Richard Hendrix will be drafted in Thursday’s NBA Draft. That much is a near certainty. But… where?
Projections range all over the board - Hendrix is either a huge sleeper or being drafted in the late second round.
Here’s what the innerwebs have to say about Hendrix:
We’ll start with the more “mainstream media” and work towards the bloggers - I hope to never use the term “blogosphere” except to mock it.
Chad Ford of the the Worldwide Leader predicts Hendrix as the 39th pick to the Bulls and says:
Hendrix isn’t flashy, but he is tough in the paint, can rebound and has the potential to be a solid player off the bench for the Bulls.
In all fairness, I think Ford just posted another mock draft now. He’s pounding these out like mad, and they all seem a little different.
Kerry Eggers over at Sportsline seems to be the most optimistic about Hendrix’s draft pecking order, saying he’s the 26th pick (in the first round):
The only Southeast Conference player to average a double-double last season. One general manager says Hendrix will be an eighth or ninth man on an NBA club next season.
I guess that’s a compliment.
The Mecca of mock drafts, NBADraft.net has Hendrix falling all the way to the Sonics with the 50th pick saying:
Strengths: Has tremendous strength at the power forward position … Possesses sound post moves and excellent touch around the basket … A beast who loves contact inside the paint … Physically dominant forward who uses his size and girth to overpower opponents … Fights for position and understands how to box out and use his lower body strength to get rebounds … Has solid athletic ability and a nose for scoring … Possesses excellent hands and good touch within 10 feet of the basket … A solid passer, with good vision who plays unselfishly … Has a huge wingspan giving him extra length and making him a solid shot blocker at the college level …
Weaknesses: Has a huge base with incredibly thick and strong legs, however his strength and thickness also limits his quickness … Undersized at the power forward position at 6-7 and a half, lacks great length and struggles to get shots over longer defenders … Lacks great foot speed, which limits his offensive ability, defensively and rebounding the ball out of position as well as in transition … Should work to increase his free throw percentage considering how often he gets to the line, but has shown improvement … Should look to improve upon his mid range jump shot, which shows potential … Lacks the explosiveness and size to be a real factor as a shot blocker …
Notes: Unfounded hype had him considering a jump straight to the league out of high school … Came in as a top 10 national recruit and has struggled some to live up to the expectations …
The Draft Express has an excellent summary of Hendrix’s workouts and good insights - and have him going to the Clippers in the second round:
Hendrix did everything he possibly could to help himself reportedly, blocking shots, rebounding well, scoring points both inside and outside, running the floor and playing strong defense. This is not the first strong report we’ve received from a workout he’s been in– others have mentioned how much better he’s shooting free throws and mid-range jumpers, as well as the confidence he exudes and how impressive he is off the court as well. As we’ve discussed before, Hendrix’s numbers and overall profile compares favorably with Carlos Boozer’s at the same age, and even though we might not ever become an all-star like Boozer, he could develop into a Paul Millsap type steal if he falls into the second round.
CNNSI doesn’t actually post a mock draft, but earlier in the month, they called Hendrix the #3 most underrated player:
Hendrix may be this draft’s poster child for productive underrated players because of tweener size. Hendrix shot more than 60 percent on his two-point shots and his offensive rebound rate (12.9 percent of his own team’s misses) was 59th in the country. He’s a tireless worker, adept at getting to the foul line and had a block rate of 7.2 (82nd). That suggests that Hendrix plays bigger than his height, probably because of his long arms. He’ll be a steal for somebody.
That thought continues as we head to the blogs. Hoops Fantasy has nice things to say:
It seems like every year, a couple quality bigmen fall to the second round of the draft. In the 2008 NBA Draft, the second round steal appears to be Richard Hendrix. Hendrix is a brute who can rebound, block a few shots and use his strength to score around the basket. The only knock on him is he’s a bit undersized for the power forward position. However, in the second round, Hendrix is a definite sleeper who will end up better than many first round picks.
Section F Sports has Hendrix as one of the “players they like”:
The most likely winner of this draft’s “Carlos Boozer Award” for the productive, visible, power conference big man that somehow gets completely ignored and taken in the second round, only to go on and have a great career.
From there, we move into the deeper and darker recesses of the internet - team specific blogs. First, the Bucks Diary lists Richard as its’ number one underrated prospect:
How is this guy ranked 50th overall by Nbadraft.net? Lets look at their complaints about him. They first say he’s too strong in the legs and this limits his quickness. Answer: You want to have your power forward strong in the legs. It allows him to keep position and rebound like a machine. They claim he is undersized because his head height is 6′7”. As I always say, “head height” is irrelevant. The relevant height for effective basketball is “standing reach”. Look at Elton Brand or Charles Barkley or countless others. Hendrix standing reach is actually above average for a power forward at 9′0”. The fact is, Hendrix is a Win Contributor of the highest order.
There’s more analysis at Bucks Diary -this guy has done his homework and it’s an interesting read to say the least.
The guys at Bullets Forever (a Wizards blog) interview DJC of the always excellent Alabama Basketball Blog:
I see him more of a late second rounder because while he has the “body,” I’m not sure he has the athleticism. He needs to prove that he will be able to run the court and not fatigue given the NBA schedule.
MVN - a 76ers blog - is very high on Hendrix as well:
There is one guy I really like as a sleeper pick. Alabama’s 6′8″ center, Richard Hendrix, will be as good as Carlos Boozer if given the chance. Worst case scenario, he turns into a Paul Millsap, Jason Maxiell, Leon Powe type of player.
Hornets 24/7 agrees:
This guy is almost universally regarded as an early second round, possible late first round pick. The perception of him is that he’s an undersized banger with little skills. The statistics tell the story that he’s good at some things that don’t fit that description. He’s a surprisingly good passer, remarkably good at holding on to the ball, and is one of the 5 best rebounders in this draft. He deserves to go in the early 20s, late teens.
Out in the world, it seems Hendrix is more and more regarded as a sexy sleeper pick. I’ve seen just about every game Richard has ever played in college, and I remain unconvinced on his toughness and drive. He certainly doesn’t lack for rebounding skills, but seems to lose drive and pout when things (calls, mostly) don’t go his way.
He certainly can be a servicable NBA bench player, but I don’t see him aspiring to Robert Horry’s long term contributor status or cracking the starting 5 on a playoff team. If he can hand around and contribute some (like Glen “Big Baby” Davis in Boston this last season), he should consider that a huge success.
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