[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2025 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Jaland Lowe
Frame: 6’2″, 170 lbs
Position: Guard
Team: Pittsburgh Panthers
2025 Draft Age: 20
Stats via www.sports-reference.com

Offense

Coach Jeff Capel has empowered Lowe in his second season to take the reigns as the team’s primary ball handler. His usage has skyrocketed from 21.7 percent to 30.0 this season, with the next highest player being senior guard Ishmael Leggett at 24.4 percent. In this increased role, Lowe has flourished with an average of  5.9 assists per game and an assist percentage of 31.2 percent. He thrives at getting his defender on his back through snake dribbles, where he can probe into the paint and bait defenders to collapse, then kick the ball out to an open teammate. 

Lowe excels at finding his big men positioned at the dunker’s spot, where he frequently dumps the ball for an assist and an easy two points. Despite his success, he is susceptible to turnovers, especially when defenses collapse on him with physical wings. Lowe might lose his dribble when a strong-side defender stunts as he drives to the basket (2.8 turnovers with a turnover percentage of 16.1 percent). Overall, Lowe is a willing passer who will pass up an open shot for a better look. 

Through his first two years of collegiate basketball, Lowe has been best known for his scoring ability with the potential to go on a run at a moment’s notice, particularly from behind the arc. However, he is shooting 28.6 percent from three on 84 attempts (41.7 percent assisted). Lowe’s inability to handle size and physicality is the biggest reason these percentages are so low, with a 50.5 true shooting percentage. He has a good chance of making the shot when he can come off a ball screen and step into his shot undeterred or sidestep into a clean look. Lowe almost pushes the ball in his shooting motion, which leads to his release being slightly lower than you would prefer. When the defense can get through said ball screen and contest his shot, he has difficulty getting it off cleanly. Lowe is also prone to taking low-percentage shots early in the shot clock, which is excellent when hot but otherwise leads to a miss. He is a career 88.3 percent shooter from the free throw line on 154 attempts, which suggests he has had poor shooting luck thus far to a degree but will have to adjust to help make the Pitt offense run more sound.

These same shooting woes translate to mid-range, where Lowe is at 35.5 percent on 76 attempts (7.6 percent assisted). Lowe prefers to utilize side steps and step-backs inside the arc to get clean looks from the mid-range, which he can do against similar-sized players—using change-of-pace moves and long crossovers to get to his spots. When guarded by big men such as Duke’s Khaman Maluach or wings such as Kon Knueppel, Lowe can struggle to create the space necessary to get off his shot cleanly. He has a floater with his left hand that he likes to use when off-balanced or unable to plant and shoot a pull-up jumper. 

At the rim, Lowe figures better to the eye test, as he primarily uses scoop layups with his left hand. He can use his body to shield the ball better from opposing big men this way, but as previously mentioned, he can still struggle with physicality. Against quality rim protectors, Lowe has to adjust his body mid-air, which leads to a harder look. He finishes primarily with his left hand but will use his right hand when necessary; however, he does not have the same level of touch as his off-hand. He is shooting 50.0 percent at the rim on 72 attempts while being assisted with 16.7 percent of these shots.

 

Defense

Lowe’s size also causes problems for him on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having a good motor, he struggles to stay in front of quality offensive players on the ball. He has quick feet and often keeps his man in front of him, but his frame makes it difficult for him to contest shots. He does have solid hands, which he can use to poke the ball free from bigger ball handlers, averaging 1.9 steals per game, with a steal percentage of 3.1 percent. He does struggle as a pick-and-roll defender to get through ball screens, leaving the offense with a two-on-one opportunity.  

Off the ball, Lowe has shown he can make the proper rotations. He usually sprints to cover a rolling big man as a weak-side defender. Again, his size doesn’t allow him to offer much resistance, but the effort is there. He is doing a good job of navigating off-ball actions when multiple passes away and keeping his man in his vicinity. He can get caught ball-watching as a strong side defender or one pass away, typically giving his man an open look. 

Looking Ahead

Lowe has been given the keys to the Pitt offense in his sophomore season. He thrives at attacking gaps in the defense and gets to the point where he can dish out to teammates for open looks or find his big men on the block for easy twos. However, his shooting from all three levels is questionable, and Lowe struggles with physicality. Given his deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball, he will have to answer questions at the next level. 

Lowe projects to be a late second-round pick as a bench guard who can give an offense some playmaking and sparkplug scoring, with the potential to be a legitimate third guard in a rotation.