On September 4th, the Golden State Warriors signed former USC big man Dewayne Dedmon to a partially guaranteed contract.
Dedmon went undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft but was invited to play for two summer-league teams: the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. In six games for the Mavericks, Dedmon averaged 4.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 16.2 minutes per game.
Remarkably, the 24-year-old didn’t play basketball until the age of 18. His mother—a Jehovah’s Witness—believed that it was against their religion to play sports. Once Dedmon turned 18, he took matters into his own hands and decided that he would play basketball his senior year, despite his mother’s concerns.
Over the past six years, Dedmon has developed into a player that many spend their entire lives hoping to become. He spent last Saturday in a Warriors uniform during their preseason opener against the LA Lakers.
Dedmon is one of the Warriors’ four training-camp invitees, and Golden State has room for only one of these four on their final 15-man roster for the upcoming season. Fortunately for Dedmon, his size gives him a significant advantage over the competition.
At 7’ tall and 255 pounds, Dedmon is able to play both forward and center. With Festus Ezeli out for a few months due to his off-season surgery, the former Trojan will be competing with Ognjen Kuzmic for the third center spot. Dedmon will be there to back up the Warriors’ injury-prone big men if need be, and as a forward-center he’ll also be able to help out David Lee at the power forward position.
Dedmon averaged 6.7 ppg and a team-leading 7 rebounds per game in only 22.3 minutes per game at USC, and he also led the team in blocks and steals. Dedmon is remarkably athletic for someone of his stature, but since he only began playing his senior year of high school he still lacks a great deal of skill.
As of today, he isn’t ready to play solid minutes in the NBA. Dedmon is a developing player and still has a lot to work on. It’s likely that Dedmon will spend a large part of the season in Santa Cruz with the Warriors’ D-League affiliate in order to progress as a player. However, if the Warriors’ big men can’t stay healthy, Dedmon may see some action at Oracle Arena.
Do you want to "get to know" more of the new Warriors? Follow the links below:
Get to know your Warriors: Andre Iguodala
Get to know your Warriors: Seth Curry
Get to know your Warriors: Toney Douglas
Get to know your Warriors: Jermaine O'Neal
Get to know your Warriors: Marreese Speights
Get to know your Warriors: Nemanja Nedovic
Get to know your Warriors: Ognjen Kuzmic
Back to the Golden State Warriors Newsfeed