I don't watch much college basketball, but I did catch a UNC game the other day to take a look at Harrison Barnes. Though, someone else caught my eye. John Henson had a big impact on the defensive end. He was racking up the blocks and rebounds. He wasn't too shabby on the offensive end either. He's 6'10" and has an incredibly long wingspan. Henson is pretty skinny, though. Right now he is number 9 on Draft Express. For those of you who watch more NCAABB, what's your opinion on the guy?
I wouldn't touch Henson with a ten-foot pole. He's VERY weak in the paint, tentative with the ball in his hands, and just far too unproven at the collegiate level. He's the second coming of Brandan Wright.
I actually like him a lot. I rank him right after Davis and MKG as the third best prospect in this draft, and consider him one of 4 with true star potential(add Lillard) if everything goes right. A steal in the draft. He improved every year in college, and added weight/strength gradually. His size advantage combined with wing span, athleticism and coordination is rare even in NBA. His defense and rebounding will translate well, and those are critical for a young big man to earn playing time and develop the rest of his game in real competition.
The more I see and read on the kid the more I like. Defensively he's already far along and has the chance to a top rebounder and shot blocker in the NBA. He came to UNC at 180 and is leaving at 220. Now he's only 21 so there is still time for him to grow naturally into his body. I would fully expect him to max out his body by age 25 and be around the 235 mark. Now at a legit 6'10'' with a 7'+ wing span he will be such a versitile player that will be able to guard both post positions. His offense needs work, but I would say he is further along offensively then top prospects Davis and Drummond. Although Davis has a higher peak offensively. Still well worth a top pick and I get the feeling he will slip some on draft day so he is somewhat of a realistic option with our picks.
He won't be able to add much more weight. Maybe he can get to 240, MAYBE. He has a slender frame and shoulders. He might be a 20 mpg guy on a team that has a starting 4 who can sometimes slide to the 5 so that Henson can get those minutes.
Wright was long and skinny, but that's where the similarity ends. Wright was a freak athlete and an offensive force. Henson is purely a defensive guy. If anything, compare him to Camby.
My top4 favorite players are in top5 rookie PER ranking right now. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics/_/position/rookies I really hoped Rockets could use one of their picks on Henson on draft night...
I don't follow the Bucks that closely. Looks like he had a HUGE game against Miami, and then proceeded to get 1 minute of action the next game. weird.
