The scout's concerns with Stirtz's game are very fair, but Stirtz has the pedigree to be a good NBA player.
Bennett Stirtz is likely one day away from hearing his dreams come true.
After receiving no Division I offers out of high school, the Liberty, Missouri, native joined forced with the one coach that believed in him - Ben McCollum - and used that one chance to blossom into one of college basketball's best players.
First it was at Division II Northwest Missouri State. Then it was at Drake. And finally it ended in the Big Ten with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where Stirtz led Iowa in scoring, assists, and steals and helped the Hawks reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years.
Though nobody wanted to take a chance on Stirtz out of high school, there's probably several NBA teams waiting to select him in the 2026 NBA Draft, which kicks off tomorrow.
The general consensus on Stirtz's NBA potential is positive, but no matter what the media says, it really comes down to what NBA personnel thinks. There are plenty of scouts out there that are probably impressed with Stirtz's game (Stirtz told HawkeyeInsider that he's worked out with six teams), but one anonymous scout did have some concerns with Stirtz's game.
The scout told Seth Davis of HoopsHQ this:
"I’m not as high on him as some people. The lack of quickness scares me, but he knows how to play. He had a great career but he always played in the same system. So the question is can he play well outside that system? He can shoot it, he’s smart, he can handle it, he can pass. He gets drafted because he wins, but the question mark is going to be on the defensive side. Who’s he going to be able to guard? Is he going to be able to get away from people? He played in about the slowest system that any coach uses at the big-time level. How much adjustment is he going to have? He has a chance to be Colin Gillespie. Can he get into the paint and finish?"
Why Stirtz Will Be A Good NBA Player
Before I give you my opinion on Stirtz, let's talk about what the scout said here. Some Iowa fans may brush these claims aside, but this scout does have valid points.
The Hawkeyes played at one of the nation's slowest paces last season (362nd in tempo per EvanMiya), which is the complete opposite of the fast-paced NBA style. Going from the snail game to the racehorse game after playing in McCollum's halfcourt style for so long will be a tough adjustment for Stirtz, but the scout pretty much answered my point for why Stirtz will be successful in the pros.
Is Stirtz going to be an All-Star defender on his future NBA team? Probably not, but that doesn't mean he's going to be a terrible defender at all. James Harden, Steph Curry, and so many others play little to no defense, but their scoring prowess covers that up.
Comparing Stirtz to two of the greatest scorers in NBA history is completely unfair, but the point I'm trying to make here is that Stirtz can play defense at an average enough level to be just fine in the NBA. Playing for McCollum for four years certainly has prepared him for that.
Creating his own shot could be a challenge early on for Stirtz, but the scout pretty much answered his own question by calling Stirtz a smart scorer. When Stirtz has the basketball in his hands, he usually makes the right play with it. And he's not afraid to flash the long-range triples, either.
Winning players make winning basketball plays, and Iowa may not have even made the NCAA tournament last season if Stirtz wasn't there to bail it out of so many close contests during the regular season.
Again, these claims from this scout are valid concerns, but Stirtz has proved that he can be a quality player in this league in the right system.
You can find out Stirtz's draft fate during ESPN and ABC's coverage of the first round on Tuesday evening. It will begin at 7:00 CT. Should Stirtz not be selected in the first round, then you can catch the coverage of the second round on Wednesday (7 CT, ESPN).
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
