Adam Zagoria covers the New York Knicks, Big East hoops and U.S. Open tennis for NBA.com and SNY.tv. He also appears as a Big East Basketball Insider on SNY and 1050 ESPN Radio.
With the 2012 NBA draft coming up next month, we spoke with Zagoria for a look at Syracuse forward Kris Joseph’s prospects in the NBA.
Adam Zagoria’s take: He’s probably a second round pick. He’s a little older and sometimes that can hurt you. The NBA drafts on potential and it’s almost a disadvantage if you stay in school for four years because you’re older and people think you may have maxed out your potential and capped out. He’s a terrific wing player and was probably Syracuse’s most consistent player all year. I can see him having an eight, 10, 12 year career in the NBA.
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The Juice Online’s Scouting Report:
- Strengths: Prototypical build and size for an NBA small forward… Versatile scorer… Can catch and shoot from deep… Can get in the lane and finish… Has the tools to be a solid NBA defender… Excellent athlete.
- Weaknesses: Lacks a killer instinct despite his scoring ability… Settles for the outside jumper… Though shooting improved, still only shot 34.5 percent from downtown… Not a good ball handler for a forward… Too many charges when trying to drive.
Vitals:
- Birthdate: December 17, 1988
- Hometown: Montreal, Quebec
- Position: Forward
- School: Syracuse ’12
- Height, 6’7″
- Weight, 210 lbs
Projections:
- NBADraft.net: 2nd round, 4th pick (Sacramento Kings)
- Draftexpress.com: 2nd round, 22nd pick (Golden State Warriors)
- The Hoops Report: 2nd round, 23rd pick (Boston Celtics)
Career Highlights at Syracuse: Joseph was named to the AP All-American Team as an Honorable Mention and was First Team All Big East after he averaged 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in his senior season. He led the Orange in scoring and was the winningest player in school history with 119 wins in four seasons. In his sophomore year, he was named Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.
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