Age

19.0

Height

6'5''

Weight

215

Workload

MIN%

0

USG%

0

TS%

0

Per 70 Possession Stats

PTS

0

REB

0

AST

0

STL

0

BLK

0

TOV

0

Efficiency

RIM FG%

69

MID FG%

48

3PT FG%

34

FT%

0

Jump to full report

Report by: Matt

Deshawn Harris-Smith

Guard Maryland Terrapins

Physically imposing combo guard with premium playmaking

Age

19.0

Height

6'5''

Weight

215

Per 70 Possession Stats

PTS

0

REB

0

AST

0

STL

0

BLK

0

Positions Defended

Offensive Role

 

Defensive Role

   

Meet Deshawn Harris-Smith

Deshawn Harris-Smith, an incoming freshman at Maryland, has the appearance of the combo guard prototype.

Let’s walk through that. You’re looking for a combo guard, someone who doesn’t need to be a primary but still capable of traditional guard things. They may not be the most technically proficient at traditional guard traits like shooting and running pick and roll, but benefit your team by having elements of wings and maybe even bigs. Not as much depth of skill in the strengths, but fewer weakness overall to exploit.

While Deshawn Harris-Smith is just okay-to-good at traditional guard things, he is both creative and brutal in integrating big man skills. In addition, his rate of improvement in traditional guard skills, when combined with his athleticism, make him a potentially devastating player on both ends of the court.

The Pedigree

  • Four-star recruit ranked No. 26 nationally and as the top prospect out of Virginia
  • Led Paul VI to the VISAA Division I State Championship and the WCAC Tournament final
  • As a senior, averaged 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game
  • Played on the AAU circuit with Team Takeover where he was named first-team all-tournament at Peach Jam after averaging 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

via University of Maryland

The Offense

Starting with the guard stuff, DHS is not a very capable ballhandler for a guard but he is a functional one. His moves are limited to in-and-outs and single wide crossovers, but DHS is able to draw myriad fouls off of these simplistic moves. Harris-Smith commits hard to his decisions but also has the spatial awareness to know where he can fit in moves and which path is blocked.

At his level of physicality, a path is rarely completely blocked for DHS.

He consistently gets a step on his opponent with quick yet powerful strides, then easily keeping his spot with strength. This size and speed alone is enough to draw help, even with only simplistic set-ups.

A theme of Harris-Smith’s game is improvement, too – his handle advancement over the past year has been impressive. His counters have become more refined and flow directly into gathers. Limiting that time between move and finish is the key for DHS, meaning his defender can’t take a moment’s rest. DHS’s certainty in his driving makes him so difficult to stop, especially at the high school level. More finishing polish will need to come, but considering Harris-Smith is already ahead of the curve there, I have confidence improvement will continue.

It’s at this point we need to discuss Harris-Smith’s touch: it’s extremely good. Considering his reputation as a non-shooter and his bulky frame, it can be a bit surprising to see DHS organize perfectly for a textbook floater over an outstretched rim protector’s arms. But he has shown himself capable of this, time and again.

Here already we have multiple ways that DHS can beat you, as it only takes a little bit of daylight for him to insert himself with first step and hold that position with his strength. Yet again: he’s intentional not just in his initial set up and commitment but also in finishing plays. That level of dedication to his execution is a rarity at his age, a good sign for his college viability in combination with his athletic tools. DHS, simply, is game for the task.

The above is my favorite DHS clip, because it shows the gargantuan amount of space he can create from a well-timed cross, as well as how he games for a foul while still protecting his floater, with the touch to convert regardless. Even without a complex handle, Harris-Smith’s decisiveness in attacking, small-space excellence and surprisingly feathery touch for his size mean constant access to his scoring spot. This speaks to his deceleration ability as well: one would expect a tank-like driving fiend to cause a high frequency of offensive fouls, but that is not the case with his control over pace.

Still, DHS can be a bit pre-determined in his moves, heavily favoring his left. But with outlying strength for his position, it often does not matter. The first step can win out even when obvious, and once he gets into the lane his touch is devastating to a defense.

The passing, meanwhile, is nothing special, but still good for a guard. Over my tape watch he acted more as a play finisher, but still displayed acumen and capability for most types of standard reads. In true combo guard fashion, DHS’s skillset looks more interesting when your sprinkle in the physical elements with the guard skills.

He is exceptional reading rebounds, and as a dawg-and-a-half will let nothing in his vicinity go without a chase. Amid the chaos he is cool, either putting the ball back right away or finding someone immediately who can.

As mentioned above, DHS is also able to create some looks out of nothing off his driving ability. That play-start -> play finish ability is what defines primaries, especially when it can look this easy at times:

Yet again, spot the decel.

To extend his counters out to the perimeter, he is developing as a more than capable pull-up shooter. This fluidity of movement was always there, but crystallized in the back half of his final high school season.

To be an effective pull-up shooter you need a healthy dose of fluidity, balance and touch: DHS has all three. The technique has been the issue, with upper body rotating inconsistently compared to lower body, but good touch can go a long way. More time to experiment with Paul VI this season has led to promising results, with his balance providing a sturdy base and exaggerating follow through serving to link up his prior energy flow disconnect.

