Nike Hoop Summit: World Team measurements and practice analysis
By Sam Vecenie | CBSSports.com
April 8, 2015 12:30 am ET
The 2015 Nike Hoop Summit has brought together some of the best NBA draft prospects in the world. Practice for the World Team kicked off on Monday and Tuesday, but prior to that the players were measured for heights, weights, wingspan, standing reaches, and some other measurements. Here is how that team's roster looks, how they measured out, and then some analysis from Tuesday's practice, which was the first one I was in attendance for following the Final Four.
Thoughts:
* Skal Labissiere is one of the bigger names in attendance here, and nothing about him has disappointed to this juncture. At 7-foot tall in shoes with a 7-1.5 wingspan, he has the size to play the center position in the NBA, and his body is continuing to put on weight, which is a good sign. However, the measurements aren't the most impressive part of Labissiere. It's his play. The Kentucky recruit basically dominated from the beginning to the end of practice on Tuesday, outplaying another potential 2016 top-10 pick in Thon Maker by a considerable margin in their matchup. His fluid athleticism is readily apparent at every turn, whether it be on defense where he contested just about every single Maker shot on the perimeter, or on offense where he was terrific in the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop, as he has terrific instinctual awareness of where to find the soft spot in the defense. He already has an incredibly soft touch, and his range seems to have increased out to the college 3-point line (he attempted a couple of NBA level 3s, but they didn't look as comfortable mechanically). He was the best player on the floor Tuesday, and I was told it was a similar story on Monday by others. Like everyone here, he still has a way's to go, but it wouldn't shock me if he ended up as the No. 1 recruit in the 2015 high school class.
* The current No. 1 recruit in the 2015 high school class and another potential top-five pick in 2016 is also in Portland in Ben Simmons. He arrived on Tuesday following his most valuable player performance in the high school national championships, and was measured at 6-foot-10 with a 6-11 wingspan and an 8-7 standing reach. Those aren't great numbers, but they aren't necessarily a backbreaker either for a point-forward type like Simmons. He probably won't be able to defend power forwards regularly, but his future seems to lie on the wing anyway. He's working with the perimeter players here, and even got to see some time as a point guard on Tuesday. For me, he was probably the second-best player on the floor behind Labissiere, which isn't a surprise given his general standing as a prospect.
* The measurement that really jumps off the page here is undoubtedly Zhou Qi, the 7-foot-2 Chinese center with a 7-6.5 wingspan. As far as I know, his standing reach of 9-6.5 would be the second longest in the NBA behind Rudy Gobert's. Much like Gobert, Zhou is already a terrific rim protector internationally, as he led the CBA in blocks in his rookie season with 3.3 in 29 minutes per game. His 10.7 percent block rate dwarfed the next closest competitor's (Slava Kravtsov, formerly of Detroit Pistons' fame, had a 6.1 percent block rate). The question with Zhou is obviously the frame, as 209 pounds is incredibly frail for that size. It's something to keep an eye on throughout the week, although he did not play Tuesday after apparently picking up an ankle injury on Monday.
* George de Paula is one of only two prospects on this roster that is currently in my 2015 NBA mock draft. And as you can see, there's a pretty clear reason he's there. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-11.5 wingspan, he would be among the biggest point guards to ever play the position in the NBA. Put it this way: I currently have Justin Anderson from Virginia in the first round in 2015 as a small forward, and Lucas is about the same size. There's also the matter of his hands. Again, I feel reasonably confident saying that de Paula's hands would probably be the biggest among any point guard's to ever play in the NBA. He used those hands and that length to good use in practice on Tuesday, as he's a complete terror in passing lanes. He picked off countless passes in transition and generally made it tough on whoever he was defending to initiate offense. The questions with him are more offensive, as his first step and shooting ability leave quite a bit to be desired. I've got him in the second round right now.
* Thon Maker measured well at 7-foot with a 7-3.25 wingspan, plus has put on some weight to get up to 218. He looks bigger, and with his broad shoulders it looks like his frame would be able to stand another 15-20 pounds. He's working with the big men here (his perimeter skill level has led some to speculate if his future is as a massive wing a la Kevin Durant), and looked pretty solid during practice despite Labissiere getting the better of him. He made a couple of 3s, and used his length to block a few shots in the lane. It's fair to say though that he still doesn't look totally comfortable in the post with his footwork, and that will be the biggest place for him to work to improve.
* Other quick hitters.....Cheick Diallo was MVP of the McDonald's All-American game mostly due to his work level, and that's continued here. He was active athletically and on the glass with his 7-4 wingspan.....Nedim Buza looks the part of a small forward at 6-8 with a 6-11 wingspan, and his ability to shoot will probably get him drafted in the next two years.....Despite his lack of size, Federico Mussini looks the part with his play. He's considering college still, and he would make an NCAA coach really happy with his level of polish, poise, and terrific shooting.....Jamal Murray and Stefan Peno are two of the younger guys here, and they went back and forth in their matchup Tuesday. Murray will be an interesting college guy to look at down the road, and Peno will continue to develop at the powerhouse that is Barcelona.....Finally, Tai Wynyard is the youngest player here, and he looked it today. The Kentucky commit for 2016 struggled a bit with the length surrounding him, which isn't a total surprise given his inexperience and his size. Still, simply being here will be a good experience for him.
