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Yanic Konan Niederhauser, F/C, Penn State
Height: 7-0 • Weight: 243 • Class: Junior • Age: 22
Summary: Konan Niederhauser is an elite athlete who lives above the rim as a finisher and shot blocker, and he displays some intriguing upside as a 7-foot shot creator. But he needs to improve his fundamentals to make it all click.
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Comparisons: DeAndre Jordan
Strengths
At-rim finishing: He’s a constant lob threat thanks to his pogo-stick leaping ability, but he also runs the floor hard on the break to make himself available and displays really good touch even when he can’t dunk it.
Dribble-drive game: He has back-to-the-basket skill, but more interestingly he displays signs of an ability to drive from the perimeter, whether he’s attacking closeouts or facing up in the post. He has smooth footwork and slick spin moves that he can use to get into the paint then yam it on defenders. It’s sacrilegious to say it looks like young Giannis, but it looks like a young Giannis. The obvious difference is Giannis was already a two-time All-Star by the time he was Konan Niederhauser’s age.
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Shooting upside: He made just 21.6% of his 3s in college and just 64.8% of his free throws. But he has such soft touch near the rim it’s hard not to wonder if there’s a minor mechanical fix that could improve his otherwise smooth shooting release.
Shot blocking: Excellent weakside rim protector who rotates over with activity and desire to swat shots into the stands. He also racks up deflections. If his fundamentals and awareness improve, he could become more of a reliable rim protector than a shot blocker.
Concerns
Frame: He’s extremely lean, so the things he did well in college may not work as much in the NBA. And on defense he could get overpowered by heavyweight bigs.
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Fundamentals: He doesn’t box out as much as he should, misses rotations on defense, and in general has a raw overall game. He’ll likely find himself in foul trouble if he receives heavy minutes early in his career.
Passing: He logged only 22 assists to 48 turnovers in his final college season. He lacks passing vision and has far too loose of a handle, so he’d often get stripped on his drives.
For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.
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