HaroldinGMinor wrote:Johnlac1 wrote:Kerb Hohl wrote:
And Dekker. I'm in the minority that thinks he stays.
Stone + Dekker staying = another top 5/10 team.
I think it would be definitely better for Dekker to stay. Without Kaminsky he's sure to increase his scoring...even if Stone signs and makes the starting five.
Right now his stock in the draft is low which might be reflective of him playing on a bad ankle the first month and one half of the season. Sam is looking much better in the recent month which might be due to an improved ankle. But the focus is still on Kaminsky. If Dekker is the star next year, his position in the draft will be much better.
Every mock I've seen has him going in the 1st round (late teens to mid 20's). Is that low to you?
Some mocks I've seen have him going that way. But some of the commentary I've read indicated that some "experts" were not impressed with his play so far this season and put him out of the first round entirely. Again, Dekker severely sprained his ankle just before the start of the season, and it took him more than a month to get it healed. During that time he still played and had some bad or indifferent games....especially a bad game against Duke. In the last month he's seemed a lot livelier.
How he plays down the stretch and in the tournament will probably be a big factor in his draft prospects. He still has flaws in his game, but has a pro body, plays defense, rebounds, blocks shots, handles the ball, and can shoot from distance off the dribble. The latter is one area he should really work on as his outside shot has flaws. But because of his athleticism he is a threat inside and outside. Sam Thompson is a better dunker, but Dekker is not far behind. And Dekker can do more things than Thompson and is a better overall player.
Incidentally, Thompson is sort of an overlooked college player...especially with D'Angelo Russell on the team. If Thompson can improve his outside shot (seems to be a common problem), he could get drafted at least in the second round.
