Scouring the Nation (Part 3) - Zaccheus Darko-Kelly

In this edition of 'Scouring the Nation', I profile University of Providence's All-American guard/forward Zaccheus Darko-Kelly. Darko-Kelly projects as a 6'6 lead guard at the professional level, with the versatility to defend multiple positions on the floor and the ball skills to distribute and score on three levels. While his statistical production jumps out to most on paper (he is averaging 19.6ppg 10.4rpg & 6.0apg), Darko-Kelly's unique combination of size, handle, and vision separate him from other professional prospects at this level. He is also a clutch player who is more than willing to take the last shot for his team.

While he was tasked with most of the scoring duties a year ago, Zaccheus Darko-Kelly has transformed himself into more of a pass first weapon in 2021. Due to his long strides and advanced handle, he is easily able to beat defenders off the dribble. He is most effective with the ball in his hands and is best passing off the bounce, where his unique vision enables him to anticipate plays before they develop. He frequently draws defensive attention before connecting with a big inside, or makes the correct play looking opposite to an open three point shooter in the corner. While I mentioned that he is most effective with the ball in his hands, this does not preclude him from making the appropriate hockey assist within the flow of the offense or from properly spacing the floor for his teammates. Darko-Kelly is extremely unselfish and has built a great rapport with his teammates, and will defer to them when appropriate.   

In terms of his scoring prowess, Darko-Kelly is most effective downhill attacking the basket, where he can utilize his solid length and athleticism to finish. 

While he currently does a nice job of completing plays through contact at the rim, he must work to develop physically (adding more muscle) in order to be able to finish against professional defenders. Importantly, Darko-Kelly's first step is above average and his hangtime and shiftiness with his body should enable his dribble drive game to translate at the professional level. When overplayed, Darko-Kelly will go back door or counter with a pull up shot from the midrange, consistently keeping his defenders off balance. He also sports a reliable floater in his arsenal.  

In terms of his range, Darko-Kelly is a serviceable three point shooter, but he has been relatively inconsistent in 2020-21, starting off the year in a bit of a shooting slump (shooting 33.3% in 2020-21 vs. 42.5% in 2019-20).  While he occasionally nails shots off of good ball rotation, he must continue to refine this aspect of his game, as most of his three point makes come off the bounce. In terms of his technique, Darko-Kelly has a tendency to shoot off balanced. Additionally, he tends to fan his follow through off to the right side (moving right to left, possibly due to hand placement), which leads to less consistent results. If he continues to refine his mechanics and work on shooting off the catch, he will make notable strides on the offensive end. Couple this with a viable strength training program and the sky is the limit for his upside.

Darko-Kelly is a reliable midrange shooter as well, and does a nice job of utilizing his dribble to create space. 

On the boards, Darko-Kelly has been particularly effective on the defensive glass at this level. However, I would not expect this to translate to the pros; instead, it should serve as a strong indicator of his excellent athleticism and nose for the ball. He is not physically imposing boxing out his opponents and was often in position to grab rebounds on this end because he was the tallest player on the floor for University of Providence (and tasked with guarding the opponent's big man). This is supported by the fact that he is collecting 1.2 offensive rebounds per game. 

In terms of his defensive prowess, Darko-Kelly is truly a positionless player in the NAIA, who can guard 1-5. At the next level, due to his good length and athleticism, he is still a versatile prospect. Darko-Kelly possesses decent lateral quickness for the next level and does a nice job of utilizing his length to steal the ball or block shots. Serving as a backline defender much of the time, Darko-Kelly is blocking 1.9 shots per game and gathering 1.3 steals per contest. This productivity is impressive and underscores his versatility on this side of the ball. Additionally, given his experience defending inside, he does a nice job of walling up (going straight up) his opponents without fouling. He is vocal on this end of the floor as well. In terms of his defense on the perimeter, where he would play at the next level, Darko-Kelly must improve his closeout recovery timing and not bite as much on ball fakes. While he is effective steering his man out of bounds, Darko-Kelly must work to exhibit the same effort and intensity at all times on the defensive end. He has a tendency to foul (3 Fouls Committed per 35mins of game-time), mainly when he is caught in the air. A professional strength training regiment will also bolster Zaccheus's ability on this end.

Overall, Zaccheus Darko-Kelly is one of the most unique pro prospects playing in the NAIA. His versatility, team mentality, and projectable skillset on both the offensive and defensive ends bode well for his long term upside. 

Image Courtesy of montanasports.com, Video Courtesy of University of Providence Youtube Channel