RealGM

Right now, I think Tyler Zeller is the best comp - and he still has a ways to go to prove he's that good. I don't have a good feel as to whether or not he will get thicker than TZ. I DON"T think he has the frame to get as strong as Jonas V. Last season against TZ, he started out well and then got completely over-matched. Obviously, TZ had the age and experience factors in his favor. And I did not get the impression that Len had a significant length advantage over the short-armed TZ. In any event, strength is likely always going to be a concern with Len, and how hard he works at that will factor in to how well he develops.

Btw, as for the 2 MD frosh bigs - Shaq Cleare and Mitchell - Mitchell looks much better - surprisingly. He might be short and lacking in finesse, but he's a monster on the boards.

morehead st did a better job pushing len off the block, which is more of a commentary on UK's post defense. he wasn't as effective but i was impressed by his passing ability from the high post and perimeter. he's got good court sense.

Mason Plumlee is going to score 20 on Noel.

ManualRam wrote:morehead st did a better job pushing len off the block, which is more of a commentary on UK's post defense. he wasn't as effective but i was impressed by his passing ability from the high post and perimeter. he's got good court sense.

Sticking with the Jonas V comparison? Sucks to hear he's so easily moved off the block.

Guess no Timmy D coming down the road anytime soon...*sigh*

If you had to recommend me 3 elite low post big men who are 2-way players (either in college or high school), could you give me some names? Or is every big man going down the Garnett (perimeter)/Amare (face up)/Griffin (pure athleticism) road?

*EDIT* By elite low post, I mean guys pulling off legitimate post moves rather than just outjumping their counterparts. Of course, it'd be nice if they were not 6'8, 225lb power forwards, but legitimate bigs (6'11" or 7' and 240+ lbs)

LinkedList wrote:

ManualRam wrote:morehead st did a better job pushing len off the block, which is more of a commentary on UK's post defense. he wasn't as effective but i was impressed by his passing ability from the high post and perimeter. he's got good court sense.

Sticking with the Jonas V comparison? Sucks to hear he's so easily moved off the block.

Guess no Timmy D coming down the road anytime soon...*sigh*

If you had to recommend me 3 elite low post big men who are 2-way players (either in college or high school), could you give me some names? Or is every big man going down the Garnett (perimeter)/Amare (face up)/Griffin (pure athleticism) road?

*EDIT* By elite low post, I mean guys pulling off legitimate post moves rather than just outjumping their counterparts. Of course, it'd be nice if they were not 6'8, 225lb power forwards, but legitimate bigs (6'11" or 7' and 240+ lbs)

i really don't see too many in the near future. the next really good 2 way, back to the basket guy will likely come out of nowhere. like some kid who hits a late growth spurt, retains his skill level and applies it to the post. or some kid who picks up the game fairly late after yrs of playing some other sport and retains his footwork and coordination.
outside of c.zeller, who i don't think will be anything special on the defensive end, there arent too many good low post bigs on the horizon.

3 names in the prep ranks who have some potential in the post and as 2 way players are: dakari johnson, jahlil okafor and diamond stone. dakari probably has the least potential of the 3. right now he's more of a "hands" player with solid fundamental footwork, but for the most part is just a soft touch, great hands finisher, which is basically what bynum was as a prep. dakari's pretty similar to bynum but does not have bynum's freakish dimensions which will probably mean he'll just be "good" as opposed to dominant.

jahlil is the best post player in the prep ranks. his footwork and feel for the post are tremendous. diamond stone has an advanced feel for the post as well and he's only going to be a soph in HS. who knows how either of these kids turn out defensively since they just impact the game now by being big on that end. they both have solid bases so they look like they'll be able to hold their positions in the future.

another name is karl towns jr, who is currently more of a perimeter oriented player, but has shown flashes of post moves. he's only a sophomore too and he played for the dominican national team. when he was interviewed after the exhibition and qualifying games, he said that he'd be focusing on his post game from now on. if he's serious about transforming into a post player, then he could be the next dominant big. no exaggeration, but some of the plays that i've seen him make were very TD-like.

Joel James ?

6-10, 260 lbs, works inside, decent feet, good athlete, soft touch, only a freshman, can hit a free throw, strong as a bear, hard worker, and unafraid to mix it up down low. All the ingredients to be a dominant post player?

Dr Positivity wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IknKniuYCic[/youtube]

Wow at how polished he looks here offensively. Something like Pau could be a legit comparison for him. I'm putting this guy as the #1 pick on the mock I'm about to do. (Edit - Nvm, didn't take into account Detroit is picking 1st on that mock)

quicker footed brook lopez? impressive mobility and skill. never seen him play.

LinkedList wrote:

ManualRam wrote:morehead st did a better job pushing len off the block, which is more of a commentary on UK's post defense. he wasn't as effective but i was impressed by his passing ability from the high post and perimeter. he's got good court sense.

Sticking with the Jonas V comparison? Sucks to hear he's so easily moved off the block.

Guess no Timmy D coming down the road anytime soon...*sigh*

If you had to recommend me 3 elite low post big men who are 2-way players (either in college or high school), could you give me some names? Or is every big man going down the Garnett (perimeter)/Amare (face up)/Griffin (pure athleticism) road?

*EDIT* By elite low post, I mean guys pulling off legitimate post moves rather than just outjumping their counterparts. Of course, it'd be nice if they were not 6'8, 225lb power forwards, but legitimate bigs (6'11" or 7' and 240+ lbs)

If Karno keeps working on his body, he's gonna be a stud. Very advanced post moves, great hands, runs the floor really well. He's gotta keep getting rid of the baby fat and rebound a little better, but he could be a very, very good true center.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

I dont see many similarities in him and Jonas, besides looks. Jonas would prefer to roll to the rim off the pick and roll while Len likes to pop. Also, Jonas is more of a defensive big compared to Len's offensive style. Len isnt much of a defender at this point besides his shot blocking.

Len has top 10 potential, but lots of overreactions from the UK game. Cant think of an apt comparison, but the Brook Lopez one wasnt that bad

he reminds me of a less nimble jonas valanciunas

Fischella wrote:Zydrunas Ilgauskas

This is my first thought as well, especially pre-foot injuries Z. That guy would have been a dominant center if not for all of the screws he had to get put in his feet.

The first two posts are pretty positive outlook on Len.. Even guessing the top 5 pick (barely).

I've seen some quotes from Suns FO mentioning similarities to Len and Duncan...
And Len looking up to Duncan.

As a Suns fan... Would love for him to even come 70-75% of Tim Duncan... A double double center who can score a bit and defend the paint.

Poor man's ZI.

The comparisons to JV are so weird now after he played with no energy for the entire season,

His face and body type are similar to Valanciunas I guess.