Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Whether it be for the Arkansas Razorbacks or the Butler Bulldogs, Rotnei Clarke was a great player in college basketball and he is good enough to play in the NBA.
There is probably a slim to no chance that Clarke will get drafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, so debating his draft stock and all of that fun stuff would be pointless. However, why is Clarke not good enough to make it in the pros?
Sure, he is on the shorter side at 6’0”, but Trey Burke is only that tall. I am not saying that Burke is worse, better or anything. I am just saying that he is the same height as Clarke and Burke will still likely be a lottery pick or a top 10 draft pick.
Clarke may be better suited as a shooting guard, but if you have watched him play, he is actually a really good ball-handler and drove to the basket whenever he felt like as a result.
No one can deny how good of a shooter Clarke is. He did shoot 40.8 percent from behind the arc this season and knocked down 115 threes. With the right system, Clarke would be lethal from behind the arc at the next level.
Maybe the competition that Clarke played this season was in question? However, Butler had a pretty tough schedule and Clarke did play in the SEC for three reasons.
I am just trying to find out why Clarke can’t play in the NBA and I am struggling to do so. If he wants to do something else with his life, then that is clearly a different story.
Put him at the point because he is great with the ball–not to mention without the ball–and let him do his thing, which is drain threes and drive to the hoop from time to time. Maybe he needs some work on his passing, but that is something he can definitely work on at the next level.
Undersized yes, but Clarke has so much talent and was one of the best players in college basketball this season. His 16.9 points per game are very hard to deny.
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