The NBA is a hard place to be in. World class skills can no longer guarantee a player long contract. Playing basketball might be easy for some. After all, it is what these athletes have been doing all their lives, but to have a long career, work must be put in, day in and day out, and it takes focus and dedication to be able to do that. One of the players who must figure this out soon is Cavs forward Sam Dekker.
Dekker is only 24 years old and he still has a lot of time left to turn things around. Last season, he averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 73 games played for the Clippers. According to Real GM, the 6’9″ power forward shots a shade below 50 percent in the field and only sinks a measly 16.7 percent from the rainbow territory.
At his size, he is expected to haul down rebounds more or at least average a better shooting percentage. Sam Dekker is no Draymond Green, who at 6’7″ is a monster off the boards and a legit 3-point threat. The league requires big men to be a threat anywhere on the floor now, not just on the shaded lane, so Dekker, if he wants to stay in the NBA, he has to up his skills.
In a report by Adrian Wojnarowski, Dekker has a chance for a fresh start playing for a franchise still groping with the loss of its superstar.
There is an ongoing rumor in the league that the former first-round pick by the Houston Rockets lacks the mentality needed to play in the NBA. In a tweet posted by Jordan Schulz of Yahoo Sports, he believes Dekker has the talents to make it big someday, if only he puts work in.
If this trade pushes through, Sam Dekker will have NBA champions and Cavs veterans Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson as mentors. Here’s to hoping he realizes the opportunities that come his way might not knock on his door again.