Wizards sign Seraphin
The Washington Wizards have continued their rebuilding process by signing No. 17 pick Kevin Seraphin and re-signing veteran shooting guard/small forward Josh Howard.
Seraphin, who was acquired from the Chicago Bulls through a draft-day trade, has spent the last three years playing for French club Cholet Basket. The 6ft 9in forward from French Guyana has been signed to a standard rookie deal in line with NBA standards. He gets a four-year contract that guarantees to pay $2.7 million the first two years, with the Wizards holding an option for the last two.
Seraphin is a rough product as of now, but gives the point guard-heavy Wizards some serious athleticism and size. Although Seraphin currently lacks any dominant footwork and fancy post moves, he knows how to use his size to create a lot of space. Due to his huge wingspan, Seraphin’s finishing is already downright dominant; he just needs to be taught how to create finishing opportunities.
Seraphin also has trouble dealing with the double team, but as he is only a rookie there is plenty of time for him to learn.
Additionally, he has very good hands and a natural instinct for taking down passes. Once he learns some spin moves, pivots, and countermoves he will be a very interesting pick-and-roll or lob target for Wizards’ point guard and No. 1 draft pick John Wall.
He also has the potential to develop some useful shots. Seraphin has shown a clever little ambidextrous hoot shot around the basket. For a player of his size, he also has a very smooth turnaround jumper with an unstoppably high release point. Seraphin seems destined to play centre, so his limited range should not be a huge issue, he simply needs to get an all-around feel for being part of an NBA offence and mature slightly.
While he may be a developing player offensively, defensively Seraphin is pretty much ready to go. He is a strong presence within the paint as is and uses his length, strength, and sheer athleticism to lock down opponents. Although he is an inch or two shorter than most of his 5-spot counterparts, Serpahin has shown the ability to outmuscle the competition.
Seraphin’s timing is his best asset, and he is especially great when it comes to stopping the pick-and-roll while still maintaining his own coverage. He is aggressive enough to not allow opponents to really post up on him, and that combined with his speed and size makes him a very rare class of player in the NBA.
Given that Seraphin has only been playing basketball for five years, he can and will still grow defensively. Currently, he is a bit prone to foul trouble, mainly because he consistently falls for pump fakes. Again, these are not serious problems and Seraphin is a smart and humble player who will be a very dominant in-the-paint presence within a few seasons.
Seraphin, a rookie and a relative newcomer to basketball in general, is the opposite of the Wizards’ other recent signing. Washington brought back veteran player Josh Howard for a single-year, incentive laden contract.
Howard recovering from surgery and no word has been released regarding the possibility of him attending training camp.
If Howard does recover and delivers the 15.3 point per game he has averaged thus far throughout his NBA career, the Wizards are a much stronger team. Between Howard and the rapid development of Seraphin, it would not be surprising if the Wizards perform much better than anyone expects.
Their only limitations involve Gilbert Arenas, who may create issues when it comes to playing unselfishly with a team that quietly built a very strong roster.
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