Chad Ford's Top 100 2014 Draft Prospects

I don't worry about this stuff really either, and it is a good thing that Coach is bringing in the type of talent that can leave for the NBA early.  It wasn't that way for a long time, and if that means that the staff has to work harder or be creative to ensure roster balance, so be it.  We want our program to be a place where kids come and go to the league, because that is priority number one for most top 100 recruits.

We want our program to be a place where kids come and go to the league, because that is priority number one for most top 100 recruits.

I want our program to be a place where kids come, win games and championships, and go to the league.

Quote from: prjohnnies on August 15, 2013, 08:24:48 AM

I didn't realize that CO flirted with leaving this year, and unless his offensive game gets 100000% better, I think it would be a mistake for him to leave after this season.  Both should stay and develop into guaranteed first round picks.

Logic is often trumped by personal need, bad advice and impulsivity. I'm not going to worry about this and enjoy this season.

+1

Quote from: paultzman on August 15, 2013, 08:31:50 AM

Quote from: prjohnnies on August 15, 2013, 08:24:48 AM

I didn't realize that CO flirted with leaving this year, and unless his offensive game gets 100000% better, I think it would be a mistake for him to leave after this season.  Both should stay and develop into guaranteed first round picks.

Logic is often trumped by personal need, bad advice and impulsivity. I'm not going to worry about this and enjoy this season.

Obekpa should watch tape of Okafor when he played at Uconn. That guy 5X better than him, and he played college ball for 3 years, and then became a #1 pick.

Good point. CO are you listening ?

I love comparisons between college freshmen and NBA players.

  ^ This!

 Ibaka was raw as hell .  CO will get drafted on his defensive prowess alone..easily..  They said Patrick Ewing couldn't play offense either after his freshman year.

Quote from: simplyred on August 14, 2013, 04:50:48 PM

I love comparisons between college freshmen and NBA players.

  ^ This!

 Ibaka was raw as hell .  CO will get drafted on his defensive prowess alone..easily..  They said Patrick Ewing couldn't play offense either after his freshman year.

Who the heck were "they"?   Ewing averaged 13 pts a game and shot 63% from the floor as a frosh.

Quote from: boo3 on August 15, 2013, 01:56:16 PM

Quote from: simplyred on August 14, 2013, 04:50:48 PM

I love comparisons between college freshmen and NBA players.

  ^ This!

 Ibaka was raw as hell .  CO will get drafted on his defensive prowess alone..easily..  They said Patrick Ewing couldn't play offense either after his freshman year.

Who the heck were "they"?   Ewing averaged 13 pts a game and shot 63% from the floor as a frosh.

Exactly.
If you want to say you think CO could get drafted on his defense alone, that's fair.  Maybe it's true.
But I think we're discounting the offense of Ewing, Ibaka, Okafor etc a little too much.   They were raw, but they could do a little damage on the offensive end (in Ewings case more than a little). 

 Ewing couldn't make a shot outside of 5 feet as a freshman..  Then he went on to become one of the greatest shooting centers of all time... Point being, there is plenty of room for improvement on the offensive side of the ball.. What Obekpa has on the defensive end can not be taught and will get him a shot in the NBA. 

 How long has Chris even been playing ball?

Than he better learn how to take a jump shot and not the set shot we have seen so far. At 6'8 or so you are not getting a mid range set shot off in the NBA.

Quote from: boo3 on August 15, 2013, 01:56:16 PM

Quote from: simplyred on August 14, 2013, 04:50:48 PM

I love comparisons between college freshmen and NBA players.

  ^ This!

 Ibaka was raw as hell .  CO will get drafted on his defensive prowess alone..easily..  They said Patrick Ewing couldn't play offense either after his freshman year.

Who the heck were "they"?   Ewing averaged 13 pts a game and shot 63% from the floor as a frosh.

Ewing was a monster inside but word in the Big East was that he was very limited offensively.

Was Ewing actually as limited as everyone says, or was it JT limiting him for most of his time there? I find it hard to believe that Ewing improved his shooting that much between April senior year and November rookie year.

He certainly improved over his 4 years at G'town.  His consistency on the jumper really developed in the NBA.

Quote from: kob24 on August 13, 2013, 06:56:12 PM

I think jakarr stays but Chris leaves after this year

Other way around.
I think we see Jakarr climb rapidly on the draft prospects list as the season progresses.

Obekpa needs at least another year. Far too raw to even discuss him as a draft prospect at this point

My thoughts on Jakarr and Chris:

Jakarr:
In my opinion, it's a very hard call right now whether Sampson gets drafted into the NBA.  It's unfortunate that his jump-shot is so unorthodox.  If he had a clean jumper, he'd probably be a lock to work his way into the NBA.   He has freaky quickness, great leaping ability and good height.  As it is now, in my opinion his outlook is murky because of that jumper.    Small forwards in the NBA almost always (I know there are rare exceptions) have to have a clean jumper.   In addition, he hasn't proven himself in other areas, like being a lock-down defender or shown some other skill that could make up for not having good form on his shot.   I hope the jumper improves.  We'll see.  I'm rooting like crazy for him, because he has such a likeable personality.

