Christian Watford, Senior, Power Forward, Indiana
Overview:
For a player with the size and strength to be a power forward, Christian Watford is a distinctive player. His style of game makes him look a lot more like a small forward or shooting guard who can also bang around in the paint. That versatility will be a big bonus come draft day. As a freshman at Indiana during the 2009-2010 season, Watford was thrown into the fire. On a rebuilding Hoosier team he started all 31 games and averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
His versatility was more prominent during his sophomore campaign. Watford led Indiana with 16.0 points per game and his scoring came from a wide variety of places. He can score in the paint without much of a problem, but he also developed into a consistent three-point shooter and is a superb free-throw shooter for a 6-8, 230 pound player. That ability to stretch out the defense has really helped open up the IU offense and as the Hoosiers get better, Watford will start to get the recognition he deserves.
Final Projection:
Scoring a lot will get Watford noticed, but he does much more than that. He has led Indiana in rebounds during his first two seasons on the squad and can be a very dominating force on the glass when asked to do so. He can even pass relatively well for a 6-8 power forward. Watford is not a great shot blocker, but he is a good defender who can block a few shots here and there and nab some steals. If he can lead the Hoosiers to big things as an upperclassman, Watford should get noticed and drafted in the 2012 or 2013 NBA Draft.
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