival Louisville. As evidenced throughout, Askew likes playing in transition, and has more success there than he does in the half-court.

As mentioned before, Askew’s biggest problem was his production as a scorer. At 6.5 PPG, and a PER of 8.0, he was very inefficient shooting the basketball. Look at these stats from the season (these stats may be hard to read for those on mobile - apologies in advance for that).

He scored over 10 points just seven times in 25 games, and he was on the floor quite a bit. Over his last five games, he scored just 14 combined points in 119 minutes. He also took very few shots per game; compared to how he played in high school, this is more of an indication of confidence problems than it is lack of ability. Clearly, from his high school tape, the potential is there. He just needs a better team around him to unlock it, and he will have that in Austin with this Texas Longhorns team.

Being able to work as a backup PG instead of the starter off the bat will be great for him. Being with Marcus Carr, Andrew Jones, and Courtney Ramey will be helpful, especially under the direction of Chris Beard. He has the capability to become a great player; it’s just a matter of his environment.

Fans also need to remember that Devin Askew reclassified and did not play a senior season in high school, so he may be a work in progress, but he’s also very young. He also has four years of eligibility left due to the COVID rules, and will likely play multiple years at Texas.

Last season, he played on a Kentucky team that was, frankly, not well built, and as a unit, struggled mightily in the Southeastern Conference. The Wildcats finished with a 9-16 record overall. It’s difficult to be individually successful in that kind of situation, especially as a young first-year player.

Though he’ll get less minutes, I see Askew contributing positively to this team this season. He can be a good player to run the second unit on the floor, and hopefully, regain some of his confidence from a scoring standpoint.

@KeenanWomack_OB