Draft Tourney Group A: Wesley, McGowens, Braun, Koloko
We provide the scouting reports, you provide the vote
Results will be updated at the master index for the 2022 Dub Nation HQ Draft Tournament.
(6/18) Wesley rumor
(6/15) added pieces to Braun, Wesley
Your Task
Your task is to select ONE of the four to move on to the final round. There is no option to “select no one” or “trade the pick” because OF COURSE everyone prefers a great trade and OF COURSE every prospect this low in the draft will be flawed. We’ve moved beyond that.
Vote at Twitter or in the comments (worth 10 Twitter votes).
Apricot’s Oversimplification
Here is my absurdly oversimplified summary, followed by some film and longer scouting reports.
Blake Wesley
Lightning quick driver and shot creator with no three pointer.
Bryce McGowens
Long tall guard but frail; skilled driver who can dunk on your head, with shaky passing and good-looking but ineffective jumper.
Christian Braun
Very good at everything, and an experienced spot up shooter, but widely viewed as a NBA role player at best.
Christian Koloko
A JaVale McGee shot-blocking, rim-running big who is still raw and is a threat to passing wildlife with his jumper.
Longer Scouting Reports
Blake Wesley
Compared himself to: Jordan Poole. Why: “The way he comes in and does his role.”
SHADES OF
Tyler Herro, Jamal Crawford, Bones Hyland
HEIGHT 6'3"WEIGHT 187
AGE 19.2YEAR Freshman
Points
PTS14.6.509 TS%
3-point percentage
3P%31.8170 3PA
Assists
AST2.52.2 TOV
Steals
STL1.20.1 BLK
Slippery ball handler who can get a bucket from anywhere, though he could return to college to improve his stock.
Ballhandling
Feel for the Game
PLUSES
Knives through the defense using crossovers and hesitations for leaning layups. He can also stop on a dime in the midrange. In the half court, he can use combo moves off the dribble to get into his jumper. There’s an unpredictability factor that makes him a handful to contain in isolations and pick-and-rolls.
Though he isn’t yet a knockdown shooter, he has a strong foundation to build upon with his ability to create space from any spot on the court. Someday he’ll need to make defenders that go under screens pay by making open 3s.
Willing passer who looks particularly comfortable making live-dribble passes to his rolling big man or cutters heading to the basket. Playing point in some capacity will be a necessity in the NBA.
Has the potential to be a lead playmaker in the future. He’s a score-first player, but not a gunner. He’s reliable, minimizes careless mistakes, and deals well with defensive pressure.
Athletic interior finisher when he has space to launch for dunks. He’s shooting below 52 percent at the rim in the half court, but spacing should be much better in the pros.
Energetic defender with long arms. He’s often assigned the opponent’s best scorer, and he’s always locked in off the ball to disrupt actions. He’s had countless games when it felt like he was the source of inspiration for the team’s collective energy.
Good transition player. Whether off a steal or a rebound, he immediately hits go to jump-start the offense. Without the ball in his hands, he sprints to get ahead.
MINUSES
Inconsistent shooter with poor mechanics, and he has below-average shooting percentages. His ceiling as a scorer is intoxicating, but at this point it’s just an idea. Teams will have to decide whether he’s worth a gamble in the lottery; otherwise, he could return to Notre Dame to improve his draft stock.
He doesn’t draw many free throws, instead preferring to avoid contact. He also lacks a floater as a counter. If he doesn’t become a great shooter, then he’ll need to finish around the rim at a much more efficient rate.
Wesley was ranked outside of the top-100 in recruiting services coming out of South Bend before committing to hometown Notre Dame and emerging as their offensive engine and leading scorer. A 6’5 guard with a 6’11 wingspan, Wesley has tantalizing creation potential with a quick first step, long arms, and the ability to put pressure on the rim. At times it feels like Wesley can get wherever he wants on the floor because of his quickness and craft. Finishing is a different story: he made only 51 percent of his rim attempts, often botching good looks from layup range. Wesley has potential as a shooter, too, but he still needs to prove he can be productive after going 52-of-172 (30.2 percent) from three-point range. Wesley has some obviously impressive physical tools if he can improve as a finisher and shooter. He deserves to go higher than this based on his natural talent.
