Washington Wizards: Kevin Seraphin Has Quickly Fallen To Obscurity

Washington Wizards hoped Kevin Seraphin would be their center for the future, but the unsigned free agent has quickly fallen to obscurity.

There was once a point in time when some believed Kevin Seraphin would be Nene’s heir apparent in Washington. Admittedly, I was a part of that group, albeit for a very short period.

Seraphin, a young, skilled big man, seemingly had all the tools to replace Nene once the Brazilian decided to ride off into the sunset. Both players are mobile, could score in the post and have developed a reliable mid-range jump shot.

Before the Washington Wizards acquired Nene from the Denver Nuggets in 2012, Seraphin had somewhat of a breakout stretch, leaving people to believe that the front office had found their big man for the future.

For about a month – from the end of March to April – Seraphin had averaged over 15 points per game, displaying his unique footwork in the post and automatic hook shot.

With Nene coming in, Seraphin had a proven veteran to learn from.

In just a few years, Seraphin was supposed to take over and become the leading man in the front court.

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It never happened.

Poor player development has set the Washington Wizards back for years. Randy Wittman and the rest of his coaching staff deserves most of the blame.

Instead of allowing Seraphin to build on the success he had at the end of the 2011-12 NBA season, Wittman treated the young Frenchman horribly in terms of instilling confidence and breaking bad habits.

Wittman would consistently yank Seraphin out games whenever he made an error on the court.

That sort of player development, as I’ve said in the past, has never worked. For that reason, the likes of Shelvin Mack, Chris Singleton and even Jan Vesely were never able to realize their potential in the nation’s capital.

Seraphin’s playing time steadily decreased in Washington even though his efficiency improved.

He went from playing roughly 22 minutes in 2013 to less than 11 minutes per game in the following season.

Eventually, knowing that he’s never going to become the player he hoped to develop into in Washington, Seraphin left the district for the Big Applie in free agency.

Seraphin agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Knicks last year with expectations of signing a big contract in the upcoming summer.

Derek Fisher, like Wittman, didn’t do much for Seraphin’s confidence and never gave him consistent playing time. The Knicks, a rebuilding team, failed to properly develop Seraphin in the same ways the Wizards did earlier in his career.

It’s almost September and all of the top free agents are off the board. Seraphin remains unsigned and it’s safe to say he won’t be landing that big contract he’s dreamed about anytime soon.

Most teams are capped out and have filled their roster spots.

There’s a small chance that Seraphin will get an NBA deal, but he’s still hopeful, according to David Pick.

Seraphin has reportedly declined interest from teams in China and Europe, holding on to hope that he’ll get a call from an NBA club. Given the lack of buzz around Seraphin this summer, it would not surprise me if he does end up overseas.

At 26, Seraphin still has a ton of potential and just needs an NBA team to embrace him. The San Antonio Spurs – a team that’s built their entire organization on proper player development and scouting – would be a perfect fit for him.

There aren’t a lot of big men in the NBA that have his skill-set. He’s developed an outside shot and he’s certainly reliable inside the paint.

He’s learned how to move well inside, score with both hands and protect the rim on the opposite end. Unfortunately, inconsistencies that have stemmed from bad player development and coaching have stained his career.

Just a few seasons ago, Seraphin was talked about as if he was the future center of the Wizards’ organization. And now, he’s essentially praying that an NBA team gives his cellphone a ring.

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Seraphin isn’t the only one that has fallen victim to bad development. The list of player names could be written down on a cartoonish scroll, rolled out and stretched for miles. But perhaps more than any other player, I was convinced Seraphin was the one to eventually break out.