Does Demarcus Nelson Have A Shot At The NBA?

by Aisander D on Mar 28, 2025 12:05 PM EDT

Promoted from the Fanposts - Mostly because I love when other people contribute, partly because he does, in fact, have Ridiculous Upside. - Scott

Okay this is another average thread by a guy who likes a player and wants other people to like a player and hopes his single post will sway them.

D-marc is a 6'1" Combo guard, playing for the Austin Toros, with a decent handle and an ugly as sin jumpshot. But he can score. He's California's All-time High School Scorer. Undersized for the NBA say you?

Well the one thing he does have going for him is sick atheleticism and a freakish frame. He is 6'1" and has a 6'10" wingspan. He also has a strong upperbody and the de facto 40 inch vertical. In keeping with this site, that's ridiculous upside.

I'm not going to pretend that I don't have a mancrush on him, he went to Duke, and I am a Duke fan. If he and I were to have a conversation it would go like this:

Me: Alright. If this is where it has to happen, then this is where it has to happen. And I'm not letting you get rid of me. How about that?

Demarcus: (nodding slowly, eyes wide)

Me: This used to be my specialty. I was good in a living room. Send me in there, I'll do it alone. And now I just... I don't know...I WANT TO GET YOU AN NBA CONTRACT!

Demarcus: Aw shut up. Just Shut up. You had me an NBA contract, you had me an NBA contract..... (his eyes water...)

Okay, that's a little much. But seriously, let me know what you guys think of his chances to get back to the league. I think he has a realistic shot if he hones his J and his defense. But maybe I'm just being a Duke homer.

This is a FanPost, not the work of the author of Ridiculous Upside. The People speak! Questions or comments about this post should be addressed in the comments. To issue a complaint about this FanPost, please email ridiculousupside (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Read More: d league, DeMarcus Nelson (G - CHI), Duke Blue Devils, Golden State Warriors

Comments

If there's one thing I hate more than the collective state of Utah

It’s Duke.

Austin will be in Dakota Monday night, maybe I’ll see if I can pull some strings and talk to Demarcus for a bit. Does he have a nickname? Is it better than D-Marc?

Anyway, the 6’1" combo-guard scares me, as that’s basically saying he’s a 2-guard, but since he’s short, I guess he could play point guard, in the right circumstances.

He is freakish though, which is always something the NBA draft guys like. Unfortunately, they don’t do a call-up show. Rick Kamla’s got D-League TV on lockdown, and his favorite things to talk about include Sun Yue and Yue Sun, along with his various mancrushes (wait, am I basically Rick Kamla?). Sun Yue.

If his defense improves, he’ll get a shot, but I think he’s going to have really hone that skill and become a better ball-handler (think Ty Lawson-esque).

Blogging at RidiculousUpside

by Scott Schroeder on Mar 28, 2025 3:36 PM EDT reply actions

I agree

I’m not entirely sure what league his game belongs in…..he’s a running back or monstrous d-back playing basketball. You’re also right in your estimation of the term “combo guard.” There are few guys who really deserve that tag, and everyone else who gets it attributed to them does so because they play no “traditional” guard position well.

He’s a solid defensive guard, DPOY in tha ACC his senior year. I agree that may be his true shot at the league, like a mini-Bruce Bowen, but with an uglier shot and arms the size of canons. He’s listed at 6’4", but that’s like saying Sun Yue is a 6’9" left-handed point guard…..oh wait.

Thanks for any news you come across at the game on Monday, assuming you guys don’t float away. Best of wishes with the weather.

And yes, D-Marc was the best thing Duke fans could come up with during 4 years. Pathetic.

by Aisander D on Mar 28, 2025 3:55 PM EDT reply actions

So

you’re saying he should play for the Vikings? They excel in raw players (see Jackson, Taravairirias). I’ll wait for JRose to tune in to get his thoughts, as that’s the one thing he’s more knowledgeable in - raw, unadulterated, unfounded love for a bad team.