Why He’ll Succeed
Terrific shin angle and burst as a driver. Consistently touches the paint while facing high level ACC defenses.
Very good pullup shooter, particularly from 12-18 feet. Able to rise up much quicker than defenders who are mostly playing him for the drive can anticipate.
Highly accurate passer with improving vision. One of the better tall (ie, 6’3’’+) passers in this class.
Very young with good length, walked onto a Notre Dame full of upperclassmen and has immediately become the usage leader and most consistent scorer.
Uses his length and athleticism very well in passing lanes. Quality, twitchy defender already with plenty of room to grow.
A true advantage creator at this early stage, which is something none of the other guards in this class can really say.
Why He’ll Fail
Decent, not great vertical athlete. Has some craft as a finisher but also misses more gimmes than he should. This can and usually does improve in the pros but he’s starting farther back on that curve than most do.
Struggles gathering himself and exploding vertically at the rim, most of his misses are due to that or from having to take a more oblique angle on finishes than he should. It’s almost as if Wesley doesn’t always actually expect to get all the way to the rim and rushes his layups because of it. These things can be trimmed up but they aren’t the easiest fixes in the world.
Hyper aggressive scoring instincts can give him tunnel vision at times. Not a great 3pt shooter yet, despite high volume (though high volume itself is a positive).
NBA Comp: Will Barton/Dejounte Murray
Blake Wesley is a dynamic athlete with a lightning fast first step and an improving jump-shot. Couple that with impressive defensive upside and already developed instincts and competitive fire, I believe you have a lottery steal with All-Star upside. For background, Wesley was the lone freshman on a team that featured 6 seniors and Wesley did not play EYBL or any basketball against high level players prior to attending Notre Dame due to COVID-19. I believe that and Notre Dame's egalitarian attack contributed to Blake Wesley's pedestrian numbers and unassuming innocence with which he played at times.
Strengths: * Having watched Blake in person, his burst is astounding. He gets to the rim at will and against Alabama and especially Texas Tech, Notre Dame really relied on his isolation prowess to create offense. * Big guard with lead ball handler potential and can easily play 1 or 2. * Can create for himself and others coupling scoring instincts with unselfishness. * Defensively, Wesley competes play after play and can guard smaller or bigger guards equally adeptly.
Should thrive in a faster paced game like the NBA.
Rebound and run should be something Blake is immediately successful at.
Gets to the rim at will in isolations and passes well in PNR. With an improved intermediate game he could become a premier guard scorer in the PNR.
Concerns: * Shooting splits were not good but he has improved a lot since the end of the season. (40/30/66). * Finishing left something to be desired but I chalk that up to being too light in a mens game. (He has added 10 pounds since the end of the year). * Can be turnover happy with indecisive passes leading to steals. * Can be a better rim attacker by going there even more often rather than shooting a face-up jumper.
Blake Wesley is among the best athletes in this class and possesses a motor to go along with a lethal first-step, developing confidence in his jump-shot and an already solid handle. I believe Blake Wesley follows the career path of fellow approximately 30% 3 point shooting freshman, Tyrese Maxey. Wesley should be an effective driver on day 1 in the NBA and will display the improved jump shot and should outplay his draft position. Wesley can become an all-star if given the chance to be featured in whatever role he inherits.
Pick #21. This would be a pure upside bet for the Nuggets, with Wesley’s athleticism, slashing ability and significant room to improve from a physical and skill standpoint making him a worthy bet in this part of the draft. He’s a good athlete and showed flashes of brilliance in college, but he’s also quite raw and profiles better as a scoring combo guard than a true point. He’ll need to become a much more effective catch-and-shoot player, while also sharpening his decision-making on the ball. Denver wouldn’t have to rush Wesley into important minutes, and the Nuggets tend to be comfortable taking chances on upside. They don’t have a slashing guard like Wesley on the roster, and he could pay real dividends in the long run, particularly if he can become a plus defender.
