Editor's Note: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. Today: Baylor enigma Perry Jones III by pantslessyoda1.

PREVIOUSLY: Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis, Jared Sullinger, Terrence Jones.

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The most important responsibility of an NBA center is to protect the middle. A certain, ahem, Grizzled-veteran recently advised Knick sensation Jeremy Lin:

When you watch tape, never watch your guy -- the guy you're sticking with. The guy that's sticking you is basically nonexistent. You look at the defenders behind him. How good are they? How good they are lets you know the kind of night you're going to have.

Essentially, that it's less important who a perimeter defender is than who's helping him. Centers are uniquely important in that they have to be ready to provide help defense at the rim regardless of where the offense is attacking from. Whereas a poor defensive center might not have had to have been involved in every play in the days of hand-checking, a poor defensive big can be exposed on almost every play an opposing team runs as a result of how easy it is for guards to get into the paint. Even if a team went to a zone to compensate for this weakness, they would still be exposed to the offensive rebounding unoccupied scorers might chip in.

As Nene gets deeper into his 30s and his injuries pile up, the Wizards may have to rely on Kevin Seraphin to play center more. In order to build around their current core, it's important that they know what they have in order to acquire the right complementary pieces. Whether or not Seraphin should be starting at center when John Wall is in his prime will be discussed after the break.

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Editor's Note: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. Today: do-it-all Wildcat Terrence Jones by pantslessyoda1.

PREVIOUSLY: Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis, Jared Sullinger.

Continue reading this post »

Editor's Note: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. Today: Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger by pantslessyoda1.

PREVIOUSLY: Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis.

Continue reading this post »

Editor's Note: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. Today: Connecticut center Andre Drummond, by pantslessyoda1.

PREVIOUSLY: Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Harrison Barnes.

Continue reading this post »

Editor's Note: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. Today's profile: North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, by pantslessyoda1.

Continue reading this post »

Editor's Note: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. Today's profile: Kentucky phenom Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, by pantslessyoda1.

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Editor's Note, by Mike: The 2012 NBA Draft is just around the corner, and that means it's time to start looking at this year's prospects. We've enlisted the help of a couple of our community's top draftnicks to break down as many prospects as possible from this year's class, whether they're high-lottery picks, potential first-round sliders or sleepers that could make an impact on a team from the second round. First up: Bradley Beal, by the artist formerly known as pantslessyoda1.

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With Harrison Barnes or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely available with the Wizard's pick, their hole at small forward will be easy to fill this year, allowing the them to move Chris Singleton to the bench in order to fill the James Posey 2.0 role he was meant for and letting Cartier Martin play to his strengths as a floor spacer and occasional shot creator who's limitations as a defender will be masked going against second units. However the Wizards are still lacking a shooting guard as Jordan Crawford is a solid player who is better fit as a volume shooting sixth man.

There's been a lot of talk among draft analysts regarding Bradley Beal. He's going to be a good player, and I could see him as an Eric Gordon caliber shooting guard. He'd definitely be an asset to Washington or any other team. However, the Wizards should at least consider buying a late first round pick and using it on Will Barton.

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According to a feature Hollinger wrote in 2009:

On average, switching from the Euroleague to the NBA does the following to a player's pace-adjusted per-minute stats:

Scoring rate decreases 25 percent

Rebound rate increases by 18 percent

Assist rate increases by 31 percent

Shooting percentage drops by 12 percent

Overall, player efficiency rating drops by 30 percent

So, what does that tell us about what we can expect from Vesely next year?

According to Draft Express, his pace-adjusted statistics per 40 minutes last year were as follows:

So, assuming everything goes normally as far as his development is concerned, we're looking at a guy who will most likely give us 12 points, almost 8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per 40 minutes next year (one caveat is that he drew fouls like crazy in the Euroleague and it's not inconceivable that his free throw percentage will rise back into the mid-60s, which would probably bump his scoring average up by a point or two per 40 minutes) while playing hard on defense and most likely chipping in 1 or 2 blocks and steals per game.

For a lottery pick in a fairly weak draft, this actually doesn't look bad. Air Wolf doesn't project to be a superstar, but these numbers and his defensive potential are fairly similar to Kenyon Martin's when he first came into the league with another long, athletic team that wound up being built around an elite point guard. Would you be satisfied with this level of production next year?

(Thanks to Draft Express for the numbers and John Hollinger and ESPN.com for the formulas, too!)