Boogie Ellis in NBA Draft: Is USC's 6'3" guard a projected 1st round pick? Exploring his chances of making it into NBA

At the core of what made USC basketball tick this season was the motor of 6-foot-3 guard Rejean Tramain "Boogie" Ellis. The senior leads the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game while also adding 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals.

This is his second season at USC, with his role further growing. Ellis grew up in Southern California, where he played his high school ball. He was a highly regarded recruit coming out of San Diego Mission Bay High, ranking 33rd in his recruiting class by 247Sports and 39th by ESPN.

Ellis originally committed to Duke, but when Tre Jones announced his decision to return to the school, Ellis reopened his college search. Ellis decided on Memphis, where he spent the first two seasons of his college career. He averaged 9.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 1.5 apg at Memphis and was crowned ACC Co-Sixth Man of the Year in 2021.

After completing his sophomore season at Memphis, he transferred to USC, where he has spent the past two seasons. Ellis has taken his game to another level this year and earned All-Pac-12 honors for his strong play.

Does Boogie Ellis have NBA potential?

Boogie Ellis flirted with declaring for the NBA draft last year, but with no guarantees and a grim draft outlook, he elected to return to school. He has taken some notable strides forward this year, and massive leaps from his time at Memphis, which may have opened the door for an NBA opportunity.

However, there are still no guarantees, and Ellis will likely have to play himself into a true chance during the predraft process. He is considered a possible second-round pick, but the competition to get drafted is stiffer than ever.

Ellis is a crafty point guard who can create his own shot and effectively run an offense. However, he has a slightly slender frame and lacks a distinguished NBA skill. He is a solid shooter at 39.2% from beyond the 3-point arc, but not a high-volume shooter. Ellis is also capable of being a lead guard but is not overly advanced in his reads.

The best professional role for him would likely be as a microwave bench scorer. On the bright side, he may be able to shine in the predraft process to help lock onto a chance. Ellis still has a long way to go but will be in the mix for the next 104 days as the NBA draft inches closer.