The Number One Pick

I missed it yesterday. But now that I have seen the box score, I wish I hadn't.

UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, the 7'3" center from Tanzania, put up eye-popping numbers in a 62-54 win at Seton Hall yesterday.

25 points, 20 rebounds, 9 blocks. And, he was 10-13 from the field, and a respectable 5-8 from the free-throw stripe.

WOW.

People have criticized this guy for not having a great offensive game. And that's pretty true. He's only averaging 13.5 points per game even after his 25 point effort last night. They've criticized him for being cocky. And pessimists can say that as impressive as yesterday's numbers were, he wasn't facing anyone within six inches of him in height, except for 6'11" center Mike Davis who logged just 6 minutes.

But 25, 20 and 9. That's one heck of a game.

Thabeet is a dominating defensive center. Will he be as dominating at the next level? Maybe, maybe not.  He's averaging 4.4 blocks per game right now, a number that will likely decrease once he has to face centers closer to his size at the next level.

If you're an NBA team though, and you get the ping-pong balls to bounce your way this May, how can you not take this guy with the top pick in the draft?

He's blocking shots like they're going out of style. He's a good rebounder and a talented defender. Even if he never develops into a fantastic offensive player, his defense alone makes him very valuable, if you pair him with an offensive minded power forward.

If I had the first pick, he'd be who I take.  Blake Griffin is great, yes.  But Thabeet appears to have rare defensive skills that could make him a menacing NBA player for years.