Santa Cruz Warriors at Iowa Wolves: Jones’ 29 leads top-3 performers

3. Southerland drops 16 & 7

I was a bit surprised when James Southerland opted to return to the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, but the 27-year-old hasn’t skipped a beat since coming back, averaging 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks in 30.3 minutes.

His shooting numbers could definitely use some improvement seeing as he’s currently at 40.6 percent shooting from the field and 38.2 percent shoot from behind the arc, but I’m confident those numbers will go up as the season progresses.

Playing the Wolves on Sunday, Southerland finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting from behind the arc.

The 6-foot-8 forward projects to be a stretch-four at the next level: he rebounds and defends well at both forward spots, and he’s able to take a step back and basically score from anywhere. I’ve also occasionally seen coaches use him as a small ball center.

If he can bring his scoring efficiency up a bit while maintaining his defensive numbers, there’s no doubt he’ll turn some heads this year.