John Henson NBA Draft Profile

John Henson, Junior, Power Forward, UNC

Overview:

Not to be overly critical, but John Henson is a player that looks much better if you’ve never seen him play. The numbers, being Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC, it all seems so good. However, watching him night after night, it is apparent he has some major flaws. Namely, he has no offensive game to speak of. He can dunk and that is about it. Also, calling his free throw shooting Dwight Howardian would be an insult to Howard.

In addition, his defense appears to be more of a result of him being taller, longer and more athletic than his opponents. That will rarely be the case at the next level, at which point his lack of bulk and strength will really hurt him.

Final Projection:

Though all the negativity, Henson is a top flight prospect because of the dreaded word “potential.” If he bulks up (a LOT) he can be a defensive force in the NBA. If he learns some sort of offensive post game or spot up game, he can be effective on the other side of the ball as well. Someone will spend a lottery pick on him wondering if either or both will be the case.

5/31/12 Update by Dan Levine

Henson was a regulator down low for North Carolina, blocking shots and finishing off close-range plays.  He’s long and quick and has gotten exponentially better (especially defensively) between 2009 and 2012.  He is currently not much of a scoring threat, and he needs to bulk up to man the blocks in the NBA.  Still, he will be a great asset blocking shots for a team in need of length.  He is a solid lottery pick.

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