Kevin Seraphin

Basic Stats: 4.7 PPG, .3 APG, 2.4 RPG, .51 FG%

When Emeka Okafor‘s injury was announced prior to the start of preseason, it looked like Kevin Seraphin was going to take a spot in the starting lineup. Seraphin got an opportunity to prove himself in those exhibition games without Okafor, and needless to say, Washington struggled. It was apparent that the Washington Wizards would need to acquire another starting caliber big man, who became Marcin Gortat, because their defense suffered mightily with Seraphin on the floor.

Once Marcin Gortat arrived, Kevin Seraphin went back to being the primary big man off the bench, but that didn’t last long either. Seraphin continued to make boneheaded mistakes, his defensive rotations were off, and with Eric Maynor leading the second unit, the entire offense was in disarray. This led to Trevor Booker and even Jan Vesely getting more minutes off the bench, which also led to Al Harrington and Drew Gooden manning the AARP bench in the front court.

(Kevin Seraphin’s shot chart—via NBA.COM)

Seraphin didn’t get much of an opportunity to play, but when he did, I honestly don’t believe he made the most of it. He’s obviously very capable of scoring the ball and his post-game is very good for a 4-year player, but he still doesn’t get the concept of re-posting when getting out of position or passing out of double teams, which makes him useless when teams throw multiple defenders at him. It seemed like he’d commit a careless turnover every time he touched the ball in the post or shoot an errant shot.

The only memorable game Seraphin had this season was against the Houston Rockets, which was probably more memorable because of the rain delay at the Verizon Center more so than his performance. He scored 18 points off the bench and dug the Wizards out of a double-digit hole, but eventually went on to lose the game.

Next Season and Improvement:

There aren’t many young big men in the NBA that have the scoring ability that Kevin Seraphin possesses, and at 24 years old, it’s probably too early to give up on him, even though he hasn’t improved much defensively or improved his shot selection. He’ll have a chance to improve and learn this summer with the French national team, but he isn’t guaranteed a spot with the Wizards next season as he’s a free agent.

I wouldn’t be too surprised if Seraphin isn’t back with the Wizards next season, but I’d expect him to be with an NBA team. He’s obviously very talented, but has regressed over the past few seasons. He has to improve his shot selection and defense, which is something that will be crucial for him this offseason.

Grade: D