NEW YORK — Former Syracuse standout James Southerland has made the Charlotte Bobcats’ opening-night roster, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard.
“He has a good chance to make the team,” head coach Steve Clifford told SNY.tv Friday night before his team beat the Knicks, 85-83, in a preseason game at MSG.
“He has an NBA skill. He reminds me of Steve Novak. He’s that good of a shooter, and he has size. And he’s a good worker and he has character, there’s a lot of things he has to learn and get better but he definitely has a chance.”
Still, Southerland got a DNP-Coach’s Decision in the Knicks game and has averaged just 1.5 points across two preseason games.
The 6-foot-8 Queens product averaged 7.2 points and shot 35.7 percent from 3-point range in five Orlando Summer League games with the Philadelphia 76ers. He followed that up the next week by averaging 4.0 points in limited minutes over seven games for the Golden State Warriors at Vegas Summer League.
“He can shoot the ball, he has length, he can defend a little bit and, again, he can really shoot it,” Bobcats point guard and former UConn star Kemba Walker told SNY.tv this summer. “We need guys that can spread the floor, so best of luck to him. Hopefully, he can make the team.”
