Ilias Karmardine is starting strong for Ole Miss
Ole Miss' French point guard Ilias Karmardine has been a huge boost for Ole Miss. A breakdown of his breakout game against Memphis, and his complicated NBA Draft stock
Ole Miss made a big splash in the offseason by signing Ilias Karmardine, a 6’5”, 23-year-old French point guard who’s spent five years playing professionally. While the NCAA is in a bind with college eligibility regarding professional leagues — heightened by several players signing after a few years spent in the G League — it’s currently working out in the favor of a few schools, and Ole Miss is the biggest beneficiary thus far.
Karmardine has made a stellar first impression within his first week in Oxford, earning the famous words from college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein …
Remember the name.
Karmardine had a monstrous game against Memphis, finishing with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 stocks while shooting 11-14 from the field (3-4 from three).
Here’s what stood out to me, and some quick insight on his NBA potential.
Three plays that stood out
Ilias Karmardine has quickly showcased his versatility and creativity on the offensive end.
Karmardine showcased his ability to read coverages out of the pick-and-roll. It was more prevalent in his screen rejects. While he rejects the screen here, he identifies the mismatch and retreats dribbling to get more space to operate. In the process, he eases into a step-back jumper in the mid-range — displaying a soft touch and a methodical approach in the pick-and-roll.
Karmardine gets blitzed in the pick-and-roll here. He doesn’t waste time escaping the trap with a dazzling behind-the-back dish a pass away, which leads to the skip to the opposite wing for a Travis Perry three. His passing creativity popped in this game — although it can be risky in the form of turnovers.
Karmardine made a big, NBA-distance three off the catch. It shows a good sense of his ability to play off the ball as well as possessing the range to stretch out the defense.
Game Notes
The engine to Ole Miss’ offense
Loves to leave his feet on passes, oddly has no lift on his jumper — has the Haliburton aesthetic with both of these traits
Pure jumper with a soft touch
Has burst when identifying driving lanes especially out of rejects
Smart perimeter defender that’s long and doesn’t make mistakes
Slotted on low-side more often — is it for rebounding purposes, “hiding” him, saving energy?
Struggled with Memphis’ pressure late in the game
Is Ilias Karmardine a NBA prospect?
I was asked about his NBA potential on X yesterday. It’s complicated.
Karmardine was automatically eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft as an international prospect, as he was 22 in the calendar year of the NBA Draft. With automatic eligibility, it’s his last year as an NBA Draft eligible prospect.
Therefore, Karmardine will be eligible to sign a professional (NBA) contract at any time. So an NBA team can sign Karmardine outright after the season without him going through the pre-draft process.
It’s going to be interesting how that goes.
Karmardine has NBA tools. He has good size and length on the perimeter, while being able to play on and off the ball. He has improved as a shooter, although we have to monitor the sustainability of it. In his younger professional days, he showed more of an ability to generate defensive events.
For Karmardine, at this stage, it’d be more about whether it’s worth leaving the NIL money to take on a two-way contract, which is what he’d likely get at this stage.
This question will be one to come back to over the coming months, especially as he enters SEC play. If his early-season performance can carry over in a rigorous SEC conference play, this question and the complications of his NBA status can become louder over the cycle.
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