Hasheem Thabeet "The Potential Beast"

Hasheem Thabeet the 7’3 263 pound athletic center, will show case his amazing defensive skills at the NCAA Tournament.

The junior has proven why he has been the Big East defensive player of the year back-to-back years. With outstanding numbers of 13.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 64.1 FG%, and an outstanding 4.5 BPG, he is sure to be known as a top NBA player when he enters the league.

The best he could be: Yao Ming (He will be better defensively and just as good offensively)

With the Defensive game of Kevin Garnett and the raw offensive game he has shown he is bound to be a Top 5 center in the league. If he can add a few pounds and work on his offensive game against the zone and bigger players he will be a dominant player.

His defense is good enough where he can come into the league and start on a team. He really only needs to work on his turnaround jumper and his low-post game.

If he can do that he should produce at least like Dwight Howard did his rookie year (12 PPG 10 RPG). He’s still very raw offensively, but he will be a cornerstone of any defense, and he might even be better than former number one pick Greg Oden.

Thabeet is three inches smaller than Yao Ming but at the same time he’s double the athletic ability. Could you see Yao Ming running down the floor like a point guard? Thabeet can do exactly that.

The worst he could be: Dikembe Mutombo (Not bad, considering Mutombo will likely be a Hall of Famer)

He already is one of the best defensive centers the NCAA college game has seen. I fully expect him to translate into the NBA. He’s knows exactly when to block the ball and he has the size to block anyone.

He still needs to gain weight to block and box out bigger centers and he needs that weight for his offensive game too. Don’t be surprised to see Thabeet winning a ton of defensive all first teams and even Defensive player of the year (DPOY).

If he does not improve his offensive game then I think he could be exactly like Mutombo and even go right where Mutombo went in the NBA Draft, four overall.

Mutombo is an eight time all-star and a four time DPOY. I expect Thabeet to get at least 2 DPOY’s and six time all-star. He truly has all the potential in the world to become a top 5 center in the NBA.

1. He’s very good defensively; it’s something you look at when you’re trying to build for a team.

2. If he works on his strength and weight a little more, he will be great defensive player and be able to box out anyone because of his large size.

He also has the ability to get put backs easily because of his 7’3 size and If he works on a jumper and his low-post game he will easily be able to put up 20 PPG and also 10 RPG.

He very well could become one of the best centers in history. With his ability to run the floor, he will have a easy time playing in the NBA and he can play the whole game because of his great conditioning.

3. It’s been reported that he recently has been working on his footing; you can tell with the speed and athleticism he shows. He also has improved with shooting the ball because of his much higher FG% from last year to this year.

4. He has a ton of potential, He came to Uconn and he was barley the player he was. Just think about what the NBA coaching will do with him and how much it will help him. The possibility and the potential with him is outstanding, and it’s exciting even to think about all his potential.

5. With all the attention UConn will be getting, and the possibility that they could win the NCAA tournament, he will be getting a ton of attention and without him UConn wouldn’t be a No. 1 or 2 seed.

He will rise on the draft boards of many teams and I could even see him going over Blake Griffin. He just has more potential than Griffin and he’s outstanding defensively.