College Head Coach No. 1 (his team played Notre Dame): He’s got it all, except can he shoot the 3 consistently enough? He’s got ball skills, a good defender for a young player, can make midrange shots, he’s athletic. I think he’s a true point. But he should be a better shooter, you know what I mean? He just hasn’t shot it consistently well enough. But he’s legit.
College Head Coach No. 2 (his team also played Notre Dame): I think he’s fabulous. I love him. If Paolo Banchero hadn’t been in the league, he’d be freshman of the year in the ACC. He can get downhill, he can score, he can shoot it. Got good size, athleticism. I was thoroughly impressed with him. He’s good. I like him a lot. I think Blake Wesley is a dude.
College Head Coach No. 3 (his team also played Notre Dame): The first time I saw him was on tape … I started watching him … and he jumped off the tape. I had never heard of him. It’s not like he was Paolo (Banchero) or (Trevor) Keels or those guys that were highly ranked. And I’m watching their game against Kentucky, and I’m like ‘Who is this?’ Nobody could stay in front of him. When you see him in person, the size, the length, the stride, the explosiveness … I think he’s really good. I think he’s got a very, very high upside. Seems to be a kid who’s that hungry, that has a chip on his shoulder because he wasn’t entitled. I know a lot of people have compared him to Jaden Ivey – same high school and all that. …
I think he’ll continue to get better with the shot. It’s not broken. … Like most freshmen, he’s inconsistent with it, had some inconsistencies with it, just because of the speed and the work, everything like that. As he goes on this journey where it’s all basketball, you don’t have to worry about school, it’s not broken. I think he’ll become a consistent shooter. I don’t ever think he’ll be a ‘shooter,’ but I think he’ll shoot it well enough that you have to guard him, and that allows the explosiveness and athleticism to be even more effective. I love (Notre Dame) Coach (Mike) Brey. (But) they don’t play a lot of defense there. I do think with the length and the athleticism and the physical attributes he has, he could be a really good defender. You didn’t see it this year just because their thing was they were just going to outscore you.
This is purely an upside play — there’s a chance Wesley ends up being terrible if his shooting and finishing don’t progress. It’s still worth taking Wesley here because his first-step quickness and lateral mobility provide a framework for some elite two-way outcomes … if he can just figure out how to shoot and make a layup. In this draft class, only Ivey can surpass Wesley’s explosiveness getting downhill to the rim, something that should be a much greater weapon at the NBA level.
Wesley’s offensive stats from his one season are a tad underwhelming. While he scored in volume (29.8 points per 100 possessions), he shot 47.1 percent from the arc, 30.3 percent on 3s and 65.7 percent from the line and barely had more assists than turnovers. Yikes. He’ll benefit from the more open space of the NBA floor, but there’s a lot to clean up here.
Where I feel better about Wesley is on the defensive end. He can move his feet laterally, contest shots and had an impressive steal rate (2.8 thefts per 100 possessions). You’d like to see him get into the ball a little bit more on the perimeter and concede fewer pull-ups, but he’s long and bouncy enough to bother players when they rise up. Bizarrely, he only blocked two shots all season — another sign he may be leaving some money on the table at that end.
As a result, I see two outs for success here: first as a downhill shot creator and second as a wing defensive stopper. Hit on both, and you’ve really got something. I initially had Wesley ranked lower but comparing his best-case scenarios with the less intriguing upside scenarios that follow, I had to move him up the list even if there’s a decent chance he bombs because of his offense.
Pro days are something of a fool’s errand. Fall in love with a player during a 1v0 workout and it likely says more about you than it does the prospect. They’re rigged for players to succeed. That’s why, more than anything, the noteworthy ones are the workouts where players look pretty poor. From what we’ve heard from multiple sources, Notre Dame wing Blake Wesley had a pretty terrible pro day. His shooting consistency has been an issue throughout the season, but his shot-making off the bounce looked worse and his size or athleticism was less impressive in-person than anticipated. Once a popular pick for the first round and even top 20, don’t be surprised if there’s a sizeable slide in store for Wesley on draft night.
