He is a work in progress and is far from being NBA ready. He needs to develop a wider array of post moves, as well as gain a better feel for offensive in general. He seems to have a lack of commitment to play on the defensive end and this needs to change. He isn't a great rebounder for his size and loses focus easily on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
Mullens has an incredible amount of potential, and it will take at least a couple of years before he reaches his potential. If the Pistons have the patience to work with Mullens and let him come along slowly, they will reap the benefits though because the upside that Mullens has is through the roof.
NBA Comparison: Chris Kaman
With the 16th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select DeJuan Blair our of Pittsburgh.
Blair is an undersized big man in terms of height, but he is a very big, strong boy. He somewhat makes up for his limited size with his long wingspan, but at 6'7" will definitely hurt his draft stock at least a little bit.
He was probably the best rebounder in all of college basketball last season and he is not afraid to mix it up with bigger, stronger players. He is an intense player that will leave it all on the court and play a physical style of basketball. He is a solid interior defender that is also pretty good at playing the passing lanes.
He needs to work on his perimeter skills on both offense and defense and there are some questions about whether or not he will be able to keep his weight in check. There are also some serious questions about his knees and their durability.
Blair will never be a star, but he can become a good energy big guy off of the bench for the Bulls and provide them with some toughness down low.
NBA Comparison:Paul Millsap
With the 17th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Ty Lawson out of the University of North Carolina.
The Sixers are apparently really high on Ty Lawson and are big fans of his game and with the pending free agency of Andre Miller and his future up in the air, they could really use Lawson and his pure point guard game.
He is incredibly quick with the ball and is a good decision maker. He has a fantastic assist to turnover ratio at 3.48 which further proves his decision making. He is definitely a pure point guard that looks to get the ball into the hands of his teammates and would rather set them up than score himself. He is a good leader on the floor. He is effective at pushing the ball in transition which would be a great fit for this Philadelphia team that likes to get out and run and he is also very used to playing with a dominant big man after playing with one of the nations top power forwards in Tyler Hansbrough for the duration of his college career which will help with how he and Elton Brand work together.
Lawson needs to improve his jumper from both long range and mid range. He doesn't have great mechanics so his form will need a makeover. He is going to have trouble guarding bigger and stronger point guards at the next level. He needs to work on his ability to create off of the dribble as well.
Lawson should be a rock solid point guard in the NBA and with Miller's future up in the air, he could be a nice insurance policy for the 76ers.
NBA Comparison:Jamaal Tinsley without the baggage.
With the 18th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Gerald Henderson out of Duke.
It was really hard for me to have Henderson drop all the way to 18 and to be perfectly honest I don't think that he will fall this far. If he is still on the board at this point though there is no way that the Wolves will be able to pass up Henderson.
He is definitely the best player available at this point in time and with the Corey Brewer coming off of ACL surgery and Rodney Carney being unproven, Henderson could step in right away and have an impact on this team. He is one of the more NBA ready players in the entire draft. He has a good all around game and doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. He can step in and contribute immediately.
The upside on Henderson isn't very great and I don't think that he will ever be anything more than a role player in the NBA but he can definitely be a solid contributor in the NBA and at this point in the draft, it would be a huge mistake to pass on Henderson.
NBA Comparison:More offensive capable Dahntay Jones
We're going to send you the most entertaining NBA articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
3 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete