NBA Draft Profiles: Tobias Harris, Tennessee

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Stats: 15.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.8 t/o's

Age: 18, freshman

Size:

• Listed: 6'8", 225 lb
• Official: 6'6.5" (no shoes), 6'7.5" (with shoes), 6'11" (wingspan), 8'7.5" (reach), 223 lb

Strengths: Tobias Harris is one of those players that seemingly does everything well. He can score on the perimeter or in the post. He an knock down threes and jump hooks. He can run the wing in transition, he can run the middle of the floor and catch and dunk, and he can lead the fast break himself. Part of the reason that Harris went to Tennessee in the first place is that Bruce Pearl told him that he would have the opportunity to show off his all around basketball abilities.

Weaknesses: While Harris has a jack-of-all-trades reputation, his problem as a prospect is that there isn't anything that he does at an NBA level. He can hit threes, but he can be inconsistent from beyond the arc and needs to work at his ability to hit a pull-up. Harris is also going to have his fair share of problems on the defensive end of the floor. He's not necessarily quick enough to defend threes on the perimeter, but at 6'8" with a fairly slender upper body, Harris doesn't have the strength to be able to defend on the low-block at the next level.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Luol Deng meets Shane Battier. Deng is much more offensive minded and Battier is a defensive specialist who can shoot the ball, and I see Harris as a mixture of the two. He’s a slightly awkward mover and isn’t the greatest off the dribble like Deng, but he can shoot from anywhere on the floor and plays smart. Gives solid effort and energy on the defensive end like Battier, but won’t nearly be quite as lockdown of a player.


• Worst Case Scenario: Ryan Gomes. Solid forward who can play in the post, do a little bit of everything on the
  court, and is a solid shooter from the perimeter. Tobias clearly has more upside to his game, but if he fails to meet it, then he will be another Ryan Gomes who can play within a team’s rotation but won’t thrive.

Outlook: Harris is going to be an intriguing prospect simply because of how much he is able to do on a basketball court. He is a versatile player, capable of playing the wing or the post, and potentially even a point forward spot as his handle continues to develop. Harris has a terrific work ethic and comes from a hoops family, one that spends quite a bit of time in the gym. The key to what kind of career Harris eventually does have at this level will be determined by how much he improves defensively. Can Harris ever guard on the perimeter? Or in the post? Or is he going to be a constant mismatch for opponents?

Draft Range: Mid to Late 1st Round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Harris may have been the most underrated prospect we discussed during the season. Despite his excellent pedigree and a terrific freshman season, he flew under the radar. No more. As I reported Friday, scouts have been buzzing about him for weeks and it looks as if he has a legitimate shot of cracking the lottery. While he certainly could go higher with another season of college ball, it's probably a good year for him to make the jump. "


• Draft Express: "Overall, Harris is amongst the more intriguing forwards in this class. He'll impress in interviews and workouts with his uncommon maturity and skill level. He isn't a strong candidate to function as a top offensive option for a NBA franchise down the round, and won't be featured on many highlight reels, but he has a lot of raw tools team's look for in a complementary scorer and plenty of time to work on his weaknesses as he adapts to the pro game."


• Swish Scout: "Smart, instinctive player who can shoot the ball, handle the rock, and play almost any position on the floor. Limited by athleticism and lack of muscle, but can overcome those with his excellent size, length, and skill set for a forward in addition to a great feel for the game."

Highlights:




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Deadline Decisions: Who were the losers?

Yesterday was the (ridiculously early) end to the testing the waters period for players with college eligibility remaining. Here is the full list of players that have decided to keep their names in or pull their names out of draft contention.

Who were this year's deadline losers?

Texas: The Longhorns were as brutalized as anyone in the past decade by early entry. Jordan Hamilton announced his intentions to remain in the NBA Draft a while back. Speculation about Tristan Thompson having hired an agent as gone on for nearly a month. And now, it is official that Cory Joseph will be headed to the NBA as well. That means that the Longhorns return ... J'Covan Brown and Alexis Wangmene? Texas went from a top five team to potentially missing out on the NCAA Tournament.


