Blake Griffin
vs
Hasheem Thabeet
Listen, this draft sucks. No one wows me, but it is obvious that the two top choices are going to be Hasheem Thabeet from UConn and Blake Griffin from Oklahoma. So lets break these guys down.
Blake Griffin
Blake is just a beast on the block. He is tough kid with a knack for rebounding. He has had countless 20 rebound games and just recently he had a 40 point game as well. The only problem I see with the big fella is his ability to have some range. Griffin does not shoot the ball from more than 7 feet from the basket and at 6'10, he is going to be able to make his defender have to worry about his jumper, or he become too one dimensional. The closest player we can compare Griffin to is Carlos Boozer.
and now for Thabeet
Hasheem Thabeet
Let's face it, he is 7'3 and is improving every game. Thabeet is an extremely long player who can dominate on the defensive end and is developing more confidence on the offensive end. His enormous physical size is complimented by great timing as both an on-the-ball and weak-side shot blocker, making him one of the nation’s most intimidating defensive players. He has improved his mid range game slightly but still remains a little offensive challenged. Thabeet will be more of a challenge (due to his lack of playing basketball for a long time) than Griffin in the NBA, but the risks are worth the reward. The guy who I can compare him to is Dikembe Motombo or Hilton Armstrong.
My pick:
Hasheem Thabeet. It has to be, worse case scenario is that he is defensive presence. Any guy who is 7'3, I will gladly take a shot on. I don't believe that any of these guys are going to be superstars, but I believe Thabeet will at least be a more quality player than Griffin.
