Jnixon’s Countdown to the 2012 Draft: 60 Prospects in 30 Days (18&17)

 18: John Henson, 6’10 217, PF, UNC, Jr.

Playing 3 years on a UNC team that saw him and the rest of his team fail to live up to its prestigious rep of UNC basketball as  Fr., then playing great his Soph. and Jr. years, we have John Henson checking in…Henson was a 6’10 185 lb PF when he came to UNC as a Fr., and was a  HS guard before a huge growth spurt his Jr. year…Really adjusted well after his Fr. year, where his raw talent and lack of an ACC PF body limited him…Blossomed nicely as a Soph and Jr., and improved nicely every year in college…2-Time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 1^st Team All-ACC as a Jr., 2^nd Team as a Soph…Former top 5 recruit and McDonalds All-American…2^nd in UNC history in career blocks (277) behind Brendan Haywood…Physically, Henson has most of what you look for in an NBA PF…Standing tall at 6’10 with a ridiculous 7’6 wingspan, Henson is probably the most rangy player in the draft…Unbelievable length…His main problem is his 217 lb frame, which is painfully skinny still and he doesn’t have the frame to get much bigger than 230 lbs without losing athleticism…His lack of strength is probably his biggest concern as a prospect. Athletically, Henson is extremely good too…Runs the floor very well and has outstanding vertical explosiveness, being at his best athletically when running and jumping straight up…Rangy strider who uses that to make up for his somewhat awkward movements…Pretty quick for a PF

On offense, Henson is a garbage man type, but his skill level has progressed a lot from what it used to be…Played with passing wizard Kendall Marshall, so he got a good number of high percentage looks at UNC…Easy target for dumpoffs, and was also a factor on alley-oops due to his explosiveness as a leaper and his long arms…Finishes with authority more often than not…Works pretty hard on the offensive end to get easy baskets…Was able to get some high percentage looks around the hoop by outrunning his matchup down the floor in transition…As a post player, Henson needs polish but he does have some nice places to start from…Already has a jump hook he can hit with both hands (esp. with his left hand, which isn’t his strong hand) in his arsenal and shows the extension to get it off easily…Is adept at extending himself to get shots over and around shot-blockers…He was able to use his length to get that shot often, but his footwork isn’t the best due to his thin, weaker base…He will have to get his footwork better and improve his base strength for that to be a higher percentage look in the NBA…Will struggle to establish position in the NBA and probably will struggle with his offensive efficiency until he gets his lower body stronger…Often is at an athletic advantage against his matchup, and if he isn’t he is at a length advantage…Shows a little bit of comfort utilizing counter moves sporadically, especially pump fakes and up and under type moves, and will need to further develop that…Has some ability to use turnaround jumpers, but his range with that shot is better from 5-7 ft. than it is when he tries to use it in the 10-12 ft. area, so it might not translate to the NBA seamlessly against the more physical and athletic PF’s…Has very good hands, rarely bobbles or drops passes…Is a big factor on the offensive glass, where he uses his length (as opposed to fundamentals, an area that needs improvement) to corral missed shots…Has a growing level of comfort shooting 18 ft. shots, but his mechanics aren’t fluid and he usually only makes these shots if left completely wide open…Has an awkward type of fluidity in just about everything he does fundamentally (sliding his feet, running, shooting etc), but sometimes it is effective and makes him more unpredictable than he should be…Plays with a high center of gravity, which makes his lack of strength a bit more pronounced that it could be…Doesn’t function much as a ball-handler, but he has the quickness and rangy strides to be a small face-up threat if he gets stronger and plays lower…Not going to pass the ball much…Plays tougher than he used to, but still isn’t the most contact loving player…Bad free throw shooter (Just under 50% overall for his career)

Henson’s main value as a prospect is defensively…He is a game-changer with his length and athleticism…Extremely good shot-blocker and rim protector…With his length, Henson is able to roam around the frontline looking to contest shots and defend his man as well…Slashers must spot him at all times, or risk having your shot sent into the stands…Has excellent timing and is exceptional at going straight up in the air to block shots…Can block shots with either hand…Doesn’t far for pump fakes that often at all…Only averaged 1.6 bpg, which is truly remarkable for a guy who had as much freedom as he did, and shows the discipline he shows on this end…Able to sometimes counter the fact that he can be sealed and backed down by bigger PF’s by trying to use his length to front post passes…Still, he will be getting sealed on a lot in the NBA until he gains strength and weight…Has the tools be a monster defending the pick and roll, as he has the length and athleticism to hedge screens hard and get to his man in timely fashion, but he also has the athleticism and length to hold up against smaller, quicker players if his team switches in pick and roll defense…Can struggle with foul trouble in more physical games, where his strength can be exposed more…A solid defensive rebounder

After 2 seasons being an impact player for UNC with his length and athleticism, Henson declared after improving steadily each season he was in college…He is a great shot-blocker and rebounder, who can get you easy buckets off garbage plays too…His strength will always be a question, and his unorthodox style of play offensively surely needs polish…But a team looking for a shot-blocking presence who provides energy and doesn’t get in the way offensively will look at Henson…Still has upside despite spending 3 seasons in college…Probable top 20 pick

17: Moe Harkless, 6’9 207, SF, St. Johns, Fr.