Chris, I think is a solid NBA prospect.
Reasoning:
While he's short for a pro-typical NBA shot blocker, he does have a way above average wingspan for his height.  He's got a 7'5'' wingspan according to an ESPN article written last year.  That's a great #; NBA scouts will love that.   Serge Ibaka's wingspan is reported to be 7'4''.  Steve Adams' - guy went to Pitt and got drafted this year is listed at 7' in height, standing in his shoes; and he has a wingspan of 7'4 1/2''.    Cody Zeller, who is listed at 7' in shoes, has a wingspan of 6'11''.     Jeff Whitely - that tall goofy center from Kansas that got drafted, has a wingspan of only 7'2''.    So while Chris may not be listed as 6'10 to 7' in height, he makes up for some of that in arm length.   

In addition, we all know that Chris is a very quick leaper - getting off the floor fast is probably just as important as height - i.e. see Dwayne Wade and how many shots he blocks even though he's only 6'4''.
     I actually think Chris's free-throw/jump-shot actually showed pretty good form.  He just had no touch at all.  I think it'll improve over time as he plays more.  Remember, his free-throws towards the end of the season were markedly improved from the beginning of the season.

Additionally - he looked light on his feet; his soccer playing days have clearly helped him. He's not a clunky runner as many big guys often are.... Finally, Chris definitely showed some flashes of decent passing ability from the post. I definitely remember him dishing out some nice bounce passes last year.   
    As noted above, he'll need to work on rebounding, one-on-one defense and of course offensive moves/shooting - but that that should come with time.  If he puts his work in, he'll probably has a pretty good shot at making the NBA (and for sure playing overseas).


 

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-Chris-Obekpa-4077

This is a good article about Obekpa. For all those saying they don't think he's an NBA prospect, you're nuts. Some very reputable sites have him as a lotto pick in 2 years. He's definitely a solid prospect with a lot of upside.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-Chris-Obekpa-4077

This is a good article about Obekpa. For all those saying they don't think he's an NBA prospect, you're nuts. Some very reputable sites have him as a lotto pick in 2 years. He's definitely a solid prospect with a lot of upside.

Did you read that scouting report?

It said he is a weak one on one defender, a well below average rebounder for his size, and possibly the least gifted offensive player on any BCS conference team.  And, oh yea, he's undersized. 


Does he do some things very well?  Yea, no question.    But that's a lot to overcome.   I think it's nuts to assume he will develop an nba level game in all those areas.   Again, he could, and I hope he does.   But that will require a lot to go right for him, because he's a long way away from being a viable prospect if scouts consider him the worst offensive player in major D1 basketball.

Quote from: thetruth8734 on August 16, 2013, 06:02:58 AM

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-Chris-Obekpa-4077

This is a good article about Obekpa. For all those saying they don't think he's an NBA prospect, you're nuts. Some very reputable sites have him as a lotto pick in 2 years. He's definitely a solid prospect with a lot of upside.

Did you read that scouting report?

It said he is a weak one on one defender, a well below average rebounder for his size, and possibly the least gifted offensive player on any BCS conference team.  And, oh yea, he's undersized. 


Does he do some things very well?  Yea, no question.    But that's a lot to overcome.   I think it's nuts to assume he will develop an nba level game in all those areas.   Again, he could, and I hope he does.   But that will require a lot to go right for him, because he's a long way away from being a viable prospect if scouts consider him the worst offensive player in major D1 basketball.

I put some numbers together quickly,  it reveals some interesting stats

Chris Obekpa's most direct comparison would probably be Ben Wallace:   Wallace is listed at 6'9'' but admitted his true height is closer to 6'7'' - and he also had virtually no offensive game.    Wallace is listed at 240 lbs as a pro, and Chris is probably could probably catch up to that as he was listed at 223 this past season as an 18 year old.

Chris stacks up very well against all these great shot blockers, but he's behind in rebounding:

Blocks per minute played:
Chris Obekpa:  0.155 blocks per minute
Ben Wallace - 0.126  block per minute as a Junior (no stats for freshmen or sophmore years) in Junior collge: 
Nerlens Noel:  0.139 block per minute
Emeka Okafor Freshman year: 0.135
Emeka Okafor Sophmore year: 0.144 (his best year blocking shots)
Alonzo Mourning: Freshman year:  0.176 - (the only guy better than Chris on a per minute basis)
Alonzo Mourning Senior year:  0.152
Patrick Ewing:  Freshman year:  0.112
Patrick Ewing: Senior year 0.119 (his senior year was his best year)

