Fleming, a junior forward, has been a bright spot on a somewhat disappointing Saint Joseph’s team
The Atlantic 10 Tournament is taking place at Capital One Arena with games Wednesday through Sunday. With that, comes several notable NBA prospects that may be intriguing to the Wizards. One player in action today that could be on their radar is Saint Joseph’s junior forward Rasheer Fleming.
Fleming has all of the makings of a Will Dawkins pick: positional size, plus athleticism, defensive versatility, and untapped playmaking upside. The 6’9 wing/forward has a 7-foot-5 wingspan, will test as a plus athlete at the combine, and, despite improving each season, appears to have another gear he can reach if his handle continues to improve.
For the season, he’s averaging 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks. He’s currently making 41.8% of his 4.5 three-point attempts per game and 67.2% of his two-point field goal attempts. Fleming was relatively quiet in their opening-game win over La Salle, recording 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
Rasheer Fleming has gone from 29.7% on 6.7 attempts per 10 possessions in his freshman year, to 32.4% on 6.6 per 100 in his second season to an impressive 41% on 8.4 attempts per 100 this season.
Fleming really, really knows his role as a shooter – take and make catch-and-shoot… pic.twitter.com/ymJNJ9A9SY
— the center hub (@thecenterhub_bb) January 7, 2025
He’s currently being projected anywhere from the late lottery to the mid-twenties. The Wizards later first-round pick, which they received from Memphis, is currently projected at 26. That’s likely too late for Fleming, who will likely be in the teens on my personal draft board, but they could potentially use their multiple second-round picks as a means to move up in the draft into a range where Fleming could be appealing.
I’ve seen one Wizards scout in attendance so far and I’m sure much of their front office will be checking in with the games at their home arena. They’re not at the point of their rebuild where they should worry about positional redundancy and good teams can always use more dynamic players who move with purpose like Fleming. You can be sure Fleming is one of the players they’ll be monitoring throughout the course of the tournament.
I broke down Flemings’ game and several other prospects on tonight’s Bleav in Wizards podcast.
Fleming’s teammates, Xzayvier Brown and Erik Reynolds II, could also both find their way onto NBA rosters at some point. Brown, a 6’2 sophomore guard, is averaging 17 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. He’s only shooting 34.2% from three on 5.2 attempts per game but he’s an 89.1% free-throw shooter. Brown finished their first tournament game with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Reynolds II, a DMV-native and 6’2 senior guard, is averaging 16.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He’s really struggled from the three-point line this season, hitting 31.6% of his 8.7 attempts per game, but he made 38% on similar volume the previous two seasons. He’s also a career 87.1% free-throw shooter. Reynolds II took more of a back seat in their win over La Salle, collecting 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.
Rafael Castro, a 6’10 junior center for George Washington, had an impressive opening game. He notched 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. His teammate, 6’7 wing Darren Buchanan Jr., had 14 points and 7 rebounds.