Thursday marked the beginning of the 2013 NBA Draft Combine, and with every participant being weighed, measured and interviewed, it made for a very busy day in Chicago. Here’s a look at how some of the future draftees checked in, courtesy of Chad Ford on Twitter.
NBA Draft 2013: Questions abound after combine measurements
Nerlens Noel’s weight, Otto Porter’s long arms and Rudy Gobert’s freakishly large body headlined the news out of Chicago.
Nerlens Noel, who many project as the No. 1 overall pick despite tearing his ACL just three months ago, checked in at 6'10 in socks and 6'11.5 in shoes. Compared to last year's top pick, Anthony Davis, Noel stands about an inch taller. Noel's wingspan was recorded at 7' 3.75" .
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While his length measurements were impressive, one potential red flag was raised: his weight. Noel weighed in at just 206 pounds, which is astonishingly low compared to other NBA centers. Davis was recorded at 222 pounds last summer and bulked up before the regular season began. Dwight Howard is listed at 265 pounds. Tyson Chandler plays at 240 pounds, while Joakim Noah weighs in the neighborhood of 230 pounds.
Noel is still only 19 years old and will continue to add weight as he develops physically, but he’ll play at least his first professional season much lighter than other post players in the league. That could be an issue moving forward.
Kansas' Ben McLemore was measured at 6'3.5 in socks and 6'4.75 in shoes with a 6'7.75 wingspan. Victor Oladipo of Indiana was measured at 6'3.25 without shoes and 6'4.25 with shoes. He has even longer arms than McLemore, spanning 6'9.25. Oladipo is a freak athlete and can really defend, which has led many to believe he will be a top-five pick this summer.
Otto Porter's stock seems to be on the rise and an impressive physical showing on Thursday may help him even more. He checked in at 6'8.5 with shoes on, and his wingspan was recorded at 7'1.5. Porter fits the mold of a prototypical wing and is expected to be a top-three pick depending on how the lottery shakes out.
Shabazz Muhammad was recorded at 6'4.75 in socks and 6'6.25 in shoes. His wingspan is 6'11. There is no denying Muhammad has talent, although he will need to prove to NBA folks that he's more than just a shooter on the floor.
Some analysts once felt Cody Zeller could be a top-five pick. His game was exposed a bit this past season, often disappearing for stretches when Indiana needed him most. Zeller was an impressive 7'0.25 in shoes on Thursday, although his wingspan was just 6'10.75 and his standing reach was 8'10. It's still likely he ends up being a lottery pick, but there's no guarantee of a top-10 selection anymore.
Trey Burke, the National Player of the Year, helped his stock a bit after checking in at 6'1.25 in shoes with a 6'5.5 wingspan. The main knock on Burke is that he struggled with bigger defenders and/or zone defenses this past season, and his bigger-than-expected measurements should help improve his chances of being a top-five pick.
CJ McCollum is arguably the best shooter available in this year's class and some mock drafts have him going as high as No. 4 overall. McCollum broke his foot during the season and was out for the better part of three months, although he's reportedly back to 100 percent. He checked in at 6'2.25 in socks, 6'3.25 in shoes and has a 6'6.25 wingspan.
Rudy Gobert is one of the big wild cards in this year’s draft. The Frenchman checked in at an astounding 7’2 in shoes with a 7’8.5 wingspan and 9’7 standing reach. That basically means he can dunk without jumping. Gobert is going to take time to develop, but he could become a force around the rim with his size and length.
Maryland big man Alex Len measured at 6’10.75 in socks, 7’0 in shoes and had a 9’1.5 standing reach.
The 2013 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 27.
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