Bryce McGowens
Compared himself to: Zach LaVine and Devin Booker. Why: “Their ability to get to their spots and score at all three levels. Use their athleticism. They’re just talented players.”
WING Nebraska
SHADES OF
Zach LaVine with less hops
HEIGHT 6'5.25"WEIGHT 181
AGE 19.6YEAR Freshman
Points
PTS16.8.533 TS%
3-point percentage
3P%27.4146 3PA
Free-throw percentage
FT%83.1195 FTA
Assists
AST1.42.1 TOV
Tremendous upside if he improves his overall fundamentals because of his dynamic scoring ability.
Ballhandling
Athleticism
PLUSES
Skilled ball handler who freezes defenders with hesitation dribbles. He lacks elite burst but makes up for it with long strides, sort of like Brandon Ingram.
Encouraging potential as a shooter with soft touch on his floaters and a high percentage from the line. If he becomes a more consistent shooter, his handle could turn him into a go-to scoring option.
Good interior finisher even against significant contact, and he's pro-ready at drawing fouls by flailing his body around like a veteran.
Occasionally makes a slick pass off the dribble that makes you wonder what he could become if he valued playmaking as much as scoring. With his fluidity and athleticism, it’s the area that could help make him take a leap.
At 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, he has the body to become a strong defender, but he’s shown only limited flashes of potential. If he can make quick rotations and get his long arms in passing lanes, he could make things difficult on opponents.
MINUSES
Reluctant passer. He loves to isolate, overdribble, and then launch contested jumpers instead of finding open teammates. Even when the ball does leave his hands in the direction of a teammate, it’s rarely on target.
Currently a low efficiency perimeter shooter who front-rims a lot of shots. He made 30.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s and struggled with consistency.
He struggled against superior competition in college. His percentages shooting off the dribble plummeted, and he didn’t make up for it as a playmaker.
He doesn’t use his off hand very often when it comes to handling and finishing.
Sloppy defender without technique, desire, or awareness at the college level. He needs to improve in every way, including his stance on-ball since he’s often flat-footed. And when I say everything, I mean it. He struggles closing out. He reaches in too much. He gets destroyed on screens. He loses focus off-ball.
McGowens had a bad year for a bad team but as a 19 year old who got to the line a ton and made 83.1% FT, having wing dimensions would be enough to make him worth considering in the late first.
Unfortunately he came up a bit short at 6’6.5″ with 6’8.75″ wingspan and 181 pounds. Makes it hard to get excited on the idea of gambling that he can ever learn to defend decently in the NBA being that slight with SG dimensions and showing no inkling of basketball IQ as an NCAA freshman.
He is currently slated at #29 on ESPN’s mock, but I am downgrading him to a mid-late 2nd round pick based on those measurements.
-
McGowens is a big guard with impressive driving ability and real shooting potential at the next level for a team willing to develop him. At 6’7, 180 pounds with a 6’9 wingspan, McGowens has a quick first step and long strides that help him get to the basket. While the shooting numbers from deep were a bit rough — 27.4 percent from three on 140 attempts — the freshman guard showed a clean stroke and enough shooting versatility to think he can improve. McGowens needs to get better defensively and as a finisher (he shot 56.2 percent at the rim, per T-Rank) while adding strength to his frame, but his tools are valuable if they can be refined.
Why He’ll Succeed
Long, fluid scoring prospect with great ball handling skills for his size and age.
Uses his length and agility to finish around the rim. Already quite adept at compensating for his low strength and power to finish. Should get better at it in time.
Really good looking jumper despite the numbers. Created a huge percentage of his own offense in college, should adjust well to an off-ball role.
Has the talent and skillset to develop into a legitimate scoring threat in the NBA.
Why He’ll Fail
Deeply frail physically. Will likely never have the strength advantage over any NBA defender.
Moves with purpose in the paint but may struggle with ball security.
Lacks lift on his jumper sometimes, again due to strength issues.
