Seiklis
Sixth Man
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So since Douglar only did two of these thus far, I figured I'd make one on a possible center target in the draft
Robert Upshaw ~from NBA combine
6' 10.75" w/o shoes
7' 0" shoes
258 weight
7' 5.5" wingspan
9' 5" standing reach
12.5 body fat
Draft Express has him going #25, Gary Parrish of CBSsports at #27 and Chad Ford has him (I think, haven't seen the full mock yet) at #28
From DraftExpress.com
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He has a ton of red flags, but he also is a talent that just isn't seen very often as late as the #24th pick. As shallow as the Cavs are at center behind Moz, I just don't see a better fit in this draft if Upshaw makes it to #24
Robert Upshaw ~from NBA combine
6' 10.75" w/o shoes
7' 0" shoes
258 weight
7' 5.5" wingspan
9' 5" standing reach
12.5 body fat
Draft Express has him going #25, Gary Parrish of CBSsports at #27 and Chad Ford has him (I think, haven't seen the full mock yet) at #28
Jeff Givony. Draft Express said:Standing 7-0, with a 7-4 wingspan and a 264 pound frame, Upshaw has good mobility for a player his size. He runs the floor well when he wants to, can cover ground fluidly inside the arc, and plays above the rim with relative ease. Although not a freakish athlete, he's very agile.
Upshaw's best attribute from a NBA standpoint is undoubtedly his ability to protect the basket. His terrific length, mobility and instincts helped him emerge as a terrific weakside presence, blocking an outstanding 7 shots per-40 minutes in his 19 games at Washington, which ranks #1 in all of college basketball by a good margin. Look no further than the drop-off the Huskies suffered once he was booted off the squad to understand what his presence meant to them defensively. Washington was 0.07 points per possession better (0.97 compared with 1.04) with him on the floor this season, while opposing teams shot 38.5% from 2-point range with him patrolling the lane, and 49.7% when he wasn't on the court.
Upshaw's strength gives him good potential as a post defender as well, even if he doesn't always make the most of it at the moment. He tends to let opponents establish deep post position on him at times, just thinking his length and timing will bail him out, which it often did at the college level. Similarly, his mobility gives him some potential as a pick and roll defender, but his poor fundamentals and average intensity caused him to look like somewhat of a fish out of water when stepping outside of the paint.
Upshaw rebounded at an excellent clip this season—with his 13.4 rebounds per-40 minutes ranking fifth best among college prospects in our Top-100 rankings. He has very good potential here thanks to his long arms, strong frame, soft hands and solid instincts, even if he doesn't always take advantage of this as much as he should due to his average motor and occasionally poor focus.
Offensively, Upshaw showed some flashes on occasion this past season, scoring nearly 18 points per-40 on an excellent 60% shooting from the field. He was one of the best finishers in college basketball, converting a scintillating 75% of his attempts around the basket thanks to his solid hands, quick vertical jump and long arms. His post-game is a work in progress, though, as while he has the strength to back down weaker opponents, and decent footwork and touch, he shows nothing resembling an off-hand or counter moves if his right-handed jump-hook shot is taken away, and is a poor passer as well. He generated an assist on just 4% of his possessions, or one for every 53 minutes he's on the court.
Upshaw gets to the free throw line at a solid rate (7 times per-40), but is largely hopeless once there—converting just 43% of his attempts from the charity stripe on the season. He doesn't have any range outside of the paint, as you'd probably glean from his poor free throw percentage.
From DraftExpress.com
He has a ton of red flags, but he also is a talent that just isn't seen very often as late as the #24th pick. As shallow as the Cavs are at center behind Moz, I just don't see a better fit in this draft if Upshaw makes it to #24