After a nice performance during the 2009 edition of the Nike Hoop Summit, a lot of observers had high hopes on the French Kevin Seraphin this season. With a newly signed three-year deal for Cholet, the 1989 born and 2m05 tall inside player had however a rough start into the season as he saw several DNPs or limited minutes. But the recent roster changes gave him several opportunities to show his talent and we go over him and his potential today.
Seraphin mainly plays in and around the key. You can rarely see him step out to the three point line, except if it is for transferring the ball on side swings. With his massive body, his area where he creates the most damage is clearly in the paint. However, he can be an interesting asset in pick and roll situations but I did not see him that often in game situations going for the pick. He prefers to bang down low, post up and use his variable back to the basket game.
Down low, once he has got the ball, he can easily dominate against smaller or less physical players than himself. The jump hook looks currently to be his main offensive weapon as he can use it either by turning to the baseline or by turning to the middle. Close to the basket, he looks to be ambidextrous even if he mainly uses his right hand for the hook. However, you could see him for example go for a nice post move where he used his left hand to turn around his defender and score on an underhand finger-roll. He also shows surprising mobility and speed in the post as he can also go baseline for underhand reverse layups.
From the top, he can attack the basket with one to two dribbles, finish after a spin move or on a short jump shot. Seraphin is quite explosive off his two feet and dunks the ball with ferocity. He can run the break as a trailer but needs to be more effective on the finish of those situations as he got for example rejected on a layup attempt where he may have gone for a dunk. He showed the right reaction after that play as he has learned how to finish and concluded the next play with a massive one-handed thunder dunk after one dribbling.
Defensively, Seraphin holds his own in the low post, even if he is in trouble when he faces opponents that match him physically. He is present in the paint for block shots as he can go up quickly and reject the shots with both hands. However, he jumps a bit too often and puts himself in foul trouble situations through this. With a bit more high level experience, the 1989 born Center will avoid these situations. At least, it looks like after Nando de Colo and Rodrigue Beaubois, Kevin Seraphin is the next prospect coming out of the Cholet Basket youth systems that can get a look at in the NBA Draft, maybe even in 2010.
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1 Kevin Seraphin: Now listen to this Wizards – EuropeanProspects.com // Jun 25, 2010 at 6:19 pm
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2 Truth About It » Thoughts on The Hinrich Trade and Salary Cap Implications // Jul 8, 2010 at 4:01 pm
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