NBA Draft Scouting Report: G League's Dink Pate

Prospect Profile

After a season with G League Ignite as the youngest ever US-born player to go pro, Pate will be a seasoned prospect by the time he gets to the NBA given he will have two G League seasons under his belt. Once the Ignite program was shut down, he went to the Mexico City Capitanes for another season at the professional level. 

A jumbo guard at 6-foot-8 with the ability to run an offense, Pate is the complete package on that end. He has an easy advantage against smaller guards from a physical standpoint but is also incredibly skilled. Whether he wants to score the ball as the primary option or facilitate for others, Pate can operate however his team needs in a given situation. 

With primary lead guard skills at his size, it’s easy to see why he has as much upside as nearly anyone in this class. Pate is a natural playmaker with elite positional size and more experience than most at his age bring to the table. He’s also a very good athlete with good length and three-level scoring upside if his offensive game continues to develop at the rate it has of late. 

For obvious reasons, his size as a guard presents quite a bit of upside on the defensive end. While he’s certainly not an elite prospect on that side of the floor, his tools and reps against seasoned professionals will come in handy. At a minimum, Pate has the size to guard two or three positions and will allow for teams to have lineup flexibility at the NBA level. 

Pate attempted to enter the 2024 NBA Draft despite being under the age criteria, but ultimately will have to wait to hear his name called during the 2025 NBA Draft. Not only is he the ideal prototype for the modern game, but he enters the league still very young and with two years of high-level G League experience. 

Highlights

Draft Projection

Late Lottery Pick in 2025 NBA Draft.

2025 Big Board

Want to know more about other potential 2025 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.

For a free account and access to Cerebro Sports, the largest Basketball Player Database in the world, sign up here.