2010 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Cole Aldrich

Written by Paul Banks of NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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2010 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Cole Aldrich

Position: Center

Size: 6-11, 245

School: Kansas, Junior

Strengths:

Fundamentally sound with his post moves

Knows how to use his big body to establish position inside

Soft touch around the basket

Nice mid-range game

Good free-throw shooter

Understands how to run the pick and roll, pick and pop

Great vision for a big man especially when double-teamed on the block

Long reach helps him rebound and block shots

Active inside on both ends of the floor

Weaknesses:

By no means a “stiff” but lacks great athleticism and explosiveness

Footwork has improved, but there is still room for growth

Does not run the floor well

Very unorthodox shot form as he cocks the ball well behind his head

Limited ball-handler; the less he dribbles, the better

Summary: I am not as high on Cole Aldrich as other NBA Draft sites are. I think he is a great college basketball player but I’m not sure how his game translates to the next level. He will be servicable as a pro, but not an All-Star. He should be the top center in the 2010 class and will certainly be a lottery pick, but how high his stock goes will depend on how NBA teams feel he can transition to a more physical, athletically demanding league.

Player Comparison: Chris Kaman. Kaman is a solid complementary NBA player who brings the same sort of attributes to the Clips that Aldrich does at Kansas. Kaman is a crafty big man who uses his length and average athleticism to the best of his ability, just like Aldrich. Neither will ever be a 20-10 player as a pro, but should have successful careers.

RELATED LINKS:

2010 NBA Mock Draft

2010 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings

2010 NBA Draft Scouting Reports

Written by Paul Banks of NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: [email protected]

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