Rutgers lands NEC Player of the Year in transfer G Jordan Derkack
Rutgers Basketball has added their third Transfer Portal addition today, as Colonia, New Jersey native and Merrimack guard Jordan Derkack has committed to the program per social media.
Derkack is currently ranked as the No. 64 transfer per Rivals Transfer Portal rankings and for good reason. The incoming junior guard is the reigning NEC player of the year, which he earned behind 17 points, 6 boards and 4 assists per game.
Starting with his physique, Derkack has great size shading at 6-foot-5 and has two years of eligibility left.
The first is his knack for scoring, especially in the fast break. Derkack is quick and likes to get to the rim plus he can throw down some solid dunks when not contested too heavily, but his best asset across his offensive game is his ability to readjust in midair for some pretty layups. When not in transition, he’s using that layup package to get to the cup.
He has a solid first step that isn’t a tremendous differentiator, but the place where he does excel is with controlling his own pace. Derkack is great at slowing the game down and going into a step-through or using contact to finish. This also leads to one of his biggest skills: drawing fouls. Per KenPom, he draws 6.6 fouls per 40 minutes, good for top 30 nationally.
As for his shooting, he leaves a fair bit to be desired. After hitting just 22% of his treys his freshman year, he upped that number to 27.5% which came with his increased usage rate. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing jumper, but there’s a chance that if he’s not being relied on as a first or second option for Rutgers next year, he could get some better looks and sneak into the low to mid 30s.
When getting Derkack, the biggest deficiency has to be how loose he is with the ball. Though he passes the ball better than most in the country, he also turns the ball over a lot. His 4 giveaways per game are second worst in the country.
Derkack’s defense is also top-notch, an area that the Steve Pikiell loves from his players and the Scarlet Knights will benefit from. He’s exceptional at getting steals and is also a solid on and off ball defender. There aren’t any concerns in that respect.
On top of it all, Derkack also has a younger brother who plays for Colonia High School in Aiden Derkack and will likely be one of the better 2026 prospects in-state for his class.
The older, Jordan Derkack now joins the Scarlet Knights with two years of eligibility remaining.
RIVALS HOOPS ANALYST STRATTON STAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT