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Dexter Pittman

Dexter Pittman profile
Drafted #32 in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Heat
RCSI: 82 (2006)
Height: 6'11" (211 cm)
Weight: 303 lbs (137 kg)
Position: C
High School: B. F. Terry High School (Texas)
Hometown: Rosenberg, TX
College: Texas
Current Team: Halcones Xalapa
Win - Loss: 8 - 4
DraftExpress Exclusive - Dexter Pittman Interview at the 2011 D-League Showcase

Articles

D-League Showcase Profiles: NBA Allocation and Rights-Held Players

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Matt Williams
Matt Williams
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Jan 15, 2011, 03:07 pm
Joseph Treutlein

Definitely the most dominant physical player we saw at the Showcase, Dexter Pittman is quite clearly in the best shape of his career, now having some noticeable definition to his build. Despite losing an enormous amount of weight over the past few years, Pittman appears to have lost none of his brute strength, he looks excellent moving around the floor, and it appears he still may have another 10-15 pounds to lose or at least convert to more muscle down the road.

On the offensive end, Pittman has a simple but highly effective game, as he establishes dominant post position frequently, showing excellent understanding of leverage and no problem throwing his body around in the lane. He backs his man down consistently and finishes with simple lay-ups and hook shots around the basket, showing good touch and getting more than enough separation to get his shots off cleanly. He'll occasionally mix in some fakes and countermoves but never has to get too creative, though this could change if he starts seeing minutes at the next level.

When catching passes around the rim, Pittman goes up strong and assertively, usually finishing with a quick and powerful dunk, something the Miami Heat scouts in attendance had to love seeing considering the opportunities he'd have to score in a similar fashion with their roster's current makeup. Pittman's incredibly long arms obviously help a great deal, as do his huge and exceptionally soft hands, and he'd be far more effective converting simple catch and finish opportunities for Miami than Joel Anthony would for example.

While Pittman is outstanding operating inside the paint, that really is the extent of his offensive game at this stage, as aside from doing a good job crashing the offensive glass, there's not much else he contributes.

The most pressing thing Pittman could do to improve his game is developing a respectable mid-range jumper. Improving his free-throw shooting would be highly beneficial as well, as he's leaving a ton of points at the line by shooting just 55% despite taking nearly one free throw for every field goal he attempts.

Defensively, Pittman does a solid job in the post where he's physical and has decent fundamentals, but he could do more to help on the weakside with shot blocking, still not fully realizing his potential there. His ability to defend pick-and-rolls and step out on the perimeter is also not a strong point, something he can work on with all the minutes he's seeing here. This might be the part of his game that is holding him back the most currently, as his lack of lateral quickness trying to stay in front of attacking opponents was noticeable even at this level.

Pittman is in a nice situation where he can get a ton of minutes at this level and work on his weak points, hopefully eventually setting himself up to get into the Miami Heat's rotation, which currently employ some questionable bigs in their rotation. While the chances of that happening this season may not be high, he can play himself into a great situation down the road if he keeps developing, and given the outstanding work ethic he's shown in transforming his body over the past few years, it's probably a good bet he'll do everything he can to reach his potential. If Pittman's rights weren't owned by a championship contending team, it's safe to say that he would already be seeing minutes at the NBA level based on what we saw here.

D-League Showcase Interviews (Part Two)

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Jim Hlavac
Jim Hlavac
Richard Walker
Richard Walker
Jan 15, 2011, 11:25 am

Analyzing the NBA Combine Measurements

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
May 22, 2010, 08:11 pm
Dexter Pittman is quite a unique physical specimen in his own right, measuring 6-9 ½ without shoes, with a 7-6 wingspan. He also has the biggest hands in this draft (a new stat) at 10.5 inches.

The fact that Pittman tips the scale at over 300 pounds and measuring nearly 21% body fat (fourth highest in history after Chris Marcus, Oliver Miller and James Lang) tells us that he still has a long ways to go with his conditioning. But if he's willing to commit himself, he could carve out a long and lucrative professional career.

NCAA Weekly Performers, 12/31/09

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Matt Williams
Matt Williams
Kyle Nelson
Kyle Nelson
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Dec 31, 2009, 05:52 pm
Joseph Treutlein begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting

After a breakout junior season, Dexter Pittman continued his physical transformation in the offseason, losing even more weight while working on his game, and it's been showing in his performance this season. Pittman's scoring and minutes are both up, while his efficiencies have shot through the roof, and he continues to rank among the top players in our database in a ton of categories, most notably ranking 2nd in PER, 2nd in EFG% and 6th in offensive rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted.

On the offensive end, Pittman has taken his post game to the next level, showing a noticeable improvement in his comfort level and footwork, while he's definitively developed a go-to move in his right-handed hook shot. Pittman does an excellent job of establishing great position on the block, where he either seals his man for an inside power move to the basket or just backs him down for an easy hook shot across the lane. He appears more confident in his game here, and has kept things simple to work to his strengths.

Pittman still doesn't possess much range outside five feet, though he has improved another aspect of his post game, looking more comfortable handling double teams and looking less like a black hole with his passing. He's made quite a few nice passes already this year to spot-up shooters and cutters alike, though this is still an area of his game that he could use work on, and it's definitely not something we'd label a strength.

With his ever-improving physique, Pittman is doing a better job finishing around the basket, getting off the floor quicker and making better use of his raw power, though he still faces situations where his lack of reactive explosiveness limits him.