Rebounds per minute:  Chis has to pick this up, although surprisingly, Ewing didn't put up big stats as a rebounder (was someone stealing away rebounds from Ewing?)
Chris Obekpa:  0.24 rebounds per minute
Ben Wallace - 0.33  rebounds per minute as a Junior in Junior college (no stats for freshmen or sophmore year statistics) : 
Nerlens Noel:  0.30 rebounds per minute
Emeka Okafor Freshman year: 0.30
Emeka Okafor Sophmore year: 0.36
Alonzo Mourning: Freshman year:  0.32
Alonzo Mourning Senior year:  0.39
Patrick Ewing:  Freshman year:  0.26 (Surprisingly bad)
Patrick Ewing: Senior year 0.30

My guess is that this reveals that Chris needs to work on footwork, positioning and not always going for the block - something we all knew from watching games last season.  He does stack up pretty well against Ben Wallace's stats as a junior in Junior College (presumably Ben had  easier competition)

He needs to improve his positioning/rebounding, and bulk up a bit, but only lose a little on his shot blocking.  That should happen.  It's a matter of free throw shooting and developing some kind of touch around the basket... we'll see.

Quote from: desco80 on August 17, 2013, 01:49:32 PM

Quote from: thetruth8734 on August 16, 2013, 06:02:58 AM

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-Chris-Obekpa-4077

This is a good article about Obekpa. For all those saying they don't think he's an NBA prospect, you're nuts. Some very reputable sites have him as a lotto pick in 2 years. He's definitely a solid prospect with a lot of upside.

Did you read that scouting report?

It said he is a weak one on one defender, a well below average rebounder for his size, and possibly the least gifted offensive player on any BCS conference team.  And, oh yea, he's undersized. 


Does he do some things very well?  Yea, no question.    But that's a lot to overcome.   I think it's nuts to assume he will develop an nba level game in all those areas.   Again, he could, and I hope he does.   But that will require a lot to go right for him, because he's a long way away from being a viable prospect if scouts consider him the worst offensive player in major D1 basketball.

I put some numbers together quickly,  it reveals some interesting stats

Chris Obekpa's most direct comparison would probably be Ben Wallace:   Wallace is listed at 6'9'' but admitted his true height is closer to 6'7'' - and he also had virtually no offensive game.    Wallace is listed at 240 lbs as a pro, and Chris is probably could probably catch up to that as he was listed at 223 this past season as an 18 year old.

Chris stacks up very well against all these great shot blockers, but he's behind in rebounding:

Blocks per minute played:
Chris Obekpa:  0.155 blocks per minute
Ben Wallace - 0.126  block per minute as a Junior (no stats for freshmen or sophmore years) in Junior collge: 
Nerlens Noel:  0.139 block per minute
Emeka Okafor Freshman year: 0.135
Emeka Okafor Sophmore year: 0.144 (his best year blocking shots)
Alonzo Mourning: Freshman year:  0.176 - (the only guy better than Chris on a per minute basis)
Alonzo Mourning Senior year:  0.152
Patrick Ewing:  Freshman year:  0.112
Patrick Ewing: Senior year 0.119 (his senior year was his best year)

Rebounds per minute:  Chis has to pick this up, although surprisingly, Ewing didn't put up big stats as a rebounder (was someone stealing away rebounds from Ewing?)
Chris Obekpa:  0.24 rebounds per minute
Ben Wallace - 0.33  rebounds per minute as a Junior in Junior college (no stats for freshmen or sophmore year statistics) : 
Nerlens Noel:  0.30 rebounds per minute
Emeka Okafor Freshman year: 0.30
Emeka Okafor Sophmore year: 0.36
Alonzo Mourning: Freshman year:  0.32
Alonzo Mourning Senior year:  0.39
Patrick Ewing:  Freshman year:  0.26 (Surprisingly bad)
Patrick Ewing: Senior year 0.30

My guess is that this reveals that Chris needs to work on footwork, positioning and not always going for the block - something we all knew from watching games last season.  He does stack up pretty well against Ben Wallace's stats as a junior in Junior College (presumably Ben had  easier competition)

He needs to improve his positioning/rebounding, and bulk up a bit, but only lose a little on his shot blocking.  That should happen.  It's a matter of free throw shooting and developing some kind of touch around the basket... we'll see.

Ewing was a great center, but he may well have been the WORST rebounding "great center" of all time.   Don't get me wrong - a solid rebounding big man -  9.2 boards is very solid for a collegiate center.   But when you're in the mix for "all time greats", where many have Ewing, it's actually pretty pedestrian.  I mean, Billy Paultz pulled down 14.4 as a senior 

Ben Wallace very limited offensively but he was a complete physical BEAST! Did you ever see him? It is the reason Ron Artest ran into the stands to fight the fans because he didn't want to tangle with Big Ben at the Malice in the Palace.