NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part III)

(A/P)

With the days before the 2009 draft dwindling, it is fitting to discuss the last, but certainly not the least, USC Trojan men's basketball player eligible to be drafted on Thursday, namely, DeMar DeRozan. The University of Southern California has been blessed to have had two of the most talented “one-and-done” players over the past two seasons with O.J. Mayo and DeMar DeRozan. While DeRozan and Mayo were two high profile talents destined to parlay their time at USC into the riches of the National Basketball Association, their styles of play could not have been more different. In many respects, DeRozan is the “anti-Mayo,” mustard to his mayonnaise if you will.

Bursting onto the California scene two years ago, Mayo possessed a willingness to take control of the game with a “shoot-the-lights-out” mentality. In truth, there was never a shot that Mayo didn't like, something that garnered both endearment as well as irritation with the Trojan faithful. DeRozan, on the other hand, developed slowly as the season began, dogged by the expectations that he would be the second-coming of the incredibly talented and “shot-happy” Mayo. However, little by little, as the season progressed, DeRozan's game on the hardwood blossomed into something that was equally enthralling as well as beautiful to watch.

By the time that the Pac-10 Tournament began, there was no Pac-10 player hotter than DeRozan, who seemed to impact every aspect of the game, whether it was a timely rebound, a tempo-changing steal or a ferocious dunk. Without DeRozan peaking at the right time, it would be safe to say that the Trojans would not have had their incredible run, which included capturing the Pac-10 title as well as getting a first-round upset victory over the Boston College Eagles in the NCAA Tournament.

During the Pac-10 Tournament, DeMar mowed down the competition by shooting at a high percentage (57.5 percent) and averaging 21 ppg, an astounding 9 rpg, as well as 2.3 apg for the Trojans. His performance earned him the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament award.

Towards the end of DeRozan's first and only season with the Trojans, many believed that he had in fact not lived up to his highly touted potential. Oh how views can change over the course of just a few games. DeRozan's development is something that has NBA scouts and front-office personnel salivating over and looking for ways to score the multi-tooled and uber-talented DeRozan.

For the 2008-2009 season, DeRozan put up a solid stat line of 13.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field earning him All-Pac-10 Freshman honors.

For the current draft, there are a number of intriguing possibilities and teams, who are very much in need of a talent such as DeRozan’s. Bryan Colangelo and the Toronto Raptors, who hold the 9^th pick, are said to be very high on DeRozan after he came for a visit. The Raptors, after dealing away Jason Kapono to the 76ers, need more wing players to take the pressure off Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. DeRozan would be a perfect complement at either the small-forward (depending on whether or not the Raptors choose to re-sign Shawn Marion) or the shooting-guard position (where there greatest talent is Anthony Parker).

The Knicks (and coach Mike D'Antoni), who have the 8^th pick, are another team that would seem to have a man of DeRozan's talents high on its wish-list. The Knicks might be angling for one of the high-profile point-guards such as Ricky Rubio or Brandon Jennings. However, there is no denying the fact that they could use a high-flyer such as DeRozan, especially in the system that D'Antoni employs in New York.

There are two teams that I believe are wild-cards in this big card game that is the NBA Draft and they are the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors. The Timberwolves are included in this discussion because of the recent trades they made in order to secure the 5^th pick in the draft. The Timberwolves now hold the 5^th and 6^th picks and it is not inconceivable for the team to take a chance on the former Trojan, especially after trading another former Trojan (O.J. Mayo) in a draft-day deal for Kevin Love in the previous draft a year ago.

With Don Nelson at the helm, the Golden State Warriors, who hold the 7^th pick, are never a team to underestimate, especially when it pertains to acquiring another guard. While the Warriors might appear to be loaded from top to bottom at the point-guard, off-guard and small-forward positions, history has shown us that the franchise will not hesitate to add another player to the ever-growing talent at the wing positions. They may have promised Monta Ellis that they would not draft a point-guard in this year's draft, but that doesn’t mean they might not take a chance on the talented DeRozan.

Stay tuned for NBA Draft updates tonight and tomorrow regarding your USC Trojans.

For More Info:

NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part I)

NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part II)