South Carolina’s P.J. Dozier
2016-17 season: 35 games played, 13.9 points on 45.2 percent shooting inside the arc (28.5 percent from 3 on 3.9 attempts per game), 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game
Sindarius Thornwell got a lot of the attention for the South Carolina Gamecocks during their improbable run to the Final Four in April as a 7-seed in one of the tougher regions of the tournament, but it was P.J. Rozier that also showed out in the Gamecock back court in the run to Phoenix.
Rozier became a pitbull defensively during his time playing under the always-aggressive Frank Martin for his home school. With time, there’s a chance Rozier could be a guy that can guard three different positions on the floor for a team and become a real asset in terms of improving a team’s approach against small-ball lineups that space the floor.
(Best-case scenario) comparable players (via The Ringer’s NBA Draft Guide): Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray
One of the notes The Ringer listed on Dozier’s profile: “Solid playmaker who can take on secondary pick-and-roll duties. Tightened his handle as a sophomore, but still needs work.”
One of the things that makes the Golden State Warriors even more dangerous than they are with four All-Stars is the play of Shaun Livingston. He’s a reserve ball-handler that can also help defensively in multiple ways. He’s not going to light anyone up from distance (like Livingston), but has the potential to be a fun, young athlete in space with his length (like Dejounte Murray).
What does Draft Express think of Dozier?
"He shows solid court vision in transition and uses his size well to see over the top of the defense in the half court, but he is not yet advanced in terms of pick and roll playmaking, something he would likely be asked to do as a primary ball handler at the NBA level. He is not yet a sound decision maker and struggled with basic point guard responsibilities like making post entry passes, but he does show glimpses of being able to facilitate and hit tight windows with impressive bounce passes. While he averaged 3.8 assists per 40 minutes, he also averaged 3.1 turnovers, a ratio that is way out of proportion for a guy who will likely be asked to come off the bench and potentially orchestrate an offense. (Julian Applebome, DX)"