North Carolina‘s John Henson is one of the most overrated players in this year’s NBA Draft. Of course he is, he was a member of the Tar Heels college basketball team, meaning he’s going to get more pub than other, often more deserving prospects. UNC guys receive a brighter spotlight than what they deserve.
Henson is a gawky, gangly fellow who just has trouble putting on and keeping weight. That will hurt him at the next level. Still he can defend, meaning Serge Ibaka is someone he can pattern his game after.
“You want to be in a competitive draft and this is what it is for power forwards. We’re going to fight and jockey for position these next few weeks,” Henson said at the NBA Combine. Yes indeed, it is a stacked draft at the four.
Henson has worked out with the Hornets, Bucks, Kings, Suns, and Blazers.
“I think I improved every year which is what you want to do. Maturing and getting more physical is something I needed to do. Probably put in a little more time than other guys in this process but I’m ready to take it to the next level,” Henson said about his time spent in Chapel Hill. You get the feeling that Henson is a little bit like fellow Tar Heels big man Tyler Hansbrough, he didn’t leave school early because he wasn’t good enough. No one wanted either forward after their first year. Versus someone like say Harrison Barnes who could have easily left after his freshman season.
So where does he fit?
“It’s very important because just from talking to everybody, there’s a lot of trade talk. I feel like this draft is wide open for anyone. The right situation can be the difference between an okay career and a great career.”
What about the big knock on Henson, his lack of size and strength?
“Basketball is about strength but if you go out there, hold your own, and play well, they can’t say much about it. I do say I’m stronger than I look and I’m ready to prove that to people,” he says to the critics.
Maybe he’s a “project pick” hell hit his stride later in his NBA career?
“I don’t think people hit their full strength until their 25, 26 years old so I’ve got a while to go before that happens so I’m just going to keep improving and getting better.”
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Chicago Tribune.com, Fox Sports, MSN, Walter Football and Yardbarker
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.