NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/14)
Alex Christenson
Last Updated: 11/20/2023
Prior to USC, MarShawn Lloyd played two seasons at South Carolina after suffering an ACL injury as a freshman in 2020. He never saw a significant role at South Carolina but still managed to produce over 800 yards and 10 touchdowns in a split role. This year, he is excelling as the focal point of the Trojan offense, setting career numbers in yards (803) and yards per attempt (7.3).
Lloyd has a short but stout frame that allows him to lean into contact and bounce off would-be tacklers easily. He offers some physicality and even initiates it at times, but he is not overly bruising and lacks a good pad level at the point of contact. Lloyd displays decent bursts and impressive speed that allow him to sneak up on and blow by defenders who take poor angles. He marries this with plus lateral agility that leaves defenders grasping for air even if they take the correct angle. With this, he also has a knack for working north and south even when moving laterally, which is an often overlooked trait. He offers some good elusiveness within the hole and in the open field, making defenders miss more often than not.
He is best behind the line of scrimmage as a patient runner who allows blocks to set up and often sets up blocks himself by displaying an understanding of leverage. He has solid vision to find the correct hole, however, once in the second level, he doesn’t always find the cut-back lanes. His transitions from east/west running to north/south are quick and smooth, allowing him to eat up yards quickly if he has a runway. That can turn ordinary runs into huge chunk plays.
He is somewhat limited in the passing game and doesn’t run a ton of different routes but can do the basics. He has average hands, but nothing to write home about. He excels as a blocker, though, and can often lock up a pass-rusher. This will help him get onto the field in the NFL.
- Patience
- Lateral agility
- Speed
- Limited route exposure
- Pad level
- Clunky stride
- None
- 40-yard dash: 4.46s
- 10-yard split: 1.56s
- Vertical: 36″
- Broad Jump: 9’10”
- Three-cone: TBD
- Shuttle: TBD
- Bench: 25
- Early down committee back
- Gap/Interior Zone
MarShawn Lloyd has a wide range of outcomes when it comes to fantasy. He has the ability to be a huge early-down contributor who could struggle to get touches early on. But if he lands in a situation that gives him a chance to get touches early, he could take over a backfield. It is safe to assume he can carve out a committee role that will have consistent value dependent on touchdowns.