NBA Comp: Romeo Langford/Spencer Dinwiddie
McGowens is a tough eval because he played on a horrid Nebraska team where he had to be the main shot creator as a freshman in the Big Ten. He also didn’t help himself with how he played, seemingly in love with floaters despite infrequently converting them, and barely registering at all on defense. I don’t trust his shot eye-test-wise, and he made only 27.4 percent from 3. Finally, he’s dangerously thin and will need to fill out physically.
That said, there’s a toolset here. McGowens can handle the ball and get to the cup, skills that should be better advantaged in an NBA setting, and he drew a ton of fouls. He also hit 83.1 percent from the line, a positive harbinger that he can work out the last few kinks in his low-release delivery.
Overall, the chance for wing shot-creation and half-decent shooting overrides some of the other worries (could you maybe try getting a stop? Once?) at this point in the draft, especially given McGowens’ relative youth.
Christian Braun
Compared himself to: Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks. Why: “The personality that Dillon Brooks brings to the Grizzlies. I would say that some of that is a good comp from me. He’s a 3-and-D guy willing to guard multiple positions. He’s just a guy with a lot of energy, a lot of passion and toughness. He’s got a chip on his shoulder that I think I bring to a team. So that’s someone that I would compare myself to and I think that he does a lot of things similar to me.”
WING Kansas
SHADES OF
Alex Caruso, Kevin Huerter, Wesley Matthews
HEIGHT 6'5.5"WEIGHT 209
AGE 21.1YEAR Junior
Points
PTS14.959.8 TS%
3-point percentage
3PT%38.3107 3PA
Free-throw percentage
FT%73.2112 FTA
Assists
AST2.72.3 TOV
Spirited two-way wing with the athleticism to dunk in traffic and sky in for blocks.
On-Ball Defense
Athleticism
Feel for the Game
Hustle
PLUSES
Strong off-ball defender who makes proper rotations while also freelancing and baiting opponents into making bad passes. Braun can be a nuisance, and he’s energetic on the ball with the quickness and toughness to battle one-on-one. He’s also an active rebounder, snatching over six per game.
Shot 44.4 percent from 3 as a freshman, then 34 percent as a sophomore, and now 38.3 percent as a junior. So who is he really? If he’s able to shoot like he did during his freshman year, then he’ll be in the league for a long time. His percentage drops off the dribble, but he shot 38.3 percent on all catch-and-shoot 3s this season, according to Synergy.
Capable ball handler in the open floor. He’s comfortable on the break, dribbling with his head up and looking for the open man. In the half court, he’s at his best attacking off the catch to get to the basket, where he’s a crafty finisher using either hand.
Reliable passer who plays a bigger on-ball role for Kansas than he likely will in the NBA. Braun knows how to find the open man in the pick-and-roll and he makes rapid decisions, whether it’s whipping a cross-court pass to a shooter or throwing a bull’s-eye lob. The ball doesn’t stick with him. And given his height, he’s able to make passes others can’t.
Active offensive rebounder who can make big plays on putbacks through contact. He sets a tone with his emotional play, and any team that drafts him should give him the freedom to crash the boards.
MINUSES
Struggled to score efficiently against superior competition, which could be a sign of things to come in the NBA unless he quickens his shooting release. When shooting a jumper off the dribble, he has a slight stutter as he gathers the ball and he doesn’t quickly elevate. Kansas rarely has him shoot off screens and handoffs. He has not scored efficiently in isolations, either, and occasionally passes up open looks.
Though he’s capable of getting to the basket, he doesn’t project as a player who will draw a ton of fouls. So he’ll need to improve his floater. As a freshman and sophomore, he was 7-of-27 (25.9 percent). This season, he's up to 35.7 percent on a higher volume (56 attempts). He needs to get more comfortable and more choosy with his shot selection.
Good news: he measured an entire inch above his listed height at 6’7″, bad news: he is a t-rex with 6’6.5″ wingspan.
