What if the Sixers Draft … Malcolm Thomas?

“…I’m gonna be just the energy guy, the defensive guy, which I don’t have a problem doing.”

That’s San Diego native and San Diego State Aztec Malcolm Thomas talking about what position he’d play in the NBA, and I agree with him somewhat – I think he’d be perfect as a Chris Andersen-like energy guy off the bench for the Sixers, but it would be a kind of chill, SoCal type of energy.

Thomas played as a 6’9” 225lb center for San Diego State.  I watched SDSU’s 2011 Sweet 16 game with UConn, and while Draftexpress and Chad Ford describe his game pretty well, I don’t think they completely connect the dots.  A breakdown of their breakdowns:

He’s a bit undersized for a NBA power forward at just 6’8, but his 7’2 wingspan made him a menacing shot blocker at SDSU and allows him to play a bit taller than he’s listed.

Defensively, Thomas had extended stretches of promise. He had a number of big time blocked shots at the rim over the course of the week, and while he wasn’t pursuing every shot he likely could have, he showed terrific timing.

Against UConn Thomas played center and defended UConn’s 6’9” 240lb big man Alex Oriakhi very well even though Oriakhi is heavier and bulkier than Thomas.  Oriakhi is a strong rebounder (based on what I’ve read) but Thomas still managed to come away with 8 boards to Oriakhi’s 9.  Thomas didn’t get any blocks in the game but it was obvious that UConn was very aware of his presence in the interior and altered a few shots.

…and looking exceptionally quick off his feet when pursuing rebounds…

…showed a nose for the ball and a willingness to box out when pursuing rebounds…

…explosive leaping ability…

UConn struck me as just an average rebounding team (or maybe Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas made them look average) and obviously battling NBA players for rebounds is going to be more difficult, but Thomas really is very quick off his feet and seems to explode towards the ball when going after a rebound.  As mentioned above, his timing when going after the ball, both when rebounding and attempting to block shots, is near perfect.

Since 2006 there have been very few big man success stories from the bottom half of the 2nd round (I chose 2006 because 2005 was the last year high schoolers were allowed to jump directly to the NBA):

• Semih Erden (2008, jury’s still out)
• Marc Gasol (2007)
• Aaron Gray (2007)
• Paul Millsap (2006)
• Leon Powe (2006)

There have been none from 2010 and 2009 (so far).  Here are the patterns I see:

All are hard-nosed players, could even call them tenacious

• Physically, they are all exceptional in some way
• They all make full use of their physical tools
• They bring it every time they’re put in the game
• Except for Semih Erden they are all above average rebounders
• None were considered “upside” guys when they were drafted

At first I was leaning towards Rick Jackson of Syracuse because of his legitimate size and what I read about him being tough and being a great rebounder, but then I watched the nbadraft.net highlights of a Syracuse win over Michigan State, I just wasn’t as impressed as I was with Malcolm Thomas.

I loved Jackson’s long arms but other than that nothing about his build or the way he moved was exceptional; I felt he should’ve been more Reggie Evans-like (or Marc Gasol-like or Leon Powe-like or Aaron Gray-like) and played with more energy and hunger; his per 40 minute rebounding average isn’t that great and provides more evidence that he might not bring it every minute he’s on the floor.

When I first started trying to pick NBA draftees, the Sixers had the #16 pick in the 2008 draft and the guy I wanted was Darrell Arthur.  I didn’t think about it too much – I loved his play in the NCAA tournament and I thought it counted for a lot.  After Serge Ibaka and JaVale McGee, Arthur is the 3^rd best big man picked after the lottery in that 2008 draft.

I had similar feelings about Evan Turner.  Something I wish I’d written in the comments before the playoff series with the Heat started is that the Sixers would need help from Evan Turner to stand a chance, and that they would get it from Turner.

Turner was fearless in the one NCAA tournament game I saw him in and he delivered under pressure, and I didn’t think it was a stretch to say that under NBA playoff pressure he would be just as fearless and unfazed.  So, I think Malcolm Thomas’ performance against the eventual NCAA champion UConn counts for a lot.

…Thomas showed that he could put those tools to use as a finisher around the rim on the offensive end.  When he wasn’t simply converting the plays his teammates created for him, he threw some terrific passes…earned some easy opportunities by crashing the glass, and showed a solid hook shot with his right hand.

I’m not as excited about his offense as I am about his rebounding and interior defense. I’m trying to think of an NBA big man who’s in a team’s regular rotation that he can score against and I’m coming up blank. The Malcolm Thomas on defense would easily pitch a shut out against the Malcolm Thomas on offense.

I can see him sneaking in for a couple layups or dunks per game but the natural skill just isn’t there; his offense is too deliberate and that doesn’t fly in the NBA.  His scoring will be purely opportunistic.  There’s talk about him working on his jumpshot but I think there’s no point.

Some final thoughts:

• If you take the entire 2^nd round into account, not just the bottom half, the big guys you want all seem to fit the characteristics I mentioned above, like DeAndre Jordan, DeJuan Blair, and Jonas Jerebko; I think Jerebko is a good comp for Malcolm Thomas.
• Don’t go for potential in the 2^nd round, go for someone who’s maximized their potential already and will clearly be a role player for your team; this means forget about Keith Benson, and if you want a cautionary tale look at Dominic McGuire.  The reason I didn’t include high schoolers is because you could find success picking for potential in the 2^nd round, but with the one-and-done rule this is obviously not an option for the Sixers.
• In doing “research” for this write-up, I found an old article from the 1997 playoffs about the Doug Collins-coached Detroit Pistons.  This should sound familiar:

Collins reinvented Hunter’s [Jrue Holiday’s] career this season. He saw a player who was not a good decision-maker with the ball, but a scorer and a good defender. “I tried to simplify his game as much as possible,” Collins said. Which is a nice way of saying Hunter is being asked to do only what he can do, which is what a good coach does.

Of course, the Pistons have Grant Hill [Andre Iguodala] to handle the ball, functioning much as Scottie Pippen did in the Bulls’ offense. ~ Chicago Tribune