After a season that saw him put up gaudy stats on a St. John’s team that struggled the whole season with a depleted roster and Coach Steve Lavin’s fight with health, Moe Harkless goes from a relatively unheralded recruit (he was a top 100 recruit though) to one-and-done prospect…Had more responsibility than he probably expected he would when he signed to play for St. John’s, but man he did everything he could for a team with nothing but 1 non-newcomer on their 2011-2012 roster…1st Team All-Big East performer as a Fr, All Big East Defensive Team, and 1^st Team Freshman All-American…Physically, Harkless is gifted…He stands at 6’9, which is big for a SF, and he has a good 7’ wingspan…He needs more strength and time in the weight room, but his frame isn’t not even very close to filling out to where he could be (could easily put on 15-20 lbs of muscle with no ill effects)…Definitely has great tools for a wing, had the type of size that popped out of the TV screen when at St. Johns…Athletically, Harkless is also nice…He’s extremely fluid and agile,  and shows pretty nice quickness, speed and explosiveness as well. Just has impressive all-around tools.

Offensively, Harkless played mostly out of position at PF due to the Johnnies’ lack of depth, but was a matchup nightmare even still…Harkless needs a lot of polish in terms of his overall skill-set, but he was productive still…Understands how to get easy shots at the rim by moving off the ball and using his athleticism to exploit slower frontlines…Is best the closer he is to the rim, and has a knack for getting baskets around the hoop…Has really soft touch, and is a very nice at getting a lot of high percentage shots…Has the quickness and rangy strides to get to the rim…Sometimes it looks like he’s not moving very quickly, but his fluidity and rangy strides give him a deceptive feel when he’s making his way to the hoop…Has a great feel for the game, especially for a player with his youth…His feel allowed him to get shots within offensive flow despite a raw skill set…As a jump shooter, Harkless needs work but he has the potential to be a better spot-up shooter…Right now, Harkless has shaky range out to about 18 ft., which is not good for a guy who will have to adjust to full-time wing responsibility in the NBA…His mechanics and touch are decent but unspectacular, but between him having break downs when rushing shots, him not setting his feet properly or consistently, and him just missing some shots, he really need repetition with it…Often lacks confidence in his shot, which leads to him forcing drives even when open and often hurts his ability to simply make shots effectively…Doesn’t have much of a mid-range game, usually looks to go to the paint…Off the dribble, Harkless fairs a bit better but still is piecing things together…He has nice basic ball-handling skills, and even will utilize a spin move at times after 2 dribbles when attacking from the arc…Still, he will have to adjust to slashing against wings, as he doesn’t have the comfort as of now to break down SF’s off the bounce consistently…Was able to exploit PF’s off the bounce due to his athleticism advantages, but it will be an adjustment against NBA wings…Was able to get to the foul line at a decent rate with the aggressive mentality he HAD to have for St. John’s last season, but shot a subpar 68% when there which has to improve more…Needs more strength, and doesn’t always finish well through contact…Is an outstanding transition player, and really makes no mistakes finishing around the hoop in the open floor…Will play above the rim, but also has the touch to use nice lay-ins if dunks aren’t available…Gets up and down the floor extremely well…Not a bad passer, but usually not likely to pass all that much…Real good on the offensive glass, and shows good instincts and effort chasing missed shots, even when he’s out of the paint…Was able to have some monster games despite a lack of polish, which shows his potential…He’s not quite ready to consistently produce in the NBA, but he has as much upside as any wing in the draft offensively considering his production and raw skills…The way he performed as a Fr. with the circumstances surrounding the Red Storm program is truly noteworthy and shows his high intangibles

Defensively, Harkless has the tools to be very nice…He stepped in as a Fr. and was voted as one of the 5 best defenders in the Big East by the coaches in the conference, which is noteworthy for his youth…St. John’s played a lot of zone this past season, and Harkless will have to adjust to the man-to-man D in the NBA as well…Impressive shot-blocker for a wing, and was effective in the Big East with that at the PF spot…Also has great instincts for the passing lanes, and got steals at a nice rate too…His lack of strength shows against stronger players, especially since he had to cover PF’s alot…Has the size and athleticism to defend SG’s and SF’s effectively…Good rebounder too

Overall, Harkless has big upside and his production despite him only scratching the surface of his ability is both promising and extremely intriguing…He had to grow up playing in an situation that wasn’t ideal, and he did so admirably…He has the physical and athletic tools you love in a SF, and as he polishes his game he could be a really good starting SF in time…He’s not the most likely to produce consistently as a rookie, but down the line he could easily be one of the gems in this class. He’s a surfire 1^st rounder