Oregon forward Roman Sorkin returns for his senior season after joining the program in 2014-15. The product of Israel has improved his scoring numbers in each of his first three seasons with the Ducks, as he battles for a consistent opportunity as a senior.

Let’s take a look at the 2017-18 roster with our individual player profile series. After placing you in an intro class to Oregon’s five new freshmen last week, this week we profile the entire 2017-18 roster before we get serious next week (tip-off week).

UNFOLDING THE 2017-18 OREGON ROSTER

Troy Brown (Oct. 24)

Kenny Wooten (Oct. 25)

Victor Bailey Jr. (Oct. 26)

Abu Kigab (Oct. 27)

Will Johnson (Oct. 31)

Payton Pritchard (Nov. 3)

Elijah Brown (Nov. 4)

MiKyle McIntosh (Nov. 5)

Paul White (Nov. 6)

Keith Smith (Nov. 7)

Roman Sorkin (Nov. 8)

Evan Gross (Nov. 9)

“IT’S GOTTA BE THE SHOES”

Sorkin stands 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds with a range from the outside. He joined the program midway through his freshman season (January) and has been developing since. It certainly hasn’t been an easy transition for Sorkin, but he has a chance to play some critical minutes in 2017-18.

QUOTABLE

Oregon’s lead man is looking forward to an interesting season. The 2017-18 unit showcases more shooters and scorers than the 2016-17 team. Nevertheless, the defense of this group leaves something to be desired at the moment.

“I think we can have a good offensive team if we make shots for each other,” said head coach Dana Altman. “We’ve got to move it, look for creases. We have to look for places that we can take advantage. Our guys just haven’t figured that right, yet.”

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ROLE CALL

Without question, Sorkin will have a role on this team. He should be the 10th man on the roster. If McIntosh, Wooten or White fall into foul trouble, Sorkin will be the man off the bench to immediately replace them. His offensive versatility is useful in short spurts.

He can score down low in the post, has nice touch from mid-range and can bury the 3-pointer. Sorkin is a solid rebounder, but needs better positioning and has worked in the offseason to improve his lower body strength. Nevertheless, he can create mismatches on the floor and does a nice job keeping balls alive on the offensive glass.

LAST YEAR

He averaged 1.6 PPG as a true freshman. Then, as a sophomore he boosted his scoring to 2.0 PPG. In 2016-17’s historic season, Sorkin amassed 3.2 points per contest.

The Israeli scored in double digits on three separate occasions last season. He tallied a career-high 15 points vs Western Oregon on November 30. Sorkin went 3-of-3 from deep and 5-of-6 for the game. Before 2017, he never scored in double figures.

LEGEND...WAIT FOR IT

He’s a great guy to have in the locker room for Altman and company. Not only because the players love him, but he possesses a unique skill set. His defensive understanding needs growth, but Sorkin reminds me of former NBA player Steve Novak.

He was a solid role player throughout his career, who helped spread the floor with his 3-point shooting ability. At 6-foot-10, he could bring the opposing center out to the perimeter, which created space underneath. Sorkin can provide a similar service in ‘17.

THE BOX SCORE

His numbers have gone up every season, so why project against that? PREDICTION: Sorkin will continue his slight growth during his senior season with 4.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.2 triples per game. He will help spread the floor, forcing teams to leave him open from the outside. Sorkin will score a career-high 18 points, alongside securing nine rebounds before conference play begins this year.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

HIGHLIGHTS

We had to go back to Israel in 2013-14 to find some game film from Roman Sorkin prior to his Oregon days. Yet, this is a good video to watch to see how far he has come while it illustrates some of the same skills he has today.

Our 24-hour marathon continues with Oregon basketball prep, including player profiles, predictions, previews, interviews, breakdowns and a few history lessons. Every day, we will have something new as we count you down to opening night.

Ready or not? Oregon basketball is set to return soon. The regular season gets underway at Matthew Knight Arena on Friday against Coppin State. You can catch opening night on the Pac-12 Network at 9:00 p.m. local time.

Stay tuned, if you want to; Twitter @TheQuackFiend Gram @eugene_levys_eyebrows