Saint Joseph’s Forward Rasheer Fleming a First Round Pick?

Junior power forward Rasheer Fleming has unlocked a new level to his game this year, averaging 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Saint Joseph’s Hawks.

While his name didn’t receive much traction in draft conversations earlier in the season, his newfound success from long range — namely a 43.2 percent success rate on his 132 three-point attempts — has him working his way into the mix… including as a late first round selection in Bleacher Report analyst Jonathan Wasserman’s March 2 mock draft (one which also contained Villanova forward Eric Dixon).

While the exact draft order won’t be finalized until season’s end, Wasserman predicted that Fleming will fall to the Indiana Pacers with pick No. 23, citing his combination of defensive ability, three-point shooting and ability to play as a stretch-4.

The last Hawks player drafted in the first round was Deandre’ Bembry back in 2016.

With the A-10 Tournament set to begin on Wednesday, March 12, Fleming could soon receive a chance to showcase his talent on the national stage. Saint Joseph’s currently occupies the No. 5 seed in the conference, but could climb as high as the No. 3 spot if the final week of the regular season breaks their way.

Level of competition in a mid-major conference like the A-10 could give some scouts and general managers pause, but with one year of eligibility remaining, Fleming possesses the freedom to enter his name into the draft and then withdraw it if he thinks he could boost his stock further… although any first round selection is hard to pass up on.