Will Thabeet be an instant defensive force
I think he is marshmellow soft and will be on a lot of posters for all the wrong reasons. I've never seen a so-called big man on the ground so much, always rolling around with that pained look on his face. I was a big fan of his, but the more I watched, the more disgusted I became. I dont think he will get the minutes to be a top 5 shot blocker as I see him more as a project than as an impact rookie. I honestly hope that I'm wrong though, because I think he is a genuinely good guy.
I think with 15 to 20 minutes he can block 2 shots easy. He could do that by accident. I dont think he is going to rebound that well early though. He is going to have to get stronger. NBA strength and conditioning coaches will get that done. His O is trash and I think it always will be, but Mutombo type D is worthy of top 3 to me.
He could be top five if he earns a starting position. However, i dont see him doing that if he has to come off the bench. Thats just me. I think comparing him to Mutombo is a best possible comparsion. I hope he gets there but he is a long way off. I worry about him being successful because I am a WVU fan and he was trash against them. WVU has nobody taller than 6'8 that plays. So the next level is going to be an adjustment.
Dikembe Mutombo/Shawn Bradley. I put Thabeet right in the middle. I have a hunch he'll be closer to Bradley. Bradley came in as a rookie and averaged 10 pts, 6 rbs, 3 blks. Best year was 13.2 pts, 8.4 rebs, 3.4 blks. Bradley was the #2 pick. Known as a shot blocker who's biggest question mark was how his lack of strength/toughness would translate to the NBA. Sound familiar? I must admit though that Thabeet is stronger, more athletic, and has faced better competition than Bradley had out of BYU. Dikembe came in and averaged 16.6 pts, 12.3 rebs, 3 blks. Of course we all know that Dikembe is at least 52 years old, so as a rookie he was already well into his 30s. lol
Rookie season he will be a factor defensively. He can be Samuel Dalembert easily by mid-season.
Offensively, there will be a steep learning curve, and I don't foresee production until year two or three at the earliest. He will never drop 20/10 - one needs to know that going in - but neither did Dikembe, but peak seasons of 15 pts/11 reb/3 blks are within his reach.
When you look at the past few drafts hardly any big men are worth the pick. I'm already starting to have doubts about Oden; not a man in the playoffs. The last big man that lived up to his potential was drafted in 04 Dwight Howard. There's always an exception to the rule but big men rarely live up to the expectations.
The man will be a top 5 pick and probably should not see the court this year. He should return to college for another year in my opinion. Go back and watch him play defense, he stands straight up and down and stands in the paint. He can't do that in the NBA, the defensive 3 second technical is heavily enforced, and having almost no knee-bend. He is cookie-dough soft. His potential and size has people drooling. He has managed to get a lot more athletic since his freshman year, he was stiff as a board then. His offensive game is almost non-existent and the fact that he was abused by DeJuan Blair does not help his case.
Like some of you other guys said,this guy is always on the ground. He has no offensive post moves. He will get in foul trouble quickly with NBA players playing up in his chest like Blair did. He isnt as athletic as you guys are giving him credit for. He plays flatfooted and drags his big feet around like their cement blocks. Things might have been different if he had Garnett's mindset but he plays like a clumsy, bashful kid. This guy is going to be a flop.
I never seen a 7ft3 guy as athletic as Thabeet,ever. Dajuan Blair pushes everyone around so I am not worried that he slammed Thabeet. Dajuan will do that to a few cats in the league too. Do you think Thabeet will be an instant defensive force to the point that he finishes in the top 5 in shot blocking his 1st season?