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Tre Demps has had quite a career at Northwestern. In his five years in purple he's experienced two different coaching staffs, the highs and lows of the seasons, new players coming in and older ones graduating. Off the court, Tre got married and had his first daughter. If that isn't a roller coaster ride, I'm not sure what is.
On the court, Tre Demps has shown NBA potential in his four years. When he's hot on the court, he's hot and not much will stop him. Fast forward this video to the two minute mark and you can see Tre Demps hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back 3-point shots and a layup to carry the Wildcats to a win over Illinois when the two teams met in Welsh-Ryan this past February.
He led the Wildcats in scoring this year, averaging 15.7 points per game. Demps is also a strong defender. He only committed 28 fouls in the 32 games he played this year, where he averaged 37 minutes per game, showing that foul trouble is not an issue he's had.
Tre can shoot the ball from virtually anywhere on the court. He can shoot the lights out from downtown, drive in the lane, shoot layups, and he shoots well in transition. Demps does not get to the foul line often, but he also doesn't shoot well from there. He was 51/77 from the line this year, shooting 66%, the lowest percentage in his four years (not counting his true freshman year, where he only played 4 games).
Not only can he shoot the ball from anywhere on the court, but he also can find his shot on a consistent basis. There were countless moments in his Northwestern career where there would be five seconds left on the shot clock, a player would pass to him, and he would create his own shot. His ability to do this kept the Wildcats close in many games. It is thanks to Demps shooting success that the Wildcats were able to win many of the games they did.
Demps does have some weaknesses, though. He's fallen victim to shooting slumps before. This past season, he had a bad one that took place during the first half of conference play. Not only did he have a hard time shooting, but he had a hard time with assists and passing as well. He settled for bad shots early in the shot clock without passing the ball to his teammates to see what other offense could be created. There were multiple games where Demps did not collect an assist.
He can defend, but he does have some weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. In the zone, he left players wide open. Because he doesn't foul often, sometimes he fails to guard players as closely as they need to be.
So does Demps have a chance?
He's no Steph Curry, but with a little more development and more consistent shooting, Tre Demps has a fair chance to make it to the NBA. Demps was invited to the Portsmouth Inviational in April and led his team in scoring for all three games of the tournament.
After scoring a team-high 14 points yesterday, Tre Demps scored a team-high 18 today at the Portsmouth Invitational. pic.twitter.com/CZ1NjmbnNX
— NU Men's Basketball (@NUMensBball) April 16, 2016
Tre Demps posts 17 points in finale of Portsmouth Invitational. Led team in scoring all 3 games, averaging 16.3 points per game. #B1GCats
— NU Men's Basketball (@NUMensBball) April 17, 2016
His consistent shooting that he was able to regain at the end of the season has stayed with him and will be an asset to him as teams begin to look at him closely. He could become an asset to NBA teams off the bench, showcasing the ability to come in and score points off the bench with his jump shot. His clutch shooting is a unique touch and one that NBA teams will be able to use to their advantage.
Demps worked out for the LA Clippers on June 6th.
He may go undrafted, but he has a chance to be picked up in free agency and a chance to make the NBA Summer League.