Good news: he was actively making all sorts of plays in the scrimmage averaging 26.5 mins, 11.5 pts, 5.5 rebs, 3.5 asts, 1.5 tovs, 2.5 stls. Bad news: he really struggled to make shots 5/15 2P, 4/11 3P, 1/2 FT.
It is nice to see him freely attempt threes as he had an odd decline from 9.4 3PA/100 as a sophomore to 5.5 as a junior. His NCAA shooting signal only looks OK-ish, making 37.8% 3P on moderate volume and 74.9% FT in his 3 years at Kansas.
Braun is in a bit of a weird zone where he does not have any particularly bad weakness, nor does he have any major strength to lean on. He is more or less a 6’7 guy who is OK at everything.
Is that a guy worth taking in round 1? He is not going to be a home run selection, and he may not be an NBA player at all. But he also doesn’t need that much to go right to be a decent rotation player.
Why He’ll Succeed
Very good open floor athlete. Can cover a lot of ground on the break and moves with power and purpose to the rim.
Strong rebounder for a G/F, plays hard without being reckless.
Good shooter with his feet under him, can step right into an off-ball role in the NBA.
Why He’ll Fail
Not really elite at any one thing. Plays hard and plays smart but may not be enough of a physical or skill outlier to be anything more than just another NBA Wing.
NBA Role: Effort player with good athleticism and strong defensive acumen. Mostly a spot up shooter but can help an NBA team tomorrow
College Head Coach 1 (his team played Kansas): The thing about him you appreciate is that every year he’s gotten incrementally better, made significant progress in his game. And he’s really, really competitive. More athletic than people probably give him credit for. We always worried about him just as much as Ochai (Agbaji, Kansas’ star guard), because we knew our guys would be locked on trying to stop Ochai, but maybe not as in tune to Christian. And he was more than capable. He can shoot it. Really good size for his position. He’s smart. He understands how to accept a role on a team. I think he’s going to have a chance to have a good career here, because he’s got some of those intangible things that really translate.
They play a lot of DHO (dribble handoff) offense in general, and he was a big, big part of it, more so than in his first two years, because so much attention was given to Ochai. Credit to Ochai. He embraced that, allowing his good friend and teammate to shine. A lot of DHOs, they played in transition incredibly well. That’s probably the best thing they did. They played with pace offensively, which gave them an opportunity to have some easier looks before the defense got set. He’s not an isolation player at all, but he’s a guy that can come off of screens, make good reads. He’s got a pretty good feel of when to get off of it and space the floor. He wasn’t a guy who we said ‘man, you’ve got to be careful when he’s guarding you.’ But, he certainly was capable (defensively), and that’s where his competitiveness kicked in. He understood his limitations, and he played within those. He didn’t gamble a lot. He wasn’t a guy who was trying to pressure guys all over the floor. He played good, positional defense. He’s a capable defender because he’s got good athleticism. He’s an intelligent kid who really understands who he is and plays to his strengths.
Braun seems to be on the first-round fence. Scouts see a pro, even if there isn't a visible path to upside. In the 20s, it will come down to a team's willingness to settle on adding a rotational player versus swinging bigger.
He helped himself at the combine, where he continued to strengthen his case as a wing who can make plays for teammates on ball screens. It's worth watching how the first few years of his career go if he lands with a playoff team rather than a rebuilding one such as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kansas won the national title and Ochai Abgaji was its star, but of the team’s draftable wings I actually like Braun a bit better. He’s not the shooter or scorer Agbaji is, but is bigger and younger, and pops off the floor athletically. Kansas played a conservative defensive scheme so he wasn’t heating up the ball a lot, but he’s very good at challenging shots and even blocking jump shots. At 6-6, he could slot up to the three at times.
Braun can’t rank higher because his shot isn’t completely trustworthy, a low-released push that could use more air under it. He shot 38.6 percent from 3 this past season but on low volume; he’s not letting it rip unless it’s an open catch-and-shoot. He also isn’t the most instinctive or polished finishers around the basket. He’s better in transition, where he can use his athleticism more easily, and he passes willingly. Between all that, he has a decent chance of becoming a rotation-caliber wing with enough size to play some three.