Oftentimes Pittman will bring the ball down before going up to score, needing to do so to generate the power necessary to elevate, and this holds him back from being as dominant as he could be, a scary thought when you consider he already is converting an outrageous 74% of his field goal attempts. He could probably still lose a little excess weight in his upper body and continue to develop his lower body explosiveness, and given the lengths he's gone to over the past four seasons, this is probably something you can expect him to continue to improve.

In terms of overall conditioning, Pittman definitely looks more comfortable running the floor, and his stamina appears improved as well. His minutes are only slightly up, but his fouls are down, and it'll be interesting to see if he gets more consistent time as conference season begins, as he's only currently seeing a hair under 19 minutes per game.

Pittman also has the dubious distinction of having a FG% 20 points higher than his FT%, as he's shooting a woeful 54% from the line (down from 69% last season), which is very concerning for a player who gets to the line as frequently as he does.

On the defensive end, Pittman's improved physique is certainly showing up in one way, as Pittman's blocked shots are up from 0.9 to 2.3 per game, something that is certainly helped by his improved ability to get off the floor. It's still mostly the same story for the rest of his defense, as he does a good job defending power players in the post, using his strength and length to force them into tough shots, though he struggles against opponents who make good use of lateral maneuvers, not always possessing the quickness to stay in front of them.

Looking forward, Pittman has certainly helped himself with his early play this season, and has probably put himself firmly in first round conversations, assuming he can keep pace. His learning curve, both in terms of his skills and the improvements he's made to his body, are likely to be very attractive to talent evaluators, and there's good reason to believe he's still not anywhere near his ceiling.

Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 12 (Part Two: #6-10)

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Sep 07, 2009, 02:13 am
Joseph Treutlein

After weighing nearly 400 pounds as a high school senior, Dexter Pittman has come incredibly far in his journey toward becoming an NBA player, with last season’s emergence being his biggest step. Now weighing around 300 pounds with a fraction of the body fat he once had, Pittman has become a productive and highly efficient college player, and he’s still just tapping the surface of his potential.

While he only played just under 17 minutes per game last season, Pittman managed to average double digit scoring while ranking in the top 25 of our database in a slew of categories including PER, TS%, EFG%, EFF/40, WS/40, points per 40 minutes pace adjusted, and rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted. With reports of Pittman getting into even better shape this summer, he will look to maintain these numbers while playing more minutes and more of a central role for the Longhorns as a senior.

Looking at Pittman’s game, the first thing that stands out is his ability to physically dominate the opposition, namely by getting good post position and finishing with power in the paint. With his back to the basket, Pittman has raw but developing footwork, decent awareness when he isn’t being rushed, and a solid repertoire of raw, albeit effective moves. He doesn’t have anything resembling a go-to move just yet, but he shows the ability to turn off either shoulder, making use of turnaround jumpers and hook shots with both hands. He’s clearly more comfortable going off his left shoulder, though where he is now compared with three years ago is impressive. His gaudy per-minute stats and terrific efficiency is a great indication of that.

Range-wise, Pittman only works out to about five feet away from the basket, as his touch isn’t great and he struggles with finesse moves beyond there. Closer to the basket, Pittman shows solid hands and finishes well around the basket, though there are some concerns projecting to the next level, namely with his inability to quickly explode vertically, likely due to his only being in shape for a year or so. Pittman’s biggest priority right now should be developing his explosiveness and working on getting off the ground quicker, as this would vastly improve his effectiveness around the basket, and also help him down the road in the pick-and-roll game, where he shows considerable potential with his size and mobility (though he’s rarely ever used in this situation at Texas).

As a passer, Pittman is extremely raw, posting just 13 assists in 35 games last season. Once the ball goes into the post, it rarely if ever comes out, for better or for worse. He averages around four turnovers for every one assist he garners, which helps highlight his struggles in this area.

In terms of perimeter game, Pittman is extremely raw, barely being capable of putting the ball on the floor and not having an even semi-reliable jump shot. His free throw form isn’t awful, and he’s steadily improved his efficiency from the line in each of his three seasons, but he has some things to work on for him to improve at the line, and to have his shot translate into game situations. His shot at the line is all upper body and it lacks fluidity, leading to inconsistent touch. Considering how often he spends there, he would be wise to improve substantially here.

Defensively, Pittman shows good attention and effort levels, being a pretty active player and not missing many rotations. He shows a willingness to step out onto the perimeter and he really tries in pick-and-roll situations, though his lack of change of direction abilities and lateral quickness in general are concerning in both areas. In the post, he shows solid fundamentals and does a good job keeping his hands up to contest every shot, while also using his massive frame well to hold good position. Helping on the weakside, he is active in stepping up to alter shots, but his lack of leaping abilities don’t allow him to block as many shots as he could if he were in better shape. He’s extremely foul prone at the moment, which is one of the main reasons he was unable to stay on the floor for long stretches last season.

Looking forward, this will be a huge season for Pittman, and if he has continued making strides with his conditioning as offseason reports have suggested, he could plant himself firmly in second round discussions, as his size, raw ability, and the learning curve and work ethic he’s shown over the past two seasons will be attractive to teams. Staying on the floor longer, both from staying out of foul trouble and not getting winded will play a big part in how his stock fares this season, but just as important if not more so is how the rest of his game develops, both with his skills and with how much closer he comes to reaching his athletic potential, which he still is not quite near.

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