Name: Robin Lopez Position: Center Height: 7-0 (2.13m) Weight: 255 (116kg) College Team: Stanford Cardinals Nationality: American Birthplace: North Hollywood, California Birthdate: 4/1/1988 Drafted: Selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (15th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Brother: Brook Lopez

Strengths: For his size, Lopez is an excellent runner of the floor … Does a good job establishing position in the post … Understands the value of not putting the ball on the floor … Owns a premium set of hands that are both strong and soft … These hands enable him to catch difficult passes thrown into the post or hold onto rebounds without getting them slapped away … Back to the basket skills are still in the developmental stages, but he's shown very good signs of a nice jump hook … Post footwork displays good quickness, balance and coordination when executing moves … Has all the physical tools needed to be a great shot blocker at the next level with long arms, explosiveness and timing … Because of his solid lateral movement Lopez is an above average help defender, which alleviates many open looks from opposing players who attempt to penetrate the lane … Plays with a calm fire and doesn’t allow his emotions to get in the way, but make no mistake, he possesses a mean streak … Quality rebounder who uses his body and mobility to grab rebounds in area and out of position … Still has some time before he reaches the ceiling on his potential … When motivated, Lopez can draw a great deal of contact when attacking the basket … Team oriented attitude in that he will do whatever is required, whether it’s being a hustle player diving on the floor for loose balls or providing an energy play such as a power dunk around the basket … Underrated basketball IQ … Court awareness is exceptional for someone with his lack of refinement … Body type suggest adding weight will not hider his athleticism …

Weaknesses: Physically, Lopez needs to continue to work on his upper body strength … Back to the basket skills are in great need of refinement … At this moment he lacks any real go-to move and could stand to incorporate more moves such as a drop step or a steady turnaround jumper … Not a great out of position rebounder when being boxed out, which could be a strength related issue … Often tries to tap the ball to himself (ala Dennis Rodman), but lacks the strength to do this while holding off his man … Could stand to expand his shooting range out to 10-12 feet as he has no face-up game … Doesn’t do a good job of holding post position without get pushed away from the basket … Average finisher around the basket, especially after contact occurs … Still prone to mental breakdowns, but to his credit he improved as the season carried on … Doesn’t always look to dominate, which makes him appear passive … Post defense must continue to improve - Lopez will often let opposing players set up position without disrupting them … Lopez is a willing passer, but doesn’t have the necessary court vision to see the floor … Free throw shooting has been an Achilles heel for Lopez - although improved he fails to be consistent … Will be a project for any team drafting him …

Matthew Maurer - 5/28/08

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Written by The Draft Review

Published: 01 April 2008

Created: 01 April 2008

Last Updated: 28 February 2022

Name: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Position: Small Forward Height: 6-7 (2.00m) Weight: 230 (104kg) College Team: UCLA Bruins Nationality: Cameroonian Birthplace: Yaounde, Cameroon Birthdate: 9/9/1986 Drafted: Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round (37th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

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Written by The Draft Review

Published: 07 March 2008

Created: 07 March 2008

Last Updated: 22 February 2021

Name: Russell Westbrook Position: Point Guard Height: 6-3 (1.90m) Weight: 190 (86kg) College Team: UCLA Bruins Nationality: American Birthplace: Hawthorne, California Birthdate: 11/12/1988 Drafted: Selected by the Seattle Supersonics in the first round (4th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Westbrook is a tremendous athlete capable of making explosive plays … Moves well with the ball in his hands … Has the ability to create scoring opportunities for himself off the dribble … Gets a good deal of separation from his defender thanks to his explosiveness first step … Once in the lane Westbrook has the leaping ability and body control to either dunk the ball or finish with a lay-up in traffic … Willing passer who creates most assists off driving to the basket then dishing it off … Excellent finisher in transition where he is capable of making some high energy plays …Defensively shows good lateral movement, quick hands, long arms and solid anticipation skills to play the passing lanes … These qualities effectively allow him to disrupt and pressure even the most polished players on the perimeter … Has three point range on his jumper when his feet are set … Owns an NBA ready body that is strong and compact … This enables him to absorb contact in the lane and finish … Aggressive mindset provides him with a decent number of opportunities to draw contact for free throw shots … Above average ball handler capable of using various crossovers to get past his man … Despite the height difference of most players at the shooting guard position, Westbrook has no problem shooting over them due to the high elevation on his jumper … Has the ability to move over to the point guard position and provide relief in spot minutes … Court vision isn’t exceptional, but shows great promise … Unselfish player who constantly looks to pass the ball to open teammates … Owns the gym rat attitude to develop and has been labeled a coachable player with a desire to learn … Huge upside, as he's only begun to scratch the surface of his potential …

