FanPost

What about Hansbrough?

We need a smart, low-post scorer who is not a liability on defense.  I know Hansbrough is only 6'9" 230 which makes you question his ability to go to the next level, but Draft Express has me interested.  He also may be available out-of-the-lottery if the Knicks make the playoffs.  The following is from DraftExpress.

Hansbrough is still a force to be reckoned with in the paint, possessing an incredibly polished skill set, excellent wherewithal, and a pension for drawing contact and not being phased by it. His go-to move is his mini jump hook, which he is nearly automatic with out to five feet, and still comfortable with out to 10. With his improved confidence in his jump shot, Hansbrough also is using his face-up and turnaround jumpers more often within the paint, making his repertoire that much more dangerous. When he's not in the mood for finesse, Hansbrough will opt for using a fake or combination of fakes to get his man off balance so he can power to the hole and finish with authority, contact or not. Hansbrough is frequently double and triple-teamed, but with his man-child status, he occasionally can go through them all to draw the foul or even put the ball in the basket. At the next level, Hansbrough will not have the ease he does now scoring in the paint, and he will certainly need to work on looking to pass out of double teams more often, as overpowering the opposition won't work too well when most players possess close to, if not just as much power as you do.

Because his post game won't be as effective at the next level, Hansbrough did himself a great service by putting more work into his mid-range game, and while he showed flashes of a spot-up jumper from out to 15 feet last season, it's now become a more consistent staple of his game, and he's even starting to show range out to 18 feet now. He's definitely most comfortable between 10 and 15 feet, and his shot possesses a quick release and a decently high release point, as he's seemed to cut down on the forward motion in his shot a bit, altering it to a more upward shooting motion. This is a skill that will definitely translate to the next level, and having his shot blocked by bigger, longer, more athletic opponents will be less of a concern on the perimeter than in the paint.

Defensively, Hansbrough has always been a good post defender, but he's really improved his perimeter defense this season, which was a very wise move considering he projects to be a power forward at the next level, where most power forwards are of the face-up, perimeter variety. Lateral quickness will always be somewhat of a concern for Hansbrough, but his committal in both fundamentals and effort this season should be enough to make him at least an average perimeter defender at the next level, relative to other frontcourt players. Hansbrough is tenacious at getting up on his man, lowering his center of gravity, keeping his hands out, and shifting his feet laterally to follow his man's every step. I wouldn't bet on him to shut down Chris Bosh or Jermaine O'Neal, but Hansbrough should be able to hold his own at the next level with his recent development. Hansbrough is also a very fundamentally sound defender in the post, fighting hard for position, staying in front of his man, and using his intelligence to draw offensive fouls and force opponents into traveling violations. Due to his height and lack of vertical lift, Hansbrough has problems contesting shots over his head, and many big men in the NBA will be threats to shoot over him in the painted area.

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