[KHAM83Participant]

HI All, just wondering what you believe Jeff Whitney’s potential in the league is. Player comparisons?
I was hopinh the Hawks could draft a C this year, and was hoping Wiley-Stein at the best would fall to them, or get Olynk with one of their picks. Now since Noel’s injury, and Gonzaga #1, both stocks are well within lottery range I believe. So it comes down to Whitney. I see he has great block numbers, but stats can be deceiving. Is he a defensive anchor that can be a starter in the league? Is he defence alone good enough to start as a rookie in the league? How good of a rebounder is he? Im thinking of Zeller in Cleveland, far from raching his potential, but decent enough to start now, w/o being being a weakness in the starting lineup.

Thanks.

[JoeWolf1]

Would be a great rim protector in the NBA. He’ll get bulled a bit by stronger guys, but he’s a true 7 footer with good agility and excellent timing on blocks. His rebounding is pretty solid, and hes willing to fight. He also has an evolving offensive game, although I doubt he’ll ever be a guy who will get plays run for him. I think in the right situation he could play 20-25 mpg and get 6-7ppg 4-5 rpg and 1.5 blocks but his true value will be keeping guys away from the rim.

[river09Participant]

IMO Withey is one of the most underrated prospects out there. A true 7 footer, he’s very mobile and can run the floor well. The fact that he’s averaging 4.0 blocks per game and only 1.9 fouls is a true testament to how talented on the defensive end this guy is. Whatever team grabs him could put him on the floor day one of the season and get quality minutes.. There aren’t many other guys coming out this year that I would say that about…

[ChrispyParticipant]

We brought this up last year after his breakout and had some nice dialogue… http://nbadraft.net/forum/jeff-withey-pro-or-no

[HotSnotParticipant]

At the moment I don’t believe Withey will be a starter in the NBA but he certainly could be your first bigman off the bench. Who knows what the future holds? He’s the ideal player to bring in with the second unit while your throw in your instant offense scoring guard to eat up minutes. I like his intangibles. I’d be willing to draft him.

[avavalisParticipant]

Quicker Greg Stiemsma with ideal intangibles?

[NickWayne87Participant]

He’s 7ft, can shoot, and is an elite defender at this level…..there’s a place for him in the NBA…..that stuff right there alone is enough for a late first round pick in any draft they can teach him the rest and throw him in the gym…..

[cookielogicParticipant]

i think he will be primarily a solid back up center like stiemsma but i think withey may be a little more skilled offensively. he has come a long way in the last couple of years and over the past month his offensive skill set has looked very good and he has developed a variety of shots and moves. for past year i have been comparing him to jim mcilvaine. good defensive 7 footer with little offense. now, i think withey is capable of being a better scorer than mcilvaine ever was, which is not saying too much. i too think he will be able to put up around 6 pts, 4-5 reb, and perhaps upwards of 2 blk per game over time.

[river09Participant]

If you compare him to Stiemsma he is a very very rich man’s version. Stiemsma can block shots at a great rate much like Withey, but cannot step away from the rim comfortably on either end and is extremely undisciplined and seemingly is always in foul trouble all of which are already incorporated in Withey’s game… I definitely think Jeff Withey can be a quality starter in the NBA in due time..

[Author]

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