#12 Utah: Sam Dekker (Wisconsin)

15 - Sam Dekker (Wisconsin)

6-9

220

SF

Wisconsin

Jr.

Birthday: 5/8/94
NBA Position: Small Forward
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 220
Hometown: Sheboygan, WI
High School: Sheboygan Lutheran
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.