NBA Draft 2011: Kenneth Faried and the 5 Most Underrated Big Men
Once you get past the first wave of big men in the 2011 NBA Draft, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on which of the second-tier post players will succeed at the next level.
Foreign players such as Enes Kanter, Donatas Motiejunas, Jonas Valanciunas and Jan Vesely are expected to make a big impact—eventually. College players Derrick Williams, Marcus Morris and his brother Markieff are all likely to give an immediate boost to their new teams.
After that, however, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the remaining big men. With that in mind, here are the five-most undervalued post players in this year's draft.
Kenneth Faried (Morehead St.)
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Kenneth Faried was a rebounding machine long before he broke into the national scene after his Morehead State squad upset heavily-favored Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
During his senior season with the Eagles, Faried averaged 17.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.9 steals. His rebounding average was the best in the nation. It was the third consecutive season in which Faried grabbed at least 13 rebounds per game.
Wherever he lands, Faried will immediately become one of the league's best rebounders. His defense is obviously his strong point and will be the main reason he sees the floor during the first few years of his career. He's a great athlete that will find a niche at the next level.
The main downside of Faried is his lack of offensive ability. His best attribute on that end of the floor will be grabbing rebounds. He is also a little bit undersized to play power forward in the NBA, but his excellent athleticism leaves a chance for him to fill in the holes in his game and become a more complete player over time.
Trey Thompkins (Georgia)
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After showing good improvement in his second year with the Georgia Bulldogs, Trey Thompkins took a step back in his junior season. This makes his decision to declare for the draft a bit peculiar. He is NBA-ready though, and has the size to compete at the next level.
Thompkins shot 37 percent from three-point range and 76 from the free-throw line in his sophomore season. Those numbers dropped to 31 and 69 percent respectively in his final year in college, as he struggled to find a shooting rhythm.
Thompkins does match the changing style of an NBA power forward. He can stretch the defense by stepping beyond the arc to knock down the outside shot. Overall, his offensive game is well-polished and will allow him to see minutes off the bench right away.
Teams will be worried about Thompkins' defensive game, however. He did improve his block average to 1.7 per game, but might not have the athleticism to guard some of the explosive power forwards in the NBA.
Assuming he rediscovers his shooting stroke, he should have a long NBA career as a role player.
JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
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JaJuan Johnson improved during each of his four seasons at Purdue, but still isn't getting the respect he deserves leading up to the big day. Johnson is a great athlete that doesn't have one particular part of his game that stands out, but is a solid all-around player.
In his final season in a Boilermakers uniform, Johnson averaged 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He shot 49 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line, a career-high. He also started working more mid-range and three-point jumpers into his game with moderate success.
His offensive game is moving in the right direction, especially in the post, where he struggled during his first few years. If he can refine his jump shot, he will be a tough matchup for opposing defenders.
Although he played sound defense at Purdue, a lot of scouts worry that his lack of strength will be exposed in the NBA. It didn't appear to be a major problem throughout the season though, as no team held him under double-digit points and he had 12 double-doubles.
However, the NBA is a completely different animal, even from the Big Ten: the toughest conference in America.
Nikola Vucevic (USC)
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Nikola Vucevic's draft stock has risen and fallen like the stock market since the start of his final season at USC. He has great size that has allowed his stock to be pushed into the first round. He improved his defense while with the Trojans, but his offense is still a work in progress.
He averaged 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and had 22 double-doubles during his junior season before declaring for the Draft. He is still working on developing a mid-range jumper, but if he can add that to his offensive repertoire, he'll be well on his way to consistent minutes.
His size alone allows him to dig in defensively and protect the paint. His 35 minutes per game not only illustrated great endurance for a big man, but also shows he stayed out of foul trouble. He has the strength to guard NBA centers right away, which is saying something in this draft class.
Overall, Vucevic is still developing his game, but he has the potential to become a starting center in the NBA.
Rick Jackson (Syracuse)
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Rick Jackson is similar to Kenneth Faried in that his main contributions, at least in the beginning of his career, will come on the defensive end. He is a tremendous rebounder with great strength under the basket.
Jackson averaged 13.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his senior season at Syracuse. All of those numbers represented career-highs. Like Nikola Vucevic, he was able to stay out of foul trouble, as he averaged just two fouls while playing 36 minutes per game.
His offensive game is solely based in the paint. He shot near or above 60 percent in each of his final three years at Syracuse. He is similar to the San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair in that all of his points come in the post or on putbacks. He struggles from the free-throw line, shooting just 51 percent while with the Orange.
Despite losing some weight prior to his senior year, he maintained solid strength. He should be able to guard traditional power forwards in the NBA, but may struggle with those who stretch the floor and take a lot of jump shots.
Jackson will likely be a role player for his entire career, but should become a good situational defender. He is worth a pick in the second round.
