Free Agency Analysis: Keifer Sykes to South East Melbourne

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria continues his look at each and every signing, breaking down what it all means ahead of #NBL21. Next up, SEM's Keifer Sykes.

NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria continues his look at each and every signing, breaking down what it all means ahead of #NBL21.

Signed by: South East Melbourne Phoenix

The deal: One year

Age: 26

2019-20 team: Olimpia Milano (Italy)

2019-20 stats (per game): 9.2 points, 2.4 assists, 37.4 FG%, 36.6 3P%, 85.0 FT%

2020-21 team: Panathinaikos (Greece)

2020-21 stats (per game): 4.5 points, 2.3 assists, 27.3 FG%, 26.7 3P%, 100.0 FT% (4 games)

Projected role: Starting point guard.

Quote: “I love his speed, quickness and tenacity. It stands out on both sides of the ball.” – Simon Mitchell (SEM head coach)

My take: This is a big-time signing by South East Melbourne.

Fresh off a stint with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, Sykes undoubtedly has the talent to be one of the best players in the NBL this season. I mean, if this guy was a few inches taller, best-believe he’d be in the NBA.

He’s super quick, can score in a variety of ways and, while he’s not your traditional pass-first PG, I expect him to create plenty of open looks for SEM’s long-range shooters.

In addition to his scoring, and despite his small stature, Sykes is also an engaged defender. In fact, that’s what really stood out while watching him at the NBA Summer League last year – he gets after it at the defensive end. That’s important because, as we know, the Phoenix were horrible defensively last season.

Sykes has a strong, muscular frame (he reminds me of a mix between Damon Stoudamire and Isaiah Thomas) and, with his quickness, will apply ball-pressure up the floor, fight over picks and generally make opposing ball-handlers nervous. That’s something the Phoenix really lacked last year. Yes, John Roberson shot the heck out of the ball but he was a complete non-factor defensively.

Down the other end, Sykes is a guy who will create his own shot and put a whole lot of points on the board. He has genuine three-point range and is comfortable shooting off the dribble and is also tough to keep out of the paint where his combination of explosive quickness, strength and athleticism allows him to get to the rim and draw fouls. From what I’ve seen, his jumper tends to come and go at times but his ability to get into the lane and make plays is a constant.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SYKES IN.<br>LIGHTS OUT.<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SEMelbPhoenix</a> have added a serious sharpshooter with new import Keifer Sykes (<a href="https://twitter.com/ksykesyb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ksykesyb</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> <a href="https://t.co/jQEtZlPK1j">pic.twitter.com/jQEtZlPK1j</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1336096229348966402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As mentioned above, Sykes’ arrival Down Under comes after playing in the EuroLeague last year (for Olimpia Milano) and completing a one-month contract with Panathinaikos in October. Interestingly, the Athens-based club attempted to re-up with him at the completion of that deal however Sykes was keen on a season-long contract and instead decided to join South East Melbourne.

To be clear, Sykes is not a Bryce Cotton-level scorer. Nor is he a Scott Machado-level passer, a John Roberson-level shooter or a Casper Ware-level defender. What he is, though, is a very good operator in each of those areas, making him exactly the kind of well-rounded point guard the Phoenix needed to round out this squad.