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Kentucky Basketball: 3 things Derek Willis must do to make an NBA Roster

By Frank Spencer

Feb 4, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari talks with forward Derek Willis (35) against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari talks with forward Derek Willis (35) against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky Basketball
Jan 23, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) shoots the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 76-55. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Consistent three-point shooting

Derek Willis has the ability to shoot the ball from deep. He showed that in his stint at Kentucky. For a fairly large part of his career, Willis began starting for John Calipari’s team due to his ability to put the ball in the basket from beyond the arc.

In his final two seasons at Kentucky, Willis attempted 250 three point field goals. He converted on 102 of them. That translates to a 40.8 percent rate. That is pretty consistent in the grand scheme of things. With limited minutes on teams loaded with young five-star talent, Willis held his own.

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Teams in the NBA are looking for scorers. The league nowadays is an offensive minded league. There isn’t many guys that get the chance to play in the NBA without being a prolific scorer. Willis isn’t what you would call a prolific scorer, but he does have potential to be an elite three point knock down shooter.

The Detroit Pistons

Last season, the Detroit Pistons shot 33 percent from three as a team. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope attempted the most three pointers on the team last season. He rounded out the year with a 35 percent average. The team was led by Reggie Bullock who shot 38 percent from beyond the arc but just on 74 attempts.

Derek Willis could help the three point shooting on this team. The Detroit Pistons know that which is why he got the invite from Stan Van Gundy to participate in the NBA Summer League.

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