Weaknesses: A tweener at his position by NBA standards - too short for the shooting guard and lacks the mentality for the point … This could effect his standings with NBA personnel as combo guards with shooting guard tendencies are very hard to convert and don’t have a high success rate … Can become turnover prone when pressured heavily … A streaky perimeter shooter in every sense of the word … This prevents him from being able to consistently use pull-up jumpers from mid-range … Tries too hard going for the spectacular play where he can get a little wild in the open court … Attempts to force driving to the basket when his jump shot isn’t dropping … While he has three point range he’s much better with his feet set rather than having to shoot off the dribble … As a point guard prospect he lacks exceptional court vision and doesn’t always do a good job of analyzing the opposing defense … His shooting struggles and makes him a prime candidate for issues with effectiveness in a half court set … A player with his exceptional level of potential should be considered a high risk high reward pick …

Matthew Maurer - 5/28/08

Details

Written by The Draft Review

Published: 25 February 2008

Created: 25 February 2008

Last Updated: 28 February 2022

Name: Anthony Randolph Position: Power Forward Height: 6-11 (2.11m) Weight: 200 (91kg) College Team: Louisiana State Tigers Nationality: American Birthplace: Wurzburg, West Germany Birthdate: 7/15/1989 Drafted: Selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round (14th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: Randolph is an excellent runner of the court for his size … Defensively, he has all the physical tools to develop into an elite defender on the next level … Possesses soft touch to convert shots around the basket … This fluid athlete is an excellent finisher in transition where his length allows for impressive moves … Top notch ball handler who can take opposing defenders off the dribble from the perimeter … This also gives him the ability to ignite fast break opportunities after rebounding the ball … Defensively, his mobility and long arms give him a shot blocking presence when providing help defense … Good rebounder out of position … Offensively, Randolph shows signs of a nice perimeter shot 14 feet from the basket … Improved his free throw tremendously during the season thanks to the refinement of his shooting mechanics … Owns a good looking turnaround jump shot when posting up … Creates a decent amount of contact when he takes advantage of the mismatches his versatility provides … The ability to create off the dribble and long strides creates opportunities for him separate from his defender on drives to the basket … Has loads of potential and is far from touching the ceiling off his development … Possesses the court vision needed to see the floor and the unselfishness to pass … Size for the small forward position is at a premium, even on the NBA landscape … Lateral quickness is excellent for his size which enables him to stay in front of most forwards and guards with few issues …

Weaknesses: Doesn’t always play up to the level of his talent - too often Randolph seems content to coast during games … Body remains undeveloped and will need some work in the strength department … This sometimes effects him greatly where he isn’t able to absorb contact and finish without ending up on the floor … Unfortunately, his body structure suggests that additional weight gain may be difficult for him to keep on … Although physically better suited for the small forward position, his skills are a mix of both forward positions with no real skill set needed to effectively play either position … Examples of this are his back to the basket moves which remain in need of work and his inconsistent perimeter shooting … Can shoot questionable shots and forces shots that are not to his advantage … To his credit some of this was due in part to LSU’s injuries this year - there were times when he took too much responsibility on his shoulders, which lead to turnovers … Still learning the game when it comes to decision making and court awareness … Lacks any real consistency to be successful shooting three point shots right now … Loses focus and sometimes confidence - when his performance isn’t living up to his standards he must fight through … Struggles to establish position on post-up moves when the mismatch is in his favor … Wavering intensity level has dogged Randolph since high school which has led some to question if he takes plays off …

Matthew Maurer - 4/1/08

Details

Written by The Draft Review

Published: 25 February 2008

Created: 25 February 2008

Last Updated: 02 September 2021