jj hickson

[PerkinsFor3]

Hi Cleveland fans,

I'm not gonna lie: I've seen only short videos of JJ Hickson and I've not seen him play in a game yet. Still from what I've read/heard Cleveland fans are high on him.

Can someone tell me more about him? Is he in the same line as Speights, Jason Thompson etc when it comes to talented pf's?

[Nirvana]

Hickson has a lot of upside, but he still has to put in quite a bit of work to make a consistent impact on the floor. He is crazy athletic, one of those guys who has springs in his legs and can get up in the air really quick. He also has good touch around the basket.

His defense really needs work. He still looks lost out there. He'll block the occasional shot, but most of the time he is out of position. He isn't the greatest rebounder, either. He'll need to bulk up some as well if he wants to be a threat on the low block.

I think a lot of the fans were a little over the top when they were discussing Hickson before the trade deadline, but he does seem to have a lot of tools to put it all together and become an impact power forward and a game changer.

[Furrski]

Very accurate report. A lot of us Cavs fans are really high on him, I think, because we see so much potential in him. As Nirvana said, JJ's so raw, and needs to put in a ton of work on both ends of the floor, and add muscle, but the potential is definitely there. Of course only time will tell if he 'gets it' or not.
He could be a big piece in this team that will be hugely needed (with Z and Ben older, and Andy's contract status), or he could end up a la Drew Gooden. I hope some fans realize he has a long way to go and not get down on him if he struggles in the playoffs, but I think JJ will be a legit pro.

[bcortell]

JJ's Birthday- Sep '88
Speight's Birthday- Aug '87
Thompson's Birthday- July '86

He's got a couple more years to grow right now, luckily, age is on his side.

[eyejayem]

If he does his work in the gym this summer and takes what he learns over the next couple of months and during training camp he will be ready next season.

I think his main problem is the speed of the game seems to overwhelm him. Once he catches up and slows down his game(yes two different things), I think he will woek out and contribute and then we can gauge how much he will contribute.

[TheOUTLAW]

Seriously as high as I was on Thompson before the season started, he really hasn't been impressive in an awfully long time for people to be using him as a comparison.

That being said, JJ is raw like sushi. I still think he's at least on season away, but he's clearly got some talent.