By Steve DiMiceli
This is when my job gets a little easier as I'm finally onto some players who I've seen play quite a bit. Kadeem is an early favorite of mine but I'll try to objectively evaluate his performance.
What he did well
Kadeem struggled early but got better as the season went along. He has a smooth three point stroke with good arc and rotation. Taking away his six misses from three to begin his career, he shot .428 on the season. and in Atlantic 10 play, he shot .451. His defense also improved and he presented as fiercely competitive on both sides of the court. He was able to match up with just about anyone from 3-5 on defense. He had good hands and rebounded fairly well. He followed his shots and cut in from the perimeter to create chances for put backs. Kadeem played it very safe in his freshman year and did not take many risks or make many mistakes. As a result he took very good care of the ball and amassed a 1.2 : 1 assist to TO ratio.
What he didn't do well
Kadeem didn't do much off the dribble this year and stuck mostly to the perimeter on offense. 62% of the shots came from three and he will need to do more than rely on his jumper to be effective and keep defenses honest moving forward. Kadeem would disappear for long stretches for sometimes what felt like a couple of games. He didn't always move much off the ball. He was often in poor position for defensive rebounds.
Outlook
Kadeem has the potential to be one of the best 3 point shooters in the league, but he can't rely on it as much as he has. He needs to move better off the ball, make cuts and not just wait for his shot. We will need Kadeem to score inside regularly if we hope to take steps forward next year. He should be able to play better defense if he does not have to defend entirely in the post. He is quick enough that his perimeter defense should get better. He needs to add a few more pounds to be more effective rebounding but not as much as some of his teammates. By his senior year, I could see him as a 6 board a game player. Kadeem along with PJ Torres give the Dukes two strong candidates to breakout and contend for the A10's most improved player in 2012-2013.
