2013 Draft Profile: Kenny Kadji
By Jacob Rude
Mar 28, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Miami Hurricanes forward/center Kenny Kadji (35) shoots against Marquette Golden Eagles forward Juan Anderson (10) during the second half of the semifinals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Kenny Kadji
6’10, 242 lbs., Power Forward, Senior, Miami University, 25 years old
2012-13 Season Stats
29.1 minutes, 12.9 points, 47.1% field goal percentage, 35.1% three point percentage, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
Strengths
Kenny Kadji is one of the biggest stretch fours in the draft. Yes, at 6’10 and 242 lbs., Kadji has solid three-point range. Last season, he shot 35.1% from deep, which was actually a decrease in percentage from his junior season. However, he shot nearly two more threes a game senior season. Overall, Kadji has a versatile offensive game. He can put the ball on the floor to get around bigger defenders and has a decent amount of skill in the low post.
Defensively, he doesn’t have exceptional skill, but he knows how to use his size. As a result, he averaged 1.6 and 1.3 blocks a game the last two seasons. He did play his part in Miami’s defense, which was one of the best in the nation last year.
Weaknesses
One of Kadji’s biggest weaknesses is his age. Kadji is already 25 years old and is already physically in his prime. This limits his ability to improve. For the most part, the player you see is the player you’ll be getting for the future. And considering how raw he is in general offensively, it begins to deter teams away. Most noticeably, his low post game is below average. More often than not, he avoided contact and his moves went away from the basket.
Given his size, his rebounding was below average. He averaged just 6.8 boards a game, which isn’t awful, but he should be getting more given his size. He also could become a bit lost and bored while on the court. He was also a late bloomer, barely playing while at Florida is freshman and sophomore. After transferring to Miami, he flourished, but one has to wonder why he struggled so much at Florida.
Where he fits in with the Lakers
Kadji is an interesting prospect. I think he could get an opportunity to play, but I’m not sure if he’d flourish. He’s far from polished offensively and while he has the range to play a stretch four, I’m not sure he could do much more than that and given his age, there isn’t a lot of room for improvement.
Our Take
Jacob Rude – I’m not a fan of Kadji. He seems too raw and there are better prospects with the same skill set as Kadji. Personally, I’d rather take Ryan Kelly or Erik Murphy, both whom we’ve already profiled, than I would Kadji. Despite having the skills the Lakers desire, I’ll pass on Kadji.
Caleb Cottrell: I’ll pass. I’m not interested in a guy who is 25 years old and didn’t dominate in college. If someone is playing with guys who are 3-7 years younger, you would expect him to do really well, but that wasn’t the case. There are other stretch fours, like Jacob mentioned above, that I would much rather have. I would also take DeShaun Thomas and Solomon Hill over Kadji.