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Rodriguez is an athletic wing who can score in transition and also defend multiple positions. He’s trying to show NBA teams he can do a variety of things.

“Just try to show them that I can play at the next level,” he said. “Just try to show them all the little things that’s going to help the team win. Just be that energy guy in practice, make everybody else better and show my talents. Show that I can shoot the ball well, I can get to the basket at any given time. I’m a great one-on-one player.

“The NBA’s different because there’s more space and you could do more things. And showing them I can defend multiple positions. That’s the key thing, switch one through four. Defensively, I can be a threat and offensively, I can get some minutes.”

4) Desi Rodriguez 6’5″ SG/SF Seton Hall

Rodriguez had an interesting career arc at Seton Hall. As a freshman he was a pest on defense and a beast on the glass, but too raw to contribute much offensively. Over time he added polish to his skill level, and his steals and rebounds declined as his offensive role grew.

His shot is a bit of a question mark, but at 37% 3P and 74% FT as a senior he has improved enough to have potential. And his 6’10” wingspan and strong frame gives him potential to switch onto bigger players.

Desi’s ability to provide secondary creation ties everything together. It is a common misperception that 3 + D players only need to make 3’s and play defense. Low usage NCAA players have a terrible NBA track record for a reason. Competent shot creation is a necessity for even low usage NBA role players, as players who cannot punish the defense on easy scoring opportunities are major offensive liabilities.

In the NBA he will likely mirror his freshman role where he can focus on defense and rebounding, while his performance as a junior and senior proves that he has the offensive competence to succeed in a low usage NBA role. If he can combine the best of both worlds and develop into a reliable shooter, he should be a useful NBA role player.

Rodriguez was a four year senior at Seton Hall, and started on the team for his last three. His points and assists per game increased every year he was on the team, leading the team in scoring his senior year with 17.5 per game in just 30.3 minutes. Desi also worked hard on his three-point shot during his collegiate years, moving from an abominable 8.3% mark his freshman year (on 0.4 attempts) to a solid 37.3% (on 4.8 attempts) in his last season.

A 6’6”, 215 pound wing, Desi is quite young for a senior, being just over 22 years old. A physical presence on the court, Desi actually went to the post a lot, especially his senior year, where he was able to bully smaller players and get to his spots. But in the NBA, Desi profiles primarily as a shooter, as he has a nice, smooth, quick lefty release, and is tall enough to shoot over most defenders.

Ranma wrote:

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