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From redshirt year to supporting cast member to leading performer, Dereon Seabron’s rise was steep for the NC State basketball team.
The slashing guard agreed to a two-way deal with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, per The Athletic and Stadium, after not being selected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Seabron topped the Wolfpack in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals last season, one of just four college basketball players on the Division I level to do so for his team. He had a chance to give NC State its first draft pick under coach Kevin Keatts, and become the program’s first draft choice since 2017, when first-rounder Dennis Smith Jr. went ninth overall.
Here’s more of what Seabron, who turned 22 last month, figures to bring the Pelicans.
A relentless attacker and fearless finisher, Seabron flourished while creating off the dribble or pushing in transition and lived in the paint.
2022 NBA Draft tracker: Live results, updates and grades of the picks
He supplied 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season, earning second-team All-ACC honors and the league’s Most Improved Player award. That marked a significant jump from his averages of 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 2020-21 as a redshirt freshman.
He has 6-foot-6 size on the perimeter with a 6-9 wingspan, and got downhill seemingly at will. About 85% of Seabron’s 407 field goal attempts last season were taken at the rim, a staggering rate for a guard.
Seabron hasn’t proven to be an efficient shooter or reliable defender, deficient areas that factored in NC State’s 4-16 finish in the ACC last season. The Wolfpack lost 11 of its last 12 games.
He delivered some monster games, scoring 20 or more points 11 times and pumping in 39- and 32-point outbursts. But he connected on just 11 successful 3-pointers across 32 games last season, while shooting only 25.6% from beyond the arc. His range needs considerable work.
The upside potential is there with Seabron, whose improvement during three years at NC State and appetite for scoring make him an intriguing NBA prospect.
He could be capable of producing big numbers in the G League, if he doesn’t nail down a roster spot with New Orleans.
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Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and USA TODAY Network. You can reach him by email at asmith@thetimesnews.com or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Times-News: Pros and cons of Pelicans giving Dereon Seabron of NC State basketball a two-way NBA deal