Christian Koloko
CENTER Arizona
SHADES OF
Clint Capela, Ed Davis
HEIGHT 6'10.75"WEIGHT 221
AGE 22.0YEAR Junior
Points
PTS11.8.641 TS%
3-point percentage
3P%00.03 3PA
Rebounds
REB7.015.6 REB%
Blocks
BLK2.80.7 AST
On Christian Koloko and Arizona
Cameroonian big man who emerged this year as one of the NCAA’s best rim protectors and finishers, though he must get stronger to excel in the NBA.
Shot Blocking
Athleticism
On-Ball Defense
Interior Scoring
PLUSES
Excellent interior finisher who slams home lobs when cutting from the baseline or rolling to the paint. He’s also adept at sealing off his defender deep in the paint, making himself a target, and then fluidly finishing or turning into a jump hook.
Improved as a free throw shooter his junior season, hitting a career-high 72.2 percent. He even looked smooth on the limited number of midrange jumpers he took. He’ll certainly work on his ability to hit spot-up 3s leading up to the draft. If it’s working for him, his draft stock will rise because we’ll see shades of Bucks Brook Lopez.
Much better passer than his numbers indicate. On the post, he has a feel for drawing in the defense to create an opening for a teammate. Granted, he won’t be asked to frequently post up in the NBA, but it does show his ability to read the floor. He’s also fully capable of operating on the perimeter in dribble handoffs.
Nasty shot blocker in help situations. He has good floor sense and can rapidly change directions to block or alter shots. He’s also solid when defending pick-and-rolls as a drop defender.
Very mobile for his size. He flourished when switching onto guards and wings at Arizona. He gets a bit too handsy at times when he should back off, but once he gets in a film room and in the practice court with NBA coaches, hours of studying Rudy Gobert should help.
Added 15 pounds since his freshman season and has since become a far more effective post defender. Getting even stronger, especially in the lower body, should be prioritized as long as it doesn’t come at the cost of his quickness.
MINUSES
He’s come a long way, but he’s still raw. Koloko started to take basketball seriously at age 15 but primarily played soccer until he was 17. He’s made a lot of progress, but he remains unrefined in some areas.
Struggled throughout his first two seasons at Arizona and battled inconsistency before his junior season. Maybe things just clicked for Koloko as he grew into his body and matured.
Fundamentals still need more development. He makes off-target passes to cutting players and he forces some post entries to Azuolas Tubelis, a 6-foot-11 big who starts next to him. He also sets too many moving screens. But these flaws are easily fixable and his progress is an indicator that he will figure them out.
Made only 55 percent of his free throws as a freshman and sophomore. He’ll need to prove he can maintain his improved percentages (up to 72.2 percent this year) to cement his stock.
Why He’ll Succeed
Huge frame, huge wingspan. Good timing as a shotblocker in the paint.
Solid, repeatable set shot out to 17-18 feet. Not difficult at all to see Koloko being a true stretch 5 eventually.
Refined his game every season at Arizona, was a twitchy, foul prone energy big as a Freshman and developed into a dependable scorer and defensive anchor by Year 3.
Still has some apparent athletic upside to tap into despite his age. Should be a solid backup option out of the gates with room to grow.
Why He’ll Fail
Over-rotates like crazy and doesn’t have the footspeed to catch up a lot of the time.
May end up just being a run of the mill backup center.
NBA Comp: Nick Richards/Hassan Whiteside
#51. A massive 7-5 wingspan will get you noticed, especially given the improvement Koloko made this season. He had a 10.3 percent block rate and showed enough feel as a distributor to make you not completely hate him as a potential elbow operator. Koloko also made 73.5 percent of his free throws; there is at least a shred of shooting touch to build on. All this probably adds up to a third center with backup upside. That’s not a sexy return on a draft pick any higher than this point, but Koloko certainly is good enough to warrant selection.
Braun - for his energy and "get -er done" fight. My question to Christian: Are you willing to sit the bench while learning from the champs?
Group A - Christian Braun