If this improvement can continue, DHS will combine the downhill attack of a running back with a highly elevated, smooth pull-up from the perimeter if you sit or go under. A larger sample of attempts will solidify Harris-Smith’s reputation as a scorer, but so far we’ve seen him shoot 42% on 72 catch and shoot threes and 27% on 51 pull-up threes, according to Synergy EYBL and HS data. That’s very good for someone with shooting questions, especially considering the pull-up shooting went from 0% in 2022 EYBL to 43% in his 2022-23 high school season.

The catch and shoot technique still needs some polishing, but I’d be surprised if anyone considered it unworkable. The upper body is nice, fully extended and consistent upon release. The lower body needs some work in the gather stage, getting a bit stuck as is the risk for bulkier players. DHS can overload his front foot with his upper body weighing down on the ankles, a problem likely fixed through feet-realignment.

The handle has improved as well, going from never using his right to capable of bringing it up and initiating dribble moves with both hands. His left handle has some complexity, especially powerful in combination with his long strides.

Finally, the true interior game. At his strength, DHS often found himself with post mismatches against weaker guards. He is not even the most muscle-bound, with potential strength gains from here taking him from ~80th percentile strength for position to…well, the sky’s the limit with his wide base, rounded shoulders and functional physicality. And, well, his desire to make you pay.

Once again, we see Harris-Smith’s ability to use strength and touch decisively.

Bulldozer on the block.

We already had a nice baseline of offense, but this potentially takes us to the stratosphere. While guard post ups are not exactly the most common set at any level of play, this prevents smaller, quicker guards from matching up with him. Instead he must be matched by someone he’s likely going to beat off the dribble, instead.

I have implied but should say explicitly as well: DHS is a dawg and a half. If he gets you in a disadvantageous position, he’s going to punish immediately, and posting near the basket works as well as driving towards it.

In fact, he was even used occasionally as a pick and roller:

His sense of timing and physicality make him a threat on the offensive glass as well. DHS is one of the best guards I’ve seen at reading how a ball will fly off the rim, knowing his angles and how to find positioning.

The passing looks more like a creative shooting guard than a true point, but DHS rarely makes mistakes with the ball. He takes pride in being a ball custodian as much as he does as a scorer, but also has the creativity and sense of timing to spot exactly when someone breaks open.

But his passing also reflects another theme: DHS is extremely good in small spaces for such a big guard.

His control over his stride length and speed allows him these moments of playmaking unavailable to less dynamic players.

Overall, Deshawn Harris-Smith looks like an immense driving threat coupled with a smattering of premium skills. If the pull-up fluidity is real, handle improvement is real, and the right can continue to develop overall, he could be a very tough cover even at the NBA level.

The Defense

Deshawn Harris-Smith has just as, if not more, compelling case to be an NBA player on the defensive end, with flashes of dominance here as well.

As you might guess, DHS’s physicality carries over to his defense. He has some Lowry-esque sensibilities helping near the hoop, ready to take a charge or strip the big, but mostly is just consistently in the right place. While he doesn’t have elite hands like Kyle, they are good and active, and he has shown the ability to palm the ball off a rebound. More importantly, we see strong understanding of how plays will develop, keeping focus despite his large offensive usage.

I love Harris-Smith as a screen-runner. He accelerates the moment he notices one coming and gets surprisingly low given his bulk to fight through. One senses the running back background once again: the change of speed while alternating between getting skinny and staying strong is a hallmark of many of the NBA’s great athletes.

A consistent theme of his defense is constantly just getting in his opponent’s way:

His scheme orientation is sound, maybe not 99th percentile processor but vigilant and on top of his responsibilities. But with DHS it’s mostly about the physical tools, primed for defensive playmaking. Harris-Smith is willing to use whatever is at his disposal, whether volleyball spiking the ball out to his teammates:

Or, as he is often found, mixing it up inside:

Or even skying in for some occasional weak side rim protection:

I have little concern on the defensive end for Deshawn Harris-Smith, shown time again he can hang physically with the toughest of his age group. He will get a ton of steals but more importantly stay physical and active on the defensive board. The athletic profile makes him perfect for NBA shooting guards, with elite screen-running and an understanding of how to be in the right place.

The Outlook

I mentioned at the start that DHS is “a combo guard’s ideal vision of a combo guard.” Taking a step back and looking at his skillset in total, we can see that idea formed.

What do you want in an ideal combo guard?

Some point guard responsibilities? DHS has:

  • An eye for advantage passing, particularly off of drives
  • Ball custodian instincts
  • The touch to hit floaters

Some shooting guard responsibilities? DHS has:

  • The ability to dominate downhill
  • A convincing and still-developing pull-up outside shot
  • Ball movement instincts

But the real benefit of a combo guard is that you can give up a little of these skillsets in exchange for something better: big man skills. Want those in a guard? DHS has:

  • Screen-setting ability
  • Elite rebounding instincts
  • Constant physicality

But what makes me really excited about DHS is he has star upside in each of those three skillset areas. If his handle continues to improve his passing instincts could shine further; if his footwork improves even somewhat he could be a devastating catch and shooter; DHS is not even at his optimal physicality at 19 years old, imagine how difficulty he’d be to cover with even more strength or additional quickness to balance it out.

Deshawn Harris-Smith is a team-builder’s dream at guard. He can get downhill and take the more difficult assignments playing off a primary; he can be a minutes-eater with his physicality; he can lead some second-units bringing the ball up; he can switch onto every position. Whew.

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