I realize he is a good defeder, in the ACC at least, but I haven’t watched him on this level yet. We’ll see Monday.
As far as the 6’4" listed, if you talk to Ryan Blake, he’s probably 6’5". heneedsto heneedshe NEEDS to play in America!
I do think he’ll have a shot, but don’t think it’ll come very easily.
Thanks for the well wishes on the weather, seems to have passed, for now, but who knows.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside

by Scott Schroeder on Mar 28, 2025 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually

he could probably walk onto the Chiefs next year… I would have said the Cardinals but they apparently don’t suck anymore. He’s a physical player, hopefully he can put it together and make a run at the league during summer league/dleague next year. We’ll see.

P.S. Tell him I’m sorry KK Zaghreb didn’t work out. Croatia sucks anyway.

by Aisander D on Mar 28, 2025 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

If Tarvaris Jackson is raw, what is Justin Harrell?

And the Cards will suck this year - curse of the Super Bowl loser and all. I’ve never watched Demarcus so I can’t comment on his basketball skills, but being 6’1" with a 6’10" wingspan is pretty sick. In general though I hate combo guards, they don’t handle the ball well enough to be points and are too small to get their shot off over above-average sized 2s. This is why Steph Curry will be tearing up the D-League within 3 years. Well that and his love of going 5-28 from the field.

by JRose on Mar 28, 2025 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Justin Harrell is an injured superstar waiting to pounce like a tiger

Steph Curry can’t really play defense. D-Marc can.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside

by Scott Schroeder on Mar 28, 2025 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

well, he can't be a superstart anymore

I don’t think the average fan could name any starting 3-4 DE’s. they go very unnoticed.

I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad

Good ol' KO

by thecoolest on Apr 2, 2025 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions

I'd say he has a decent shot

I mean, the Warriors have him a shot this year, and as crazy as Don Nelson is, the fact that at least one NBA team saw something in him is a good indicator that others might as well. Plus, the NBA hearts Duke players, which is why William Avery was able to hold on as long as he did.

by Jon L on Mar 28, 2025 8:36 PM EDT reply actions

Also

March is almost over which means that Austin will finally have home games again, so I’m planning on seeing a few if my work schedule allows it. I’m really curious to see how Nelson meshes with Marcus Williams (and now Malik Hairston).

by Jon L on Mar 28, 2025 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Tonight

After watching them tonight against the Skyforce, it looked like they were still figuring out how to play together. There seemed to be a lot of breakdowns and ballhawking. Still there was some positives. Nelson’s jumpshot looks semi-better than college, I read he was working on fixing it.

by Aisander D on Mar 28, 2025 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions

That's what my assumption was

I have a theory in the back of my mind that Marcus Williams has a little harder time when there’s another high-usage starter on the team (like Pops), but I haven’t looked into it to see if it’s actually true.

by Jon L on Mar 28, 2025 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Two things

Demarcus needs to be a threat to be guarded from the perimeter. He should be shooting perimeter shots all summer. That should be his calling card. He’s a tremendous athlete but if they don’t respect your jumpshot you’re not going to stick. Even Anthony Carter can knock down open 3’s from the corner or the top of the key.

Also he needs to work on his court awareness. He was basically a 2-guard his entire career at Duke, but if he can prove that he can penetrate and look to find people with his superior athleticism and speed, he could succeed as a combo guard off the bench.

If he spends half as much time on his game as he does his body, there should be no reason why he can’t make the pros. It’s up to him.

by hkf on Mar 29, 2025 3:52 AM EDT reply actions

A threat indeed

I think you’re absolutely correct. I guess my worry is that his jumpshot form is questionable at best, tremendously ugly at worst. After seeing some video of him in HS it appears as though his jumper used to be better….looking and more accurate. Go figure. He did have a series of hand/wrist injures during his college career, which I’ve always wondered what their impact was on his form.

Here he is in HS
There seems to be less of a “hitch” in shot then as opposed to now, maybe it’s just my imagination. Hopefully it will have little effect on his ability to hone his jumper.

by Aisander D on Mar 29, 2025 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions