Jared CohenWisconsin’s Sam Dekker became a household name by the end of the 2015 NCAA Torunament.
Led by he and Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers when on an incredible run to the national championship game going through North Carolina, Arizona and handed Kentucky their first loss of the season in route to a National Championship appearance against Duke.
In the six NCAA Tournament games that Dekker played, he made 14 total three point shots and averaged 19 points per game. Many since consider him a sure-fire first round pick but in the eyes of Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough, that was the case before the Tournament.
“He really elevated his game and elevated his play and there is no question that he helped himself,” said McDonough. “As far as stock going into the tournament, it’s not something we really determine, but he was a first round candidate one way or another.”
“If it did help it than good!” mentioned Dekker after his workout with the Suns when asked about his draft stock after the Tournament. “I was just trying to go out there and play well and it happened to work out pretty well for myself and the team…I just try to play my game every day and get better and come draft day we will see what happens.”
So is Dekker a fit for the Suns if he is there at 13. It has been addressed already that likely needs for the Suns is size and a post presence or a shooter. Believe it or not, Dekker has the potential to encompass both of those categories being 6-9 and having the ability to play in the post on both ends of the floor and as we saw in March Madness, he possess the ability to hit from the outside.
“He shoots it pretty easy,” explained McDonough. “He’s got a high release, a high arcing shot, he’s obviously got good size and strength being about 6-9. So we like his versatility.”
“He’s able to step out to the three=point line and make shots behind the line, but he is also able to catch on swing passes and attack close outs and get all the way to the basket and finish,” he added. “He showed some nice things in transition. He’s a pretty fluid athlete so I think at times you don’t realize how big he is until you see him finish and go dunk real easily on the break.”
Dekker’s versatile and his ability to possess a finesse game for his size is something he believes would be a good fit for Phoenix’s style of play.
“Something I like to do is get out in the open court and using my athleticism,” Dekker stated. “Just putting the defense on their heels. That’s something I’ve been able to do well over the course of my career and hopefully I can continue that.”
