By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Baylor landed a big roster-building win earlier this month with the addition of Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr., an athletic two-way wing with a nearly 7-foot wingspan.
Skillings, a former four-star recruit, played 100 career games across three seasons at Cincinnati. He averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on underwhelming 41.7/28.1/64.4 shooting splits.
Above all else, Skillings is an athlete. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing made plenty of highlight-worthy plays for a Bearcat team that struggled to live up to preseason expectations. At his best, he has an AAU-style knack for changing the pace of the game and making nifty plays.
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Skillings’ wingspan allows him to roam freely on the defensive end. He averaged just 1.2 steals per game as a junior, but has the potential to create more with an elevated intensity level. His instincts are good, but he too often finds himself out of the play.
A controlled athlete with a wingspan nearly seven feet long, Skillings plays the game at whatever pace he wants. When he's locked in, he has the instincts to create defensive havoc + instant fast breaks. pic.twitter.com/Aa1MMgzVf2
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
The most glaring example of Skillings’ defensive positioning issues comes in the corners, where he frequently struggles to cover for backdoor cuts. While opponents rarely exploited that oversight, it wasn’t for lack of opportunity. It’s a simple fix, but one he’ll have to make to stay on the court in big moments.
Despite strong defensive instincts, Skillings frequently struggles to position himself to defend backdoor cuts.
In the clip, he shades a bit high before recovering. But you can see a more glaring example in the second screenshot — Wright has infinite room in the far corner. pic.twitter.com/Q95DegnbOu
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
Skillings is better on-ball, where he’s less prone to positionally wandering and can fully utilize his wingspan. While he’s generally a capable defender on straight-line drives, he occasionally struggles to keep up with quicker point guards due to inefficient footwork (i.e., crossing his feet instead of sliding them). Again, that’s a fixable issue, and his highlight moments give reason to believe he can improve.
Skillings often dealt with tough defensive assignments, faring better against strong players than quick ones.
Clip 1: Recovering to balance and block a shot at the 3-point line
Clip 2: Struggles to keep up with Rob Wright, giving up a layup + not recovering after the miss pic.twitter.com/uou7JUjCdN— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
Broadly, Skillings is a talented defender with great length and solid instincts. If he proves to be coachable, he should easily take a major step forward on that end. He has all the physical and mental capacity to make things work, but he’ll need to become more positionally consistent and mentally engaged.
Offensively, he thrives on off-ball cuts. Skillings’ combination of speed and change-of-direction ability gives him a leg up on most defenders, especially when they get caught ball-watching.
Offensively, Skillings makes his money cutting. His speed + change of direction give him an athletic edge over most defenders, especially when they get caught ball-watching. pic.twitter.com/6GFLbFFrLW
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
Skillings is also a solid driver and finisher, occasionally flashing highlight plays inside. He doesn’t have the prototypical playstyle to get consistent inside touches, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Scott Drew views him as the off-ball thunder to JJ White’s off-ball lightning.
Skillings is also a solid driver + finisher, flashing some occasional highlight plays. If he fills out his frame more, he could make some noise inside, though I haven't seen the type of aggression needed to get consistent inside touches. pic.twitter.com/uOhX6NCWpG
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
The red flag comes on the outside: Skillings is not a good shooter. At 28.1% from three (3.0 attempts per game) and 64.4% from the line (2.1 attempts per game) with minimal year-to-year improvement, his career numbers fail to offer much hope for improvement. His base features a heavy lean, and his overall release, while cleaner than his freshman season, could seemingly use a revamp.
Skillings is not a good shooter. He struggles with minor inconsistencies on his release, but always keeps a heavy lean (esp. in clip #4) which messes with his base. Career 64.4 FT% too.
Shot probably needs an overhaul, but still majorly improved from freshman year (see clip #1). pic.twitter.com/56iowp4t88
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
Skillings has the body type to be a successful rebounder, but he needs to identify and box out opposing players. As it stands, he mostly hangs around the perimeter or cherry-picks his own boards. If he buys into the broader team rebounding scheme, his rising tide could lift all boats.
Skillings *should* be a better rebounder than he is, but he just doesn't look to box out enough, often hanging back on the perimeter or cherry-picking his own rebound. He'll need to buy in more on the glass. pic.twitter.com/1dHjxNBls8
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) April 29, 2025
Overall, Skillings is a talented — albeit raw — two-way wing with intriguing athleticism and defensive instincts. As it stands, he’s an interesting bench option who would probably get played off the floor in a tournament setting. But if he can make reasonable improvements to his defensive positioning, rebounding mentality and, at the very least, his free-throw shooting, he could play a significant role for the Bears.
