NBA Draft 2013: Sim Bhullar Is the Big Unknown Lottery Prospect

It is amazing in this digital day and age when a college prospect with obvious physical skills goes unmentioned in NBA draft speculation.  But that is exactly what happened this season to New Mexico State's Sim Bhullar, who recently won the WAC Freshman of the Year award.  Bhullar is an astounding 7'5" and weights more than 350 pounds, but somehow we have heard little about him.  It was only this past weekend that astute observers began talking about the long-term NBA potential of Bhullar.

But things are about to change quickly.  New Mexico State faces Saint Louis in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, and Bhullar's size will be on full display to every NBA scout in the arena and watching on TV.  As the old adage goes, you can't teach size.  Bhullar is huge, and even though there are going to be inevitable questions about his athletic capabilities and physical conditioning, a prospect with Bhullar's size is always intriguing.

Just how intriguing?  Well, in a draft like this one, few big men come with a high degree of certain NBA success attached to them.  Nerlens Noel and Cody Zeller have shown enough to lead scouts to believe they will be solid NBA contributors, but there is little certainty in regards to the other young big men who are expected to enter the 2013 draft. 

Alex Len, Steven Adams, Isaiah Austin and Willie Cauley-Stein all have to be seen as calculated gambles for the team that selects them.  It is not hard to lump Bhullar in with those four unproven centers in terms of where he would be selected if he were to declare for the upcoming draft.

While it might seem presumptuous to assume a relatively unknown freshman like Bhullar would leave college this early, things have a way of changing very quickly around this time of year.  Especially with prospects like Bhullar.  If he generates any buzz in the next few days, do not be surprised if Bhullar ends up being picked in the lottery come June.