James Southerland, the 6-foot-8 forward from Syracuse, worked out with the Portland Trail Blazers last week. He is considered to be a late-first to early-2nd round pick.
Southerland had a solid workout with the Blazers and could provide to be a vital tool to the team who are in need of some serious help off the bench. “I’ll be a great shooter out there to spread out the floor and give them match-up problems and bring some high energy,” said Southerland to reporters after a workout with the Blazers.
The Blazers averaged a league worst 18.5 points off the bench this past season. The Syracuse forward assumed the 6th man role last season for the Orange and helped reach his team to the Final Four.
The 23-year-old is known as a 3-point specialist, which is just what the Blazers would need coming off the bench. No bench player in Portland averaged more than one 3-pointer during the 2013-13 season. So it would be wise for GM Neil Olshey to look for someone in the draft to electrify their bench.
James Southerland played 34 games this past season averaging 13.3 points per game. He was second on the Syracuse team with rebounds at 5.2 and shot 40% behind the arc. Southerland hit an average of 2.5 3‘s a game which is well qualified for the NBA level.
The New York native is a lengthy shooter who can stretch defenses with his outside shot. Southerland has one of the quickest shot releases coming out of college and will be tough for teams to defend against. When his feet are set, he is a knock down shooter. In today’s NBA, it is essential for shooters to be tall and lengthy to shoot 3's (Steve Novak, Klay Thompson, and Ryan Anderson for example).
The 6-foot-8 forward’s NBA reel will include his amazing stretch during the Big East Tournament. He shot 12 of 15 from behind the arc in back-to-back games against Seton Hall and Pittsburgh. Southerland set a Big East Tournament record with 19 3-pointers.
But not only can Southerland shoot constantly behind the arc, he has great athleticism for a big man as well. He has dunked on numerous occasions for the Orange. His most memorable dunk is the one he had against Michigan back in April in the Final Four where Syracuse cut the deficit to 4 late in the 2nd half.
Some flaws in Southerland’s game are his inconsistency in shooting, dribbling, and turning the ball over. His on-ball defense will need some improvement as well. James Southerland is essentially a one-trick pony, but that may actually be good for the Blazers. NBA players like Steve Novak and Matt Bonner act as important 3-point specialists for their respective teams and nothing else. Southerland could provide the same spark like Novak and Bonner do during a game.
James Southerland could be a real sleeper pick at #39 for the Blazers. He is also a polished player with no real question marks because of his four years at Syracuse. He’s a 3-point shooter first and will occasionally drive to the rim as well. With the draft around the corner, and Portland thinking about who to pick at #10 in players like Cody Zeller or C.J. McCollum, James Southerland could prove to be the most important player of the draft for the Trail Blazers to improve their play next season.
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