The Top 3 Rim Protectors in the 2016 NBA Draft
Skal Labissiere, Kentucky Wildcats
Completely dissimilar to the two bigs proceeding him, Labissiere is a young, promising prospect and comes into draft night with simply one year of collegiate play under his belt.
At 20 years of age, Labissiere played fewer than 600 minutes in one year under John Calipari, but teams clearly see the potential he flashed before and during his short collegiate career.
Many people will point to Labissiere's struggles, especially during the middle part of the 2015-16 season, but I'll direct you to positives like this.
The 6'11" youngster has a 7'2.5" wingspan and obviously knows what to do with it, blocking 1.6 shots in 15.8 minutes per game. That number is even more impressive when you consider that, over a 40-minute span, Labissiere denied 4.2 shots per and did so rejecting 10.3% of shots while on the floor.
The matter of when Labissiere takes the floor could be the biggest concern. He needs to develop a little more offensively -- having scored only 6.6 points per game -- and learn to avoid unnecessary fouls (3.0 a game) in order to maintain consistent minutes with an NBA team.
His overall numbers are akin to those of the previously mentioned Ibeh but a lot more is expected of a potential top-15 pick. If Labissiere can build upon his physical talents, I see him carving out a role most analogous to a Serge Ibaka.
