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15 - Sam Dekker

6-9, 220 Small Forward
Wisconsin Junior
Birthday
05/08/94 (29.9 yrs)
Hometown
Sheboygan, WI
High School
Sheboygan Lutheran
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
8
Strength
8
Quickness
8
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
7
Potential
8
Passing
7
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: Gordon Hayward

Strengths: NBA-ready body with great size and physical tools … Combo forward with a high level of versatility … Does a lot of positive things on the offensive and defensive ends well … Fundamentally sound … A threat to score from the inside and outside … Very good at attacking defenses on the drive … Solid first step, and finishes with good explosiveness … Improving as a mid-range and 3-point shooter … Has good range on his shot … Best as a spot up shooter (can lead to him being a floor spacer) … Can score effectively in the paint against smaller defenders … Able to create offense from mid-post (too quick for most PFs) … Has a strong face up game (can either attack the basket of hit face up jumpers) … Uses his size advantage and strength well while in the post, with great footwork and touch around the basket … Overall, he’s a good and crafty finisher at the rim … Very good at catching the ball on the wing, sweeping through and attacking the basket … Able to play above the rim … Has good hang time when in the air, allowing him to draw fouls or score … Explodes to the rim with power and speed off back door cuts & lob passes in transition … Moves well without the ball and is constantly in motion … Has shown slashing prowess … Not the type of player who needs the ball in his hands or have plays run for him to be effective … Runs the floor well and displays fluid movement … Correctly fills the lanes while running the fastbreak … Can handle the ball in transition … Can defend more than one position thanks to his athleticism and size … Crashes the offensive and defensive glass … Cuts from the perimeter for put backs … Great leaping ability paired with an effective box out technique … Stays active around the boards and has good anticipation … Rebounds long misses well … Not afraid to get physical, make hustle plays on both ends of the floor and put his body on the line … Good perimeter defender (lateral movement has improved and moves his feet well from side to side)… Knows how to effectively switch on ball screens as a defender on the perimeter … Stays on his man and contests shots … Good team defender … Plays hard and has a high basketball IQ … Unselfish player who looks for teammates often … Excellent at setting screens … Makes the extra pass and sees the floor well in the halfcourt and in transition … Rarely turns the ball over … Unselfish, high level teammate who plays with a lot of drive and exuberance for the game …

Weaknesses: Good athlete, but not elite … Short arms for his size and a lack of extension (6-10 wingspan) … Needs to develop more consistency on his jump shot … Good but not great shooter … Not comfortable shooting the ball off the dribble (struggles to get his shot up) … He often hesitates or takes an extra dribble before shooting … Settles for errant jump shots … Needs to develop a smoother release (releases the ball with too much force/shoots with a fling) … Currently shoots 33 percent from the 3-point line … Lacks a pull up game … Average free throw shooter … Versatile player, but not exceptionally great in any one area … Handle is solid, but does not have any dribbling moves or a crossover … Struggles to create separation from his defender … When he drives, he does so in a straight line … Still struggles with creating offense off the dribble at times … Can be bothered by opposing players length … Struggles with finishing shots around the basket when there are longer players guarding him … Does not finish consistently through contact at the rim (is improving) … Does not have the ideal strength or length to defend bigger players as a post defender … Gets pushed off his spot sometimes with trying to post up … Does not a possess a go to move in the post …  Has some difficulty at times containing athletic wings; off screens, cuts and isolations …

Notes: After playing in the shadow of NCAA National POY teammate Frank Kaminsky for much of the 2014-2015 season, Dekker has exploded throughout Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament run … Despite a huge tourney performance, took a back seat to Kaminsky this year, so just how much potential he has as a featured scorer is debatable … Proved he’s willing to take the role given to him and excel when the time calls for it … His combination of skill, size and athleticism has always made him an intriguing NBA prospect, however, he’s been shooting the ball exceptionally as of late … During the tournament, he’s averaged 21.7 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field, including 48 percent from the 3-point line … The Wisconsin native was named the NCAA Tournament West Regional most outstanding player and second-team All-Big Ten selection this season … Measured 6’9’’ in shoes, with a 6’10’’ wingspan and 229 lbs at the 2014 Nike Academy … Dekker was both Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball and Wisconsin’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 … A member of the Big 10’s All-Freshman team in 2013, and 2nd team All-Big 10 as a sophomore …

Tajh Jenkins 3/31/15

Strengths: A smooth, well rounded swingman, Sam Dekker has shown the ability to both stretch defenses, as well as put the ball on the floor and get to the rim … He shot a very impressive .391% from 3 point range as a freshman, but saw a bit of a dip as a sophomore (.326%) … Measures in at 6’9’’ in shoes and tips the scales at 229 pounds, giving he very good size for an NBA small forward … A very strong finisher at the rim (69.9% in 2013-14) Dekker has the athletic tools and size to dunk through contact and the coordination to make in air adjustments … Very good at moving without the ball has shown advanced understanding in weaving his way through screens to get open, utilizing backdoor cuts and also at breaking out for a transition dunk … Also a solid post game allows him to take advantage of mismatches … Pretty solid rebounder at 6.1 per game and 8.18 per 40 minutes … Extremely low mistake player … Only averaged 1.1 turnovers, and 1.4 fouls in just under 30 minutes per game … A very good system player, who understands the game, and has a versatile enough skill set to do a lot of different things to help his team win.

Weaknesses: Dekker needs to work on creating for himself off the dribble, despite a good understanding of angles and moving without the ball, creating his own shot is an area he needs to continue to develop … As a mid-range shooter, Dekker only shot 30.2% on 2 point jumpers and continued work on this area of his game will also aid in his shot creation … Sam is a strong, fluid athlete, but lack of great lateral quickness draws concerns about his ability to defend NBA players out on the perimeter, and a 6’10’’ wingspan isn’t quite long enough to make up for a lack of direction changing speed … Must continue to get reps on his jumper, showed real potential as a shooter as a freshman, but dipping field goal, 3 point, and free throw percentages as a sophomore must be improved on before NBA teams can really buy him as a marksman … Can blend in too much, he’s a talented player, but must work on asserting himself as a Junior …

Overall: Sam Dekker is a an intriguing prospect because of his positional size, basketball IQ, and extremely broad offensive foundation … Not an elite athlete, but a quick leaper, fluid runner, and certainly adequate by NBA standards … Last season he was a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none type player … He has a tendency to blend in too much, but if he can improve on his jump shot and establish himself as more of a go to player in 2014-15 he can cement his status as a first round pick.

Notes: Measured 6’9’’ in shoes, with a 6’10’’ wingspan and 229 lbs at the 2014 Nike Academy. Dekker was both Wisconsin’s Mr Basketball and Wisconsin’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012. A member of the Big 10’s All-Freshman team in 2013, and 2nd team All-Big 10 as a sophomore.

David Ray 8/5/14

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