| Athleticism | No Ratings |
| Defense | No Ratings |
| Quickness | No Ratings |
| Jump shot | No Ratings |
| Rebounding | No Ratings |
| Post skills | No Ratings |
Brook Lopez
#11 – Brook Lopez – New Jersey Nets
Season: 12.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 50% fg percentage, 82% ft percentage
Career: 12.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 50% fg percentage, 82% ft percentage
The draft class of 2008 might go down in history as one of the less memorable ones – with the focus squarely on just a handful of players. Where would Rose and Beasley go? What about Danilo Gallinari? The Nets, unfortunately, have had some questionable draft picks as of late. With their last successful pick being Josh Boone – the Nets drafted someone similar last year in Brook Lopez. Did the Nets anticipate Lopez to blossom so soon into an upcoming power forward?
Lopez will be a serviceable big man for many years. If you don’t believe me, watch him operate down low. He has very good footwork in the post and is a very good option on isolation plays. He still has lots of room to improve, there’s no question. From what I’ve seen so far, though, he’s already way ahead of the schedule the Nets had put out for him.
The Good
Lopez is a walking double-double. Right now he’s currently sitting 30th in the league in the category but he’s only getting about 30 minutes a game. In 52 games this he’s got 12 and he’s starting to amass more minutes as the season wears on. The man is also a defensive machine. At 7’0 and 260lbs, you will recognize Lopez in the lane. If you don’t, you might have your shot swatted – that’ll definitely make you aware.
The Bad
He’s a rookie – and all rookies will need to prove themselves over the course of many years before they are actually seen as serviceable players. His ceiling is high and the potential for improvement – even further – during this season is possible, but can he sustain without hitting the rookie wall?
The Recap
- Future double-double machine-type potential
- Shot blocker
- Lane clogger
- Needs to sustain level of play
- Needs more work on his mid-range shot
Tips and Tricks
All big-men seem to have problems guarding smaller defenders. When Lopez gets you on an isolation down low – the best thing to do is to have a defender come from behind and poke the ball loose. One-on-one coverage won’t work because his long arms will keep the ball out of reach. When he backs down, step off and force him to travel.
Final Thoughts
Lopez is a star waiting to happen. Once he learns how to stay out of foul trouble and once he develops a mid-range jumper, he’ll be pretty hard to stop. Right now, he’s got just one solid move on offence, but he’s working on adding new weapons to his repertoire. He’s making some serious noise in the rookie department and should finish in the top three in rookie of the year voting – guaranteed.
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