Tyler Hansbrough Will Have Trouble at the NBA Level

I love Tyler Hansbrough. I do. And as a fan and avid supporter of the young man, I love him enough to know that he will not have the same impact in the NBA as he has at North Carolina.

Hansbrough is not—and never has been—the most talented player on the court. He isn't the best shooter, the best defender (well, maybe), the best passer, anything.

What has made Hansbrough a household name is that he works harder than you. It doesn't matter who "you" is, he is outworking them. He wants the rebound more than you, he wants to dunk on you more than you want to block him, he wants the loose ball more than you do, he wants to win more than you do.

He works so hard that if he entered the Democratic primaries tonight, he'd win the nomination (Hansbrough for President may not be a bad idea).

While his undeniable work ethic and his incomparable passion for winning is every coaches dream, to be an NBA star, you need a certain amount of—dare I say—umph.  An x-factor. Something you can do that no one else can.

Unfortunately, that's not what he brings to the table. 

I do believe that Psycho T can and will be a solid double-double guy (12 ppg, 10 rpg or so) in the NBA, but I can't help but to feel he's just one of those guys who are better college players.

NBA scouts, while they admire him, aren't necessarily drooling at the mouth for Hansbrough like they are Michael Beasley or Eric Gordon. He doesn't have what the scouts look for: the ability to create your own scoring opportunities, eerily long limbs, and freakish athletic ability.

What everyone's favorite farm boy will become, however, is a locker room favorite.

Teammates will gravitate towards him like the Lakers do, Ronny Turiaf, and the fans will too.  

He will make his teammates dive for loose balls, hustle back in transition defense, crash the boards and get out on the fastbreak simply because he does it and will do it every night, but he will not have the ball in his hands with 10 seconds to go.

As far as the draft goes, depending on its depth, I believe Psycho T will be selected just outside of the lottery while players with more "upside", Gordon, Beasley, and Brook and Robin Lopez will fill out the first 13 picks.