[HaleParticipant]

What do you guys think of him as a prospect? I have heard many mixed opinions on him from late first next year (from someone on this site) to top 5 pick this year(espn). I honestly can’t see him being a top 5 pick because he is so scrawny, and his defense is way ahead of his offense at this point. So what do you guys think?

BTW here is the article:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=5902636

One of the most debated points among draftniks each spring is, "Which skillsets are most transferable from college to the pros?" Is it pure scoring? Great perimeter shooting? Ability to get to the free throw line? Rebounding? Defense?

 

 

But there is no debating the impact extremely long players can make defensively. The defensive changes the league went to a few years back, coupled with the evolution of defensive-minded coaches combine to make NBA Ds tougher to score against, provided they have the right material on the floor. And the strategies overwhelmingly value freakishly long players who know how to use their length (having quick feet helps) to change the shots of offensive players and inhibit dribble/passing penetration. What does all this mean? Well, for one, it means that John Henson is rated too low on everyone’s mock draft board.

 

 

Watching Henson play, it’s not hard to envision him being a force on the defensive end much quicker than most experts are thinking now. For starters, he’s not going to be weak forever. The NBA is filled with stars who were not strong when they were 20 years old (like Kevin Durant and Joakim Noah).

 

 

College kids do not have anywhere near the time, compared to NBA players, to properly train their bodies. It does not seem that Henson is a lazy kid who won’t work on gaining strength, but if he is, a year or so of getting overpowered inside by men should do wonders for his work ethic. It should be noted that Noah, in need of extra work on his body two summers ago, moved his strength coach into his home. Again, with the will to work, gaining strength is a foregone conclusion. Henson at 22 will be much stronger than the guy we see today.

 

 

Henson does some things, naturally, that are not easy to teach to anyone, much less a player close to 7 feet with extra-long arms. His nimbleness as he covers ground is good, but I’m more intrigued with his defensive stance and overall posture. It’s very easy for him to get low and wide, with his arms spread. When defending on the perimeter, he looks like a world-class goalie in soccer getting ready to stop a penalty kick, spreading out to make the goal look smaller. His length is so surprising to players facing him for the first time that they suddenly put extra arc on their shots off drives just to get them off, which means they will almost always leave them short. And though he does not yet have the confidence to really step out and guard perimeter guys who are behind the line with no fear of getting beat, he projects to be able to do just that quite well too. He understands how to use angles to cut off guys and he’s aware of his help responsibilities more so than many young NBA players I’ve watched. Undoubtedly, he’s been coached up well on that subject.

 

 

I also love the fact that he’s not just a good rebounder because he’s tall and long (though averaging a double-double for any reason is good). Watch him on defense — see how he almost always looks to see where his man is when someone shoots and then goes to put a (thin) body on him, moving often from the ball side of the floor to make that contact on the other side. Most athletic players just turn to the rim and hope the ball comes their way, even when they are standing next to the guy they are guarding. Henson does a better job than most bigs of getting off his man and toward the ball, but he still makes the box-out effort. That takes discipline and an interest in doing what he’s told. Both are valuable commodities to NBA personnel.

 

 

Defense alone is not going to get Henson into the top five of this draft, but I believe he is heading there because he looks to be a solid offensive talent as well. Unlike many tall, thin guys with some dribbling ability that float around the perimeter looking for drives or jumpers, Henson is comfortable playing as a true post-up player. It’s not something he’ll be great at in the NBA, at least not for years, but the willingness to spend time inside means he’ll be around the rim more, which allows for him to make plays on the offensive glass. It’s working for him now, as he’s pulling down four offensive rebounds a game in just 24.6 minutes per game. That’s more than Kevin Love averaged as a freshman, though Carolina plays much faster than UCLA did. It’s also a better average than Noah ever reached at Florida.

 

 

Henson has a high release on his face-up jumper, like Rasheed Wallace, which is quite literally the best way possible to shoot for a big inside. Over time I’d expect big improvement on this, but the important fact is that it’s very difficult to get someone to learn to shoot that way, and he’s already doing it before his 20th birthday.

 

 

People who know him and have watched him for years suggest that he has the skills of a small forward. I’ve not seen evidence of that, and his poor free throw shooting makes me suspicious. But his agility is excellent for someone with his build and it would not surprise me to see him develop an attacking dribble move from the perimeter against NBA competition. I love the fact that even though he was a perimeter-based player for much if his prep career, he’s bought into the Tar Heels’ plan and plays in the paint for the most part.

 

 

There is one more thing I like about watching him, and that is the passion he plays with. He clearly loves to play and has accepted strong coaching in an effort to get better. The NBA is a coaches’ league, and players like Henson will undoubtedly get better when coached well. Unfortunately not all teams employ good coaches, and if Henson gets stuck with a bad franchise or coach, it’s possible his development will stall. Some guys can grow in any environment, but he looks like he needs the right one to reach his potential.

[JNixonParticipant]

He reminds me of Ndubi Ebi, but he has the potential at best to be a Brandan Wright-type. Take it how you want.

