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Scouting the top centers
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
Editor's note: ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas will be breaking down the top five prospects at each position leading up to the NBA draft.
Chris Mihm, Texas
Chris Mihm is the most skilled big man in the draft, and
could very well wind up as the first overall selection. Mihm is seven feet
tall, runs the floor very well, has very good hands and a soft touch
from 22 feet and in.
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Mihm's statistics
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PPG
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RPG
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FG %
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BPG
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1999-00
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17.7
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10.5
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52.3
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2.7
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Career
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14.6
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9.8
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49.7
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2.8
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He has a host of low post moves and is very well
schooled in the low post. Mihm has been tutored by the very best big-man
coaches in the country, and has worked hard to refine his moves. He has a
good jump hook, step through move, up and under and can face up and shoot
the ball. In fact, Mihm has so many moves in his arsenal, he often would
get puzzled as to which move to go with, instead of feeling the right thing
to do in a given situation.
Mihm does not yet have any one move he can rely on as a pet move, but can easily develop one. He is a very good shooter from the high post area, and can drill shots from beyond the college
3-point line. Offensively, he does it all.
On the defensive end, Mihm is solid, showing improvement from his sophomore year to his junior season. He can block shots, and shows help very well when defending pick-and-roll
situations because he can move well. His problems surface when playing
against physical and punishing big men who can body him up and move him
around.
Like many big men entering the league, Mihm needs to get stronger so
as not to get pushed out of his low post position, and to be able to make
powerful moves to the basket and draw fouls, as opposed to fading away from
contact.
When fouled, Mihm is a good free throw shooter, and he has good
hands on catches and rebounds. Mihm is a vastly improved rebounder, and can
get even better with some extra pounds and a little bit more aggressiveness.
The main question about Mihm is his demeanor: he is essentially a nice kid
who has always looked to fit in rather than take over. It is a trait that
is not uncommon, as Grant Hill entered the NBA with the same general
deportment.
Mihm's ability to check his nice personality at the door could
determine whether he is a dominant performer in the NBA. He dominated games
from time to time at Texas, but did not do it on a consistent basis. A
team that passes on Mihm could regret it.
Joel Przybilla, Minnesota
Joel Przybilla is every bit of 7-foot-1, with long arms and very good
instincts on the defensive end which have made him a big-time shotblocker.
He keeps his hands up, keeps his feet pretty well, and challenges every shot
in his area. He makes blocks away from his man, and has the timing and
ability to make blocks on the ball. In fact, on the college level,
Przybilla was able to block shots without really leaving the floor.
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Przybilla's statistics
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PPG
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RPG
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FG %
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BPG
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1999-00
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14.2
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8.4
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61.3
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3.9
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Career
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9.9
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6.9
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59.1
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3.4
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Just as importantly, Przybilla changes a lot of shots. Because of his size, and the
fact that he faced few other players of his size, Przybilla was whistled for
too many fouls and had to adjust without losing his aggressiveness. That
will not be an issue on the pro level. What Przybilla needs on the
defensive end is more bulk, which should come naturally with his maturation,
and to go harder after the ball when it is up on the glass.
Przybilla is a
natural shotblocker, but not a natural rebounder, and he has to work on
that. He actually went three straight games last year (at the start of the
season) without grabbing an offensive rebound. Doug Moe used to say that a
player his size would have to dodge the ball to fail to grab a single
offensive board.
Offensively, Przybilla is limited, but he has tools. Early in the
season, he was not able to score efficiently outside of the lane, but later
was much more confident and looked less mechanical in making his moves down
low. He has a serviceable jump hook and a decent touch around the basket.
He can shoot the ball with some touch, but does not have any pet moves he
can rely on without being led directly into his move.
Przybilla needs to work on his ability to run the court, work on his hands so that he is more
comfortable handling the ball against pressure in the post, and also his
passing. He has shown great strides in each area over the course of his
shortened season, but still has a long way to go before he reaches his
potential. Przybilla can be a very good pro, and be effective in the league
for a long time. He should be taken in the top 10 selections.
Iavokos Tsakalidis, AEK Athens
I have not seen this player in action, but he has a reputation of a
big body with a nice touch and the ability to score. The question marks
about Tsakilidis regard his mobility.
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Tsakalidis' statistics
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PPG
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RPG
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FG %
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BPG
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1999-00
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9.9
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3.7
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60.0
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N/A
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Career
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9.9
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3.7
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60.0
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N/A
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He is said to lumber up and down the floor, and he is not particularly agile, according to some scouts who have seen him play numerous time.
The physical game of the NBA will be an adjustment for Tsakalidis as it has been for many European big men, but the risk of taking a project in the middle to late first round is not major. There are very few
impact players beyond the lottery, and there are certainly no future superstars.
Mamadou N'diaye, Auburn
Mamadou N'diaye is seen as an athletic and long defensive presence
who can blossom into a Dikembe Mutombo-type center in the NBA. N'diaye is
agile and quick off of his feet, and he can run the floor and block shots.
He is not physical, but he is not afraid of contact either.
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N'diaye's statistics
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PPG
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RPG
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FG %
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BPG
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1999-00
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8.9
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7.8
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66.5
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1.9
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Career
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6.8
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6.2
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64.1
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1.9
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With his size and long arms, he can block and change shots, and he is a pretty good
position defender with a good understanding of positioning and the angles of
play. N'diaye needs work on the offensive end, but he is a willing learner
and a hard worker.
The Auburn offense did not look to N'diaye much, primarily because the Tigers were a driving team that attacked the basket. He was not always anchored in the low post because that would have
clogged things up for Chris Porter and others.
N'diaye needs work on his slim body, and needs to refine his
offensive game, but he could turn into a good backup and ultimately a
starter in the league.
Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky
Jamaal Magliore made one of the best decisions of any player in this
year's draft by coming back to school for his senior season. Courtney
Alexander of Fresno State was the other junior that saw his stock skyrocket by coming back.
Last year, Magliore was a fringe first round choice at best, and probably
would have gone in the second round after averaging fewer than 10 points and
five rebounds per game.
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Magloire's statistics
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PPG
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RPG
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FG %
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BPG
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1999-00
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13.2
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9.1
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50.0
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1.7
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Career
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7.3
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5.5
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53.1
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1.8
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Magliore is 6-10 but has long arms and can play
bigger in a halfcourt game. He does not run particularly well, but he can
get up and down the floor when he wants to. Defensively, he is strong and
physical, and he does not back down from confrontation. In fact, he seeks
it out at times -- to his detriment.
Magliore is limited offensively, and for the most part, plays below
the rim on the offensive end unless he has a step to gather himself. He
does not have refined post moves, but tries to bull his way to the basket.
He does not get high on interior shots, and could have
problems getting shots off in the NBA. When he keeps his game to the
offensive glass and simple post moves, he can be effective.
The best part of his game is his ability to defend and rebound on the defensive end, and
he can score when he's open down low. He has no face-up game to speak of,
and is an erratic shooter from 15 feet. Because he is so strong and takes
it up strong to draw contact, he was fouled frequently in college -- in
his senior season, he stepped to the line and hit his free throws.
Magliore is a backup center who can play some minutes in the pivot and at the power
forward spot, and should find himself drafted in the later stage of the
first round. However, because he is limited offensively, he could slip to
the second round.
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