Christian Shumate is the kind of player who makes you look twice at a box score. You see the 6-foot-6 frame and think "undersized forward," but then you look at the 1,000-plus career rebounds and realize you’re dealing with a legitimate glass-eater. Most of the chatter around the Christian Shumate NBA draft process centers on whether a "tweener" from the Southland Conference can actually stick in a league that is increasingly obsessed with 7-footers who shoot like guards.
It's a fair question. Honestly, it's the only question that matters for his pro ceiling.
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The McNeese State product didn't just play in the Southland; he owned it. We're talking about a guy who won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards (2024 and 2025) and became the first player in school history to hit the "1,000/1,000/100/100/100" club—points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and assists. That isn't just a stat line. It's a testament to a motor that doesn't have an "off" switch. But the NBA is a different beast entirely.
The Physicality Versus the Position
If you’ve watched Shumate play, you know he’s a walking highlight reel. He spent years living on the SportsCenter Top 10. He finished his career at McNeese with a school-record 39 double-doubles, which ranks third all-time in Southland history. He isn't just jumping high; he’s jumping fast. His second jump—the ability to get back into the air immediately after a tip or a missed shot—is elite.
Scouts love the energy. They worry about the fit.
In the modern NBA, if you’re 6-foot-6 and you aren't a knockdown shooter, you usually have to be a defensive stopper or a high-level playmaker. Shumate is a defensive menace at the mid-major level, but at 213 pounds, can he bang with NBA power forwards? Probably not. That means he has to prove he can chase wings on the perimeter. His 2024-25 season saw him shooting roughly 31% from three-point range. That’s an improvement from earlier years, but it’s still in "needs work" territory for a guy who will likely be asked to play on the wing at the next level.
Why the Pelicans Took a Chance
The New Orleans Pelicans brought Shumate into their 2025 Summer League roster for a reason. They saw a guy who could potentially fill that "energy wing" role. During his stint in the 2025 Summer League and the subsequent preseason, he averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in very limited minutes (6.1 per game).
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It wasn't enough to stick on the final roster—the Pelicans waived him in October 2025—but it provided a clear blueprint of what he needs to do.
The path for Shumate isn't through being a primary scorer. He’s a "connector." He’s the guy who gets the extra possession, blocks a shot from the weak side, and dunks everything in sight. To make the Christian Shumate NBA draft story a successful one, he has to become a "3-and-D" specialist. Right now, the "D" is ahead of the "3."
Breaking Down the Numbers
Let's look at what the 2024-25 season actually told us about his game. He averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting a massive 62.3% from the field. That field goal percentage is a bit deceptive because so many of his buckets are at the rim. In the NBA, those easy dunks are guarded by guys like Victor Wembanyama or Chet Holmgren.
- Rebounding: 8.1 career average is no joke.
- Efficiency: 55.9% career FG% shows he knows his limits.
- Free Throws: 51.2% career average is a massive red flag for NBA scouts.
That free throw number is the one that keeps coaches up at night. If you can’t hit 70% from the stripe, teams will just hack you in the paint. It’s hard to stay on the floor in the fourth quarter when you're a liability at the line.
The G-League and the Long Game
Shumate's journey is far from over just because he was waived by New Orleans. The G-League is full of guys with his exact profile who eventually "popped." Think about players like Gary Payton II or even Kenrich Williams. They weren't blue-chip prospects. They were high-motor guys who spent years refining a single skill—usually a corner three—to complement their natural defensive instincts.
Basically, Shumate is a "bet on the person" prospect. He started 88 consecutive games. He stayed at McNeese when the transfer portal was calling his name with NIL money from bigger schools. He wanted to finish what he started with Will Wade. That kind of loyalty and character matters in a locker room, even if it doesn't show up in a PER calculation.
The reality of the Christian Shumate NBA draft profile is that he's a project. But he's a project with a very high "functional athleticism" floor. He’s never going to be the guy who doesn't try.
What He Needs to Prove Right Now
The next twelve months are critical. If he spends them in the G-League or overseas in a high-level European league, scouts will be looking for three specific developments:
- The Corner Three: He doesn't need to be Steph Curry. He just needs to be reliable enough that his defender can’t ignore him.
- Lateral Quickness: He has to prove he can stay in front of NBA-level point guards on a switch.
- Free Throw Consistency: Getting that percentage up to at least 65% is non-negotiable.
Honestly, the "tweener" label is slowly dying in the NBA. Teams want "positionless" players now. If Shumate can guard 1 through 4, his height doesn't matter as much. But "positionless" is only a compliment if you can actually play every position you're assigned.
For anyone following the Christian Shumate NBA draft trajectory, the takeaway is simple: don't count out the guy who holds the school record for games played and double-doubles. He’s a winner. He helped McNeese get their first-ever NCAA Tournament win over Clemson in 2024. You can't teach that kind of "clutch" gene, but you can certainly teach a jump shot.
If you're looking to track his progress, keep a close eye on the G-League transaction wire. Most players with his rebounding rate and defensive hardware eventually find a way to earn a 10-day contract. From there, it's just about making the most of those six minutes of floor time.
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Keep an eye on his shooting splits in whatever league he lands in next—that is the true barometer for his NBA future. If the three-ball starts falling at a 35% clip, he’ll be back on an NBA bench before you know it.