Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician is putting a bow on the 2011-12 Syracuse Orange basketball season by recapping how each scholarship player performed and looking forward to what lies ahead in 2012-13. In honor of their status as student-athletes (insert Fab Melo joke here) we will score each player’s performance on an A-F scale, and offer some suggestions on what they can work on in the offseason (a.k.a. "summer school").
Kris Joseph
Height: 6’7"
Year: Senior
Position: Forward
Number: 32
MPG: 32.2
PPG: 13.8
RPG: 4.9
APG: 1.7
Passing Grades:
Kris gave us great consistency all year, at least in the scoring department. Even on an off night, Kris could generally be counted on for 10-15 points. He's a solid three point shooter, he's great in transition, and he's a pretty good finisher at the rim when he commits to taking the ball to the rack. He also shoots well from the line which helps his effectiveness as a dribble-drive player.
Kris Joseph Senior Memories (via suathletics)
Needs Work:
Kris is at his best when he attacks the rim and gets to the line, but he tends to shy away from the ball and settle for jumpers far too often. He also has a very suspect handle. When Kris catches and makes a move right to the hoop he's okay, but when he over-dribbles he becomes incredibly turnover-prone. He also disappears on the boards. He only had one double digit rebounding game this season, against Virginia Tech at MSG.
A lot has been said about the fact that Kris hasn't really improved much since his sophomore year, and it is a fair point, but that's just the way it is with some players. Some max out their potential earlier than others, and just become the player they will always be much earlier than expected in their careers. This doesn't mean that Kris isn't a hard working basketball player. I think his solid improvement in his three point shooting from his sophomore to his junior and senior years shows that.
Summer School:
In order to carve out an NBA career Kris needs to continue to improve his jump shooting, which to his credit he's done very well since his sophomore year. He needs to become a better dribbler, as well as be more efficient in his dribbling. He also could use some time in the weight room, because he's going to need to rebound better. I don't see a reason why Kris can't be a decent defender at the NBA level, as he's a very good athlete, but he got caught sleeping once in a while in the zone. Kris will get drafted, probably in the second round, but he has a lot to work on if he wants to make it to a second contract.
Final Grade: B