Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Michigan State Spartans will pretty much have their entire team back for the 2013-14 college basketball season, but one player that will not be back is Derrick Nix. Nix was a senior this past year and although he will likely not get drafted, can he make an NBA team?
Nix had his best season yet this past year, scoring 9.9 points per game and averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. It helped that he saw the court more during the season than he did in his previous three seasons with the team. Although Nix was a great asset to the Spartans this past season, his inability to score the ball and 6’9” stature will hurt his chances at making an impact in the NBA.
Nix is undersized for his position to say the least. However, at 270 pounds, he has a big body that can move people around and he plays some physical basketball. Who knows if that alone will be enough for him to land on a team.
If Nix can get on the right team and have the right role, than he could clearly make a roster and make an impact. He was a pretty good player this past season and he played for Michigan State, who was one of the best teams in the Big Ten.
Getting drafted is probably out of the question, but if a team is in search of a big body that can rebound and score every now and then, Nix could get signed after the draft. There is a still a lot of value in Nix and he could very well be playing for a pro team in the upcoming season. However, it will be interesting to see what role he plays if that does in fact happen.
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