Milbuck wrote:Can he bulk up to ~250+ and play full time center, and if so how does he project defensively at that spot?
And also where do you guys see him going in this draft? Like what would be the highest you could see him going?
The only problem with being over 7' tall is unless you weigh 270+, shorter players have a major leverage advantage, especially the strong ones.
Being tall means less leverage, and a harder time getting low and getting better leverage.
Both Gobert and Porzingis will probably struggle against strong centers for most all of their careers.
Even Garnett always had problems getting leverage on centers, even at his peak of 250 lbs.
It doesn't mean these 7'+ lanky guys can't be great defensive centers, it's just that they'll probably always lose a few individual matchups against shorter, stronger guys with a leverage advantage.
Jared Sullinger, at 6'8 (after vertebrae removal) is a surprisingly effective center because nobody in the league is better at using leverage for positioning.
Maker has a lot of fight in him, but he has skinny legs like Porzingis and Gobert. He'll be plenty strong and long enough to be an overall effective defensive center, but there will always be matchups he gets dominated by.
I give Embiid a hard time for being 300+ lbs, but if he has any agility and endurance left at all, he'll be a pretty much unstoppable force, and he'll never get outmuscled by other centers.
The only problem would be if he moves like Okafor in help defense, and if he gets beat up and down the floor by skinnier guys.
