James Southerland Drawing NBA Interest Amid D-League Play

[RealGM Wiretap]

In the midst of elevated play with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, James Southerland has met with NBA teams at the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nev., and is maintaining discussions with three other organizations, a league source told RealGM.

Southerland scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds in the D-Fenders’ win on Monday night, averaging nearly 10 points and seven boards since joining Los Angeles. He started the regular season with the Charlotte Bobcats and played one game.

Southerland, 23, went undrafted out of Syracuse University, where he averaged 13.3 points and five rebounds and solidified himself as a knockdown shooter in his senior season. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League.

Via Shams Charania/RealGM

[Tomahawk226]

I really think Southerland can make it in the league as a stretch 4. Kid proved in college he can shoot from deep as well as mid-range, and is clutch. He may not be the tallest at 6'8" but with a wingspan over 7 feet, he can definitely succeed if put in the right situation.

[Calinks]

Stopped reading when it said he was from Syracuse.

[Carmelo]

Stopped reading when it said he was from Syracuse.

You couldn't tell from the picture?

[ADRajX]

There are always a couple guys every year that I think should be in the NBA right now. Two names that pop into my head every year are:

-Dionte Christmas (Temple standout. This guy is a really skilled player. Has good instincts for finding the hoop and getting open. Can cover the floor pretty quickly too. EDIT* Actually I just found out he finally did make it into the league this season. He's on the Suns. Nice.)

-Jermaine Taylor (UCF standout. Just a crazy athletic guard who can score in bunches extremely fast. He has put up record numbers in the NCAA and D-League scoring-wise. He's just caught a bad break on teams with too much guard depth. There are teams that need a good SG off the bench or even starting sometimes. I would be shocked if no one signs him up next year when he's healthy. In fact I think he was just about to get called back up before going down this year with an injury. He'll back healthy though and he always performs well when given the minutes.)

So there are players there that are getting good opportunities. I haven't seen James Southerland play, but good for him for getting league interest. It's good to see the D-League's functionality for developing players working. It helps the overall product.