Hoops Analyst

The 2010 draft is nothing more than an appetizer for the big free agent drama that’s about to commence. This draft still matters though and needs to be looked at. If there is one characteristic that stands out in this draft it is length. I think the 2010 draft should be called the wingspan draft. I count 12 players in this draft with a wingspan over 7’4”: Hassan Whiteside, Dexter Pittman, Hamady N’Diaye, Demarcus Cousins, Larry Sanders, Cole Aldrich, Jerome Jordan, Solomon Alabi, Derrick Favors, Tiny Gallon, Ekpe Udoh and Daniel Orton, in order of length. The previous three drafts had a combined total of 12 players over 7’4”, so this situation is fairly unique. It means that with so many long players available, their value, and the value of all big men for that matter was likely downgraded a little, so teams drafting these players may be getting a bargain. Teams who drafted for size, Sacramento, Miami, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee, could be the big winners if this is the case.

The other thing this means is the 2010 draft has an outside shot to be one of the great center drafts ever. The reason is there are just so many talented big guys in this draft that a few of them emerging as stars isn’t a difficult thing to see. Of course to be considered a truly great center draft at least one player will need to emerge as an all-time great and the only player who would seem to have such potential going in is DeMarcus Cousins.

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These are the two best prospects in this draft. Not much else to say. It is getting late in the process and the draft tonight should be good entertainment. If what I’m reading is correct and these two are the top 2 selections, that will be one thing the league gets right. 

John Wall, Kentucky: The consensus top pick since last summer. Wall has held onto that spot all year and his status as top dog has never really been in question, at least if what I’ve read is correct. Since he is considered the best, we should line him up against the best of all time. Here are the best PGs to come into the league in recent years in their freshmen seasons: 

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There haven’t been too many center classes this deep or with as many intriguing prospects. The 2010 class offers three compelling freshmen in Cousins, Orton and Whiteside, and a solid junior in Aldrich at the top. Then there are the intriguing and multi-talented Ekpe Udoh and Greg Monroe, along with talented projects Larry Sanders, Tiny Gallon and Solomon Alabi. If things break right, this could become a pretty darn good group. There is also a deeper than normal group of seniors that would be sort of a 3^rd tier of centers. One of more of these players is capable of putting together a career similar to that of Eric Riley, Jerome James or Jake Voskuhl. This makes the 2010 center class by far the most intriguing group in this draft. What’s most interesting is this could go down as one of the all-time great center classes or one of the most disappointing. There are so many players who could go either way. I already covered Whiteside, Orton, Udoh and Monroe. I decided not to cover the foreign players. I mention that here, because most, if not all, the good ones are centers. Time is getting tight and that just isn’t an area of expertise for me. I perused the stats of the main ones and there isn’t much there that is wildly impressive. Here are the remaining NCAA centers listed in order of preference:

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky: Cousins scored and rebounded at a very high rate. With pace adjustments, he was at 24.5 P40 and 15.9 R40, which placed him among the best freshmen centers ever. These freshmen centers topped 30 combined points and rebounds per 40 minutes while playing at least 500 minutes:

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A couple of players who are reportedly on the rise as the pre-draft analysis winds down. The two players have some similarities, but are hardly mirror images. The similarities are both are good passing big men with a decent outside shot. Both are somewhere between a forward and a center. Neither is a very impressive scorer in either frequency or efficiency. Both are decent enough rebounders. Udoh is more of a shot blocker, while Monroe is a good all around defender. Neither looks like a great prospect, but both appear to be headed into the top 10 if you believe the mocks.

Greg Monroe, Georgetown: In the NBA it has always been a good thing for a big man to pass. Big guys who are extraordinary passers for their position have a habit of winning championships. Being a great passer in college just doesn’t seem to mean all that much for a big guy though. It is better for a big guy to do the things big guys do. Big guys need to show they can rebound, block shots and score at an efficient rate. If they can pass that is wonderful, but not really consequential to their chances. I mention this to start, because passing is one of Monroe’s best skills. Here are college sophs who posted a high A40 like Monroe did this year:

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