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Wisconsin junior Sam Dekker has declared for the NBA draft

Mar 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) celebrates the 85-78 victory against Arizona Wildcats during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) celebrates the 85-78 victory against Arizona Wildcats during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Dekker has decided that it’s time to take the next step after spending three years at college.


After an incredible run in the NCAA Tournament, current Wisconsin Badger Sam Dekker has declared for the NBA draft.

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Dekker was a three-year player at Wisconsin and averaged 13.9 points (53 percent shooting) and 5.5 rebounds during the regular season of his junior year.

The Badger announced his huge decision with a letter that was posted on Wisconsin’s Twitter.

It was a really nice and professional thing for Dekker to do. He could have just said he was leaving college and not cared that much, but his time at Wisconsin meant too much for him to do something like that. It was touching to see him reach out to so many groups of people.

Life is all about cashing in on opportunities, and that is exactly what Dekker is doing right now. He probably wouldn’t have gotten drafted (or at least drafted that high) if people were strictly looking at his regular season, but thankfully he had the postseason to show what he was capable of. Wisconsin made it all the way to the national championship game, and that was largely due to Dekker’s stellar performance. In the six tournament games he played, Dekker averaged 19.2 points (58.3 percent shooting) and 5.5 rebounds per game.

His draft stock has never been higher than it is right now. ESPN’s Chad Ford has Dekker at number 16 on his NBA draft big board and believes the Badger will be drafted in the middle of the first round, with the chance of being a lottery pick.

It will remain to be seen what type of player Dekker will be in the NBA. He actually looks really impressive on paper: 6-foot-9 forward who is athletic, can make plays off the dribble and has range. The negative side of Dekker is that he is capable of being faded out of games, and usually by players overpowering him. Shooters are also supposed to forget their last shot, but Dekker sure can get into some slumps once he sees himself miss once or twice (kind of like in the national championship game).

Dekker’s teammate and player of the year Frank Kaminksy will also be going to the NBA after four years as a Badger. Kaminsky is only three spots ahead of Dekker on Ford’s big board. Wisconsin is really going to miss their production next season.

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