Prospect Profile: DeMar DeRozan

In the days leading up to the NBA Draft, NYKnicks.com will look at the top-rated players potentially available to teams with lottery picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. We offer these profiles for fans to familiarize themselves with some of the biggest names in the draft. A player's inclusion in this series of articles is based purely on his rankings in the scouting services and mainstream media and does not necessarily reflect the Knicks organization's preferences for the June 25 Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

We continue our series with a profile of USC star DeMar DeRozan, a consensus top lottery pick according to major scouting services and numerous publications.

While it might be unfair to bestow comparisons to Kobe Bryant upon a 19-year old, it is clear that DeMar DeRozan has the ability and talent worthy enough to draw them.

Now it is all about whether or not he can put his complete package together.

DeRozan is solid on the defensive end as well. While he lacks the fundamentals and know-all to be a shutdown presence, he makes up for it with his all-world athleticism that pesters the opposition. He can also guard multiple positions thanks to his tremendous height, lateral quickness and 6-foot-9 wingspan.

In his lone collegiate season, DeRozan averaged 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He came on strong down the stretch after a slow start in which many expected the 19-year old to pick up right where last year’s freshman phenom O.J. Mayo left off.

DeRozan’s best game was in the Pac-10 title game against Arizona State, where he posted a career-high 25 points to lead the Trojans to a 66-63 upset win and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player in the process.

Even though he is a fantastic athlete, DeRozan needs to improve his ball handling. Although he has the ability to blow past defenders, he is turnover prone, averaging 2.1 per game. He also needs to work on his passing, as the ball tends to stick to him at times since he is such a lethal scorer.

Nonetheless, DeRozan has the tools to become a very special player in the NBA. While there are certainly more productive college players in this year's draft, any team that values pure talent and potential certainly rates him towards the very top of their short list.