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Measurables:
At the Portsmouth Invitational, a yearly showcase for seniors attempting to break into the league, Pinkston measured in at 6-foot-5, 247 with a 7'0.5 inch wingspan and a 8'8 standing reach. This makes him short for an average small forward let alone his true position of power forward, but with a wingspan and standing reach that at least put him in the ballpark.
Pinkston would be tiny for a small forward in a typical NBA rotation and projects to have to play bigger than that in what could be best described as a combo forward type. Oddly enough despite his bulky size, of the 64 seniors at the PTI Pinkston was above average in both 3/4 Sprint and lane agility drills.
You can view a sortable table of this year's results at DraftExpress.
The Stats:
| SEASON | MIN | FGM-FGA | FG% | 3PM-3PA | 3P% | FTM-FTA | FT% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | TO | PTS | ||
| 2014-15 | 25.9 | 2.8-6.3 | .453 | 0.0-0.2 | .000 | 4.1-5.2 | .777 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 9.7 | ||
| 2013-14 | 27.1 | 4.7-9.0 | .521 | 0.2-0.9 | .258 | 4.4-6.0 | .744 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 14.1 | ||
| 2012-13 | 26.1 | 4.0-8.6 | .464 | 0.3-1.1 | .270 | 5.0-7.1 | .710 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 13.3 | ||
| 2011-12 | 25.9 | 3.0-7.4 | .408 | 0.5-1.3 | .366 | 3.1-4.6 | .669 | 5.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.6 |
9.6 |
What to take from the numbers: Pinkston was asked to take less shots at a senior and Villanova was able to play a more balanced line-up. This isn't a slight on JVP as Villanova relied on him more on the defensive end than as a scorer. More on how that will affect his status later.
Honors:
2015 BIG EAST Honorable Mention, 2014 All BIG EAST Second Team, 2013 All BIG EAST Third Team
Strengths:
Pinkston's strength is.... well... strength. He has a compact, powerful frame that allows him to bang bodies with players much larger than him. He was known throughout his college career as one who could bully his way into the paint and score through contact. This also helped him on defense, as he could hold position on the low block against players much larger than him. Pinkston is able to draw contact and get to the line, but ultimately, would prove to be a below average offensive threat in the NBA due to his lack of vertical ability and mediocre mid-to-long range jump shot.
Pinkston's defense could be the one thing that helps him get into the NBA. He showed on numerous occasions he was capable of taking over at the 5 on defense during spells where Villanova's only true center, Daniel Ochefu was on the bench. This means, that if he were to find his way onto a team, they could be confident that he could hold his own defensively defensively NBA 4-men who average around 6'10. His long arms and strong frame will go a ways towards this factor.
Weaknesses:
Pinkston took less three pointers in his senior year than any year prior. To really up his stock in the NBA, he would have needed to show that he could stretch the D by improving his 3 point shot. That really hurt him this year. Offensively, Pinkston will really struggle to score over NBA post men. He struggled against taller and more athletic teams in college who had the talent to defend him without fouling him. That will be the case everyday in the NBA. He has the game of a 4 man, but the size of a 2 or 3. This is what hurts. If Pinkston were 6'10, we'd be talking about a first round talent.
Projection:
Pinkston's inability to stretch the D combined with his limited vertical and smallish (for the NBA) stature are going to be major hindrances in his pursuit of an NBA career. He may be able to catch on somewhere as an undrafted rookie and try his luck in the D League, but it is unlikely that his size and game will ever translate to the NBA. Pinkston would have great chances of catching on somewhere in Europe and would bring a physicality overseas that is very rare to the foreign game.