Height: 6’9
Weight: 219
Year: Junior
Position: Small Forward
NBA Combine Measurements:
NBA Combine Athleticism Results:
2014-2015 NCAA Statistics:
13.9 PTS 5.5 REB 1.2 AST 52.5 FG% 33.1 3PT% 70.8 FT%
Draft Projection: Mid First Round
NBA Player Comparison: Kyle Singler
Sam Dekker had an impressive showing this past season for the Badgers after having two sub-par years prior. Dekker had glimpses of brilliance in scoring the basketball, but it wasn’t consistent enough for him to get a national spotlight. That all changed this year. Dekker shot extremely well from the floor and showed a variety of moves and takes that were nonexistent in his freshman and sophomore years to create easier baskets for him.
The junior from Wisconsin has an intriguing future ahead of him. There is no doubt that he will be drafted in the 1st round in this year’s draft, but the destination is key in determining whether he will have a successful career. In the NBA, Dekker will lack the athleticism needed to afford to be in a system that does not thrive on ball movement. If Dekker can land at 11th with Indiana or 12th with Utah, that will suite well for him, but if he lands either 13th or 14th with Phoenix and Oklahoma City, Dekker’s career will be much shorter than we had hoped and visioned.
Dekker is a good sized small forward who hopes to find a good home on draft day that will propel his NBA career. Kyle Singler was a fantastic college basketball player who had a similar hope on his draft day. He was projected to go in the 2nd round, and like Dekker, needed to fall to a team with an unselfish roster. Unfortunately, he landed with the Detroit Pistons who did not have the kind of system that was going to work for Singler and now he has faded away into a bench role with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dekker hopes for a different fate on June 25th that will hopefully get him in a system that he can thrive in as a solid role player.
Future Professional Potential: Solid Role Player Off the Bench
