We’re in the final few weeks of getting ready for the NBA Draft, scouting all the players, reading all the reports and stacking the draft board. It also means we are running out of time to showcase different prospects in our profile.
There have been a few guys that consistently check in around Philadelphia’s two spots in mock drafts. There are frankly only maybe three guys the team would conceivably pick with its first pick, but the tenth overall pick (assuming New Orleans does not win the lottery) naturally has a lot more options. We’ve discussed many of them, but in the next few weeks we will look to zero in on every one of the candidates.
One guy that has been consistently mentioned as a possibility for the Sixers with their second first round pick is Noah Vonleh. The forward figures to go somewhere in the top-ten, and he could be their guy depending on what they do with their first pick.
The big man stands at 6’10’’ and 240 lbs. The 19-year-old seems to project very high in his NBA career. But like other Sixers, namely Nerlens Noel, the youngster is not expected to be a superstar right away. In fact, Kevin Pelton cited a few analytic metrics from KenPom in ESPN the Magazine that point to Vonleh having a rookie season with growth spurts and not quite great yet—much like Anthony Davis last year and Anthony Bennett this year, also two young guys.
Something that seems to be common in this class, and Vonleh is no exception to this, but he seems to possess a tremendous motor. His defense is considered to be his strong point in his game, as his size leads to an expectation to be a tremendous rebounder. He is powerful, athletic and raw, but easy to coach. All of those things seem to point to him being a great player that will develop effectively.
Offensively, his game is not quite as advanced as on the defensive end. Despite that though, he is expected to develop nicely as well, as he already has a strong foundation of shooting, inside and out. Scouts expect him to project to the point he can be a reliable scorer.
As for any concerns, the main one is that he of course does not project as expected. It is one thing to have the skills to develop, it’s another thing to actually do it. Injuries, growth stunts and other things can get in the way of this. Some used to view him as a tweener when he was being recruited for college, but that seems to not be too much of a concern anymore, as he eased some of those doubts.
Pro comparison: Kevin Love
The Verdict: If Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker is the pick with the first selection, then Vonleh would be the most logical second selection. He seems to be the guy that Brett Brown can really work and grow, and the fact he is a good basketball student, he likely would succeed in Philadelphia. If the Sixers could pull off getting two players like he and Wiggins, then they have a nice future ahead.