I see a long armed guy who has some raw skills. I think he’ll be able to rebound alright in the NBA sooner or later and he’ll have the length to be a versatile defender too, but I don’t ever see him developing into much of a scorer. He has a jump hook and can score off scrap plays and on the offensive glass, but he looks stiff creating his own shots when it comes to anything past that. And on top of that he doesn’t have the softest touch or the core strength to establish position down low in the NBA. He also plays with too high a center of gravity to create his own shots on the perimeter and is too shaky a face-up shooter to play SF.

[JNixonParticipant]

He reminds me of Ndubi Ebi, but he has the potential at best to be a Brandan Wright-type. Take it how you want.

I see a long armed guy who has some raw skills. I think he’ll be able to rebound alright in the NBA sooner or later and he’ll have the length to be a versatile defender too, but I don’t ever see him developing into much of a scorer. He has a jump hook and can score off scrap plays and on the offensive glass, but he looks stiff creating his own shots when it comes to anything past that. And on top of that he doesn’t have the softest touch or the core strength to establish position down low in the NBA. He also plays with too high a center of gravity to create his own shots on the perimeter and is too shaky a face-up shooter to play SF.

[HaleParticipant]

Wasn’t he a guard before he grew a ton before his junior or senior year in high school?

[HaleParticipant]

Wasn’t he a guard before he grew a ton before his junior or senior year in high school?

[JNixonParticipant]

Yeah he was. That growth spurt had some advantages and disadvantages.

[JNixonParticipant]

Yeah he was. That growth spurt had some advantages and disadvantages.

[xavier328Participant]

Hakeem Warrick minus the baby jump shot.

[xavier328Participant]

Hakeem Warrick minus the baby jump shot.

[butidonthavemoney]

Thanks for posting that article. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while.

I think ESPN is jumping the gun on calling Henson a top-5 pick. I do think that he’s lottery whenever he comes out, but he’ll be a long-term project in the NBA.

[butidonthavemoney]

Thanks for posting that article. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while.

I think ESPN is jumping the gun on calling Henson a top-5 pick. I do think that he’s lottery whenever he comes out, but he’ll be a long-term project in the NBA.

[canesboy6Participant]

You guys know that he is shooting 30% percent on his free throws right? Not 40. Not 50. 30% . He ROUTINELY airballs them.

Keep in mind, I love Henson as a prospect. I see the Warrick comparison. I compare him to Andrei Kirilenko. Rebounder, Shotblocker, offensive stickback guy. He actually has some impressive developing back to the basket moves, that take advantage of his long strides. That won’t work in the NBA at his size though, he wouldn’t be able to establish position.

I watch alot of UNC, and Henson definately has potential, but to be honest I think he stays all 4 years. He definately can’t leave after this year. The thing to keep in mind with Henson is that he doesnt do a single thing at an NBA level right now. He doesnt have one skill that makes him ready to contribute. He has shown a great learning curve and gets better every game, but his free throw shooting is literally the worst I’ve ever seen, he is still 20 pounds underweight, and a terrible ball handler.

By his Senior year, he will be a primary scoring option, and I think the extra time in the weight room and on the court will be good for him. If he left after this year, he wouldn’t get a contract. He is 3 years minimum away from ready to compete at the NBA level, but he is one of the 5 most intriguing prospects in college basketball. There simply aren’t alot of guys like him, and I feel like in the right system he can be a really good weapon for a coach to have. Lockdown defender potential.

[canesboy6Participant]

You guys know that he is shooting 30% percent on his free throws right? Not 40. Not 50. 30% . He ROUTINELY airballs them.

Keep in mind, I love Henson as a prospect. I see the Warrick comparison. I compare him to Andrei Kirilenko. Rebounder, Shotblocker, offensive stickback guy. He actually has some impressive developing back to the basket moves, that take advantage of his long strides. That won’t work in the NBA at his size though, he wouldn’t be able to establish position.

I watch alot of UNC, and Henson definately has potential, but to be honest I think he stays all 4 years. He definately can’t leave after this year. The thing to keep in mind with Henson is that he doesnt do a single thing at an NBA level right now. He doesnt have one skill that makes him ready to contribute. He has shown a great learning curve and gets better every game, but his free throw shooting is literally the worst I’ve ever seen, he is still 20 pounds underweight, and a terrible ball handler.

By his Senior year, he will be a primary scoring option, and I think the extra time in the weight room and on the court will be good for him. If he left after this year, he wouldn’t get a contract. He is 3 years minimum away from ready to compete at the NBA level, but he is one of the 5 most intriguing prospects in college basketball. There simply aren’t alot of guys like him, and I feel like in the right system he can be a really good weapon for a coach to have. Lockdown defender potential.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 He is impossibly long does anybody have any idea what his wingspan is, it looks atleast 7’4.  He seems like he has a nice work ethic and Ed Davis is playing well for the Raptors considering expectations.  He is not top 5 but I think he is easily a lottery prospect.  

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 He is impossibly long does anybody have any idea what his wingspan is, it looks atleast 7’4.  He seems like he has a nice work ethic and Ed Davis is playing well for the Raptors considering expectations.  He is not top 5 but I think he is easily a lottery prospect.  

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