NBA Comparison: Tree Rollins/Patrick O’Bryant

Strengths: Has great physical dimensions for a center as far as height, length and absolutely massive hands … An imposing presence in the paint with great timing as a shot blocker, was leading the nation up until he left Washington … Can block shots with either hand, plus does a very good job of playing with his arms straight up … Altered a lot of shots at the basket, would cause turnovers and was quite good at gaining his team possession after a block or miss … Was a good rebounder at both ends of the floor, took up a lot of space in the post and could keep the ball high … Averaged 4.5 bpg to only 2.1 fpg, making great strides from his time at Fresno St where fouls would become an issue … Tends to keep the ball very high when he gets it close to the hoop, which is what you want your big man to do … Improved his comfort level in the post, was very hard to guard off of the right shoulder … Does not take much of a hop for him to finish above the rim, had a lot of lobs and dunks getting behind the defense … Draws a lot of fouls, seeing that the best counter to playing him is to be physical … Big threat to finish or get fouled once he gets the offensive board … Played pretty well within himself, tended not to force the issue and did not take a lot of bad shots … Was gradually getting more time as the season progressed … Even though the last game he played for UW was three and a half months before the combine, he showed up in pretty good shape, all things considered …

Weaknesses: The league seems to be gravitating away from the “lumbering big man” and his lack of overall speed and lateral quickness will mean he will have to adjust to NBA speed, and fit into the right system … Will need to be better at boxing out for defensive rebounds, got by a lot on sheer size at the college level … Can definitely work on setting stronger screens and his positioning without the ball … Not overly explosive or athletic, needs to be more assertive running the floor at times … Conditioning will be a key to how much time a team can keep him on the court … Still has a long way to go offensively, was not always aggressive in gaining post position, even when he had a massive size advantage on a regular basis … Plays very high when guarding a player back to the basket, seems to have trouble bending his knees enough to maintain solid ground … Can be pressured into making bad passes when double teamed … Was a very poor FT shooter, very little arc on his shot and had a lot of line drive attempts, only shot 43.4% last season … Does not always rush to defend the open shooter, something that will be required in the NBA … Even with his improvements on offense, he remains very raw, a tad mechanical in the post and will never became a go-to post player … Will have to react better to pick-and-roll situations defensively by stepping up and hedging when needed … Questions surrounding his maturity and off-court issues that got him dismissed by both Fresno St. and Washington …

Notes: Measured 7’0 in shoes, 258 lbs with a 7’5.5 wingspan and a 9’5 standing reach at the 2015 NBA Draft Combine … Played his freshman year at Fresno State, later being dismissed from the program in August 2013 … Transferred to University of Washington in September 2013 … Played 19 games as a redshirt sophomore at Washington, with averages of 10.9 ppg (59.3% FG), 8.2 rpg and an at the time NCAA leading 4.5 bpg in 24.9 mpg … Was dismissed from Washington, citing a violation of team rules … Many note that he is quite nice and outgoing, though there are plenty of concerns regarding his dedication and maturity … Will have questions surrounding his commitment to being a professional, given his track record … Still provides very rare size, as well as a desired NBA skill as far as his post defense and rim protection … May lack ideal athleticism and conditioning for an NBA center, will definitely be a project and the game’s speed will take a lot of getting used to … Showed limited post moves beyond the baby hook shot and fade away, is a bit predictable in that facet … While one might see him as a potential pick-and-roll player, will need a much better understanding of how to execute it … Can drift in and out of games, pointing to needing seasoning and probably limiting his playing time until he has the conditioning to play extended minutes … Very rare measurables for a center who is not completely immobile, may force a team into taking a chance on him as a defensive minded back-up center … His off-court concerns will likely scare some teams away and have definitely lowered his draft position, will need to do everything he can to prove to teams he is worth the potential risk …

Michael Visenberg 5/27/15

June 24, 2015