Golden State Warriors: Dewayne Dedmon The Next Training Camp Invite

The Golden State Warriors agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with Dewayne Dedmon, a big man from the University of Southern California.

Dedmon stands at 7′ and weighs 255 pounds, which is good size for a player looking for an NBA spot. He was the anchor of the defense for his USC team as he was the leader in rebounds, blocks and steals.

Looking at the current frontcourt situation of the Warriors, it seems like Dedmon will not really have much of a chance at all to make the rotation unless he stuns everyone at training camp. This signing looks more like the Warriors looking to the future and wanting to cultivate their own big man.

Among the qualities that Golden State must have seen in Dedmon are his measurements mentioned earlier, his athleticism and speed and, most importantly, his potential and upside. Though already 24 years old, one sign of his upside is that he only began to play basketball when he was 18.

Most of Dedmon’s damage comes on the defensive side of the floor, as he doesn’t really have any sort of go-to move in the paint and never saw that much touches as the fifth-leading scorer for USC. However, he did post a 20.1 PER last year even with his lack of offensive skill.

As is the case with many physically gifted and raw players, he also needs to learn to not be so foul-prone. He was ninth in the PAC-12 in total fouls with 93.

If Dedmon makes the team, he’ll most likely be sent down to the D-League to work on his game and he should be able to grab a lot of minutes there. He’ll have to prove himself on the Santa Cruz Warriors with big man teammates Jeremy Tyler and Hilton Armstrong.

Taking into account his late introduction to basketball, it’s understandable that the Warriors may see his rapid improvements so far continue at the NBA level. In a league where big men rule the market, it never hurts to add another player with potential.