Nick Kern Jr. is one of many wings on this Penn State roster who will compete for minutes, as head coach Mike Rhoades has emphasized his desire to have versatile players.
“I think this year we have more depth,” said Rhoades. “So, we can play big longer, we could play small longer. I think we could play three handlers because some of our handlers are bigger now… we could play with a lot of versatility.”
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Fortunately for Kern, his raw, physical attributes make him an ideal fit for a team looking to play up-tempo and maintain spacing.
Nick Kern Jr., Penn State
NAME: Nick Kern Jr.
HOMETOWN: St Louis, Mo.
POSITION: Guard
YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT: 6-foot-6
WEIGHT: 205
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Last season, Nick Kern was one of 21 players nationally to average at least 8.7 points, 1.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals, .5 blocks on 54.7 field goal percentage. This all-around production on elite efficiency was due to Kern’s athletic ability and Penn State’s shooting volume.
Offensively, Kern himself is not a gunslinger, but because of the way Rhoades has constructed and coached his team, a player of Kern’s skillset (slashing) is able to thrive, exploiting driving lanes created by his teammates’ spacing. The sheer threat of his downhill attacks often left defenses with no choice but to foul him, as he shot nearly one free throw for every two field goal attempts (47.4 free throw rate).
On defense, Ace Baldwin Jr. and Kern proved to be a nightmarish duo, matching up with the opposition’s point guard and top-scoring wing, respectively. Both players accounted for 119 of Penn State’s conference-leading 275 steals.
As we’ve seen in the NBA, the ability for teams to have multiple playmakers and versatile defenders on the floor is key to winning games. Nick Kern Jr. seems to be the prototypical NBA wing for Mike Rhoades modernized philosophy.
