2022 NBA Draft: #37 Jaden Hardy (6' 3", 6' 9" WS) to DAL | two 2nds to SAC

[SleepingHero]

My issues with Kessler: 

1) Kessler has SMALL hands (8.5"), the 2nd smallest hands in the whole combine (!).

2) Kessler has a lot of body fat (14.7%), the 2nd most in the whole combine. I think this bodes poorly for his future outlook on avoiding lower body injuries (knees, ankles, and feet).

3) Kessler refused to do athletic testing...and would have tested poorly if he did IMO.

4) Kessler shot 59.6% on free throws which means the likelihood of him adding a three ball is very low (Koloko shot 73.5% by comparison).



I 100% agree with you there is a market inefficiency. I am 100% open to the Mavs getting a more traditional center in the draft, especially if all the good wing options are gone.

We routinely see players with terrible physical attributes exceed on the scale of success. We see talking heads say Luka wouldn't be able to get by any one in the league or stay in front of any one. And sure they were right that his first step isn't necessarily the quickest, yet he still drops 30 points every night with ease. Desmond Bane in 2020 had the shortest arms of any guard in the draft and was probably a big reason why he fell to 30... and we both know how that turned out. We see short guys like Barea, Mugsy, and Boykins somehow find a way to survive.

All of this to say to me that physical stats shouldn't be the opening discussion on why a player should be knocked down a peg. Kessler performed and put up big game after big game for Auburn. That should count for something. Kessler also has something that I think is becoming rarer and rarer and that is elite positional awareness. He stops people by knowing what they're doing and being in the right spot vs. overwhelming them with athleticism. 

Further in that DraftExpress breakdown video you posted we see Kessler scoring on 73% of his rim attempts in the halfcourt, and finishing 94%(!!!!) of his attempts as the roller in the PnR. 

If you made it this far in my ramblings, I am concerned about his lateral foot speed. He got beat a lot when the defender made east-west moves to get by him. A good amount of the time in college Kessler managed to recover and make a play. The question is can he do that in the NBA when the athletes are literally in another league? 

Should he fall to 26, I would look REAL hard at him. He's not my first choice (going to post my own list of fav prospects soon), but he's not the worst one either.