The Charlotte Bobcats signed former Syracuse forward James Southerland. Southerland, a 6’8″ senior from Bayside, N.Y., helped the Orange reach the Final Four in the 2013 NCAA tournament. After going undrafted, the Bobcats gave Southerland an opportunity to win a job in camp.
Southerland enjoyed a breakout senior campaign, where he averaged career highs of 13 points and five rebounds per game. The 23-year-old has a 7’1’’ wing span that causes havoc on the defensive end, forcing 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per contest his senior year.
Southerland’s biggest NBA asset seems to be his 3-point shooting ability. He shot a career-high 39 percent from downtown in his final year for coach Jim Boeheim. Southerland was named to the All Big East tournament team after setting the Big East Tournament record for 3-point field goals made in a single tournament with 17-including a 6-6 showing against Pittsburg.
His three point shooting ability should be able to translate into the NBA. Southerland is a very streaky shooter and when he gets hot, he’s hot. He is a great catch and shoot guy and releases the ball quickly. Southerland’s midrange game needs some more work before we can label it “NBA Ready”. Additionally, he probably will not be able to create his own shot which will make him a one dimensional player on the offensive end.
Defensively he might be a liability. At 6’8’’ and 221 pounds, he is too small to play power forward, but not athletic enough to be able to defend small forwards. Additionally, he was not a great rebounder in college. Transitioning from Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense to a NBA man-to-man defense might prove to be a challenge.
I see Southerland’s ceiling as a spot-up 3-point shooter. There is no denying his ability to hit the long-range shot. The problem, however, is his ability, or lack thereof, to defend and create his own shot. I think that will ultimately hurt his chances on making the rotation and getting significant playing time.
Southerland played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors in the summer league.
[slider_pro id=”4″]