Tennessee: Over the weekend, both Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson confirmed their intentions of remaining in the NBA Draft. For Harris, it wasn't much of a surprise. Most believed he was destined to be a one-and-done player since the time that he was in high school. It was a bit different for Hopson. He has the talent and the potential to be a lottery pick, but he was simply never able to put it (or keep it) all together while at Tennessee. Even with Bruce Pearl gone, Tennessee had a chance to be good with Cuonzo Martin coaching those two. With Harris and Hopson gone, things will be interesting in Knoxville. There are some interesting players -- Renaldo Wooldridge, Jeronne Maymon, Trae Golden, Cam Tatum, etc.

Michigan: The Wolverines suffered a pretty big blow when Darius Morris decided to keep his name in the draft. It looks like a good decision for now; Morris should sneak into the back end of the first round. That said, with Morris back, Michigan had a chance to be a top 10-15 team next season. With the amount of youth on that roster, John Beilein should still have a pretty good team in Ann Arbor. But Morris was one of those players that made everyone around him better. It will be interesting to see just how good players like Jordan Morgan and Tim Hardaway Jr are without him.

Butler: Its tough to say anything negative about Butler in this situation. Shelvin Mack was instrumental in getting the Bulldogs into back to back national title games. Keeping him around for three seasons is a win in this day and age. That said, losing him for next season will hurt. Matt Howard, Shawn Vanzant, and Zack Hahn are also gone, which means that the Bulldogs will be left with a lot of young players. It will be interesting to see how guys like Chase Stigall and Chrishawn Hopkins develop in the back court. If Khyle Marshall lives up to his potential next season, Butler should once again compete for the Horizon league title.

Maryland: Jordan Williams decision to enter the NBA Draft not only left the Terps devoid of any kind of experience (or talent) along their front line, it is also feasible to think that it caused Gary Williams to retire and could cost them a couple of talented recruits in Sterling Gibbs and Nick Faust. This story is far from complete, but its not to think that, when all is said and done, Williams' departure may have the most damaging long-term effects.

Pac-10:

• The decision by Jeremy Green to remain in the NBA Draft seems, on the surface, to be about more than just his draft prospects, because those don't appear to be all that good. Green was put on academic suspension for this summer, and while it didn't effect his eligibility as a player, it may have on his decision to remain in the draft -- he was back home in Austin, TX, the last few weeks. This may actually be a win for Stanford. Led by Dwight Powell and Anthony Brown, they have a talented sophomore class. They weren't going to be a tournament team this season anyway, and Green is a volume shooter that didn't make those around him better. Could this speed up the development of Johnny Dawkins' young talent?


• Washington State had the potential to be a major player in the Pac-10 race next season, but with Klay Thompson finally deciding to follow DeAngelo Casto out the door, the Cougars are left with Faisal Aden and Reggie Moore ... and not much else.

• It is well known what UCLA lost -- Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee both are gone -- but this is not new news.

Terrence Jennings: Louisville should be fine without Jennings. They are solidly stocked with back court talent, and Gorgui Dieng proved to be a more than capable shot blocker and rebounder in his time as a freshman. Throw in the returns of Rakeem Buckles and Jared Swopshire, and Louisville is going to be a top 10-15 team. Jennings, however, has a ways to go before he is an NBA player. He's got the size, the strength, and the athleticism, but NBA big men needs post moves. Jennings doesn't have a move -- singluar -- let alone moves -- plural.

Boston College: BC was going to be a loser this off-season regardless of what happened with Reggie Jackson. They lost eight seniors to graduation. But with Jackson gone, BC's leading returning scorer is not Danny Rubin, also known as walk-on Danny Rubin.

Minnesota: Minnesota is an interesting case for next season. They've had as much roster turnover as anyone in the country the last two years -- Colton Iverson, Trevor Mbakwe, Royce White, Devoe Joseph, Al Nolen. With Ralph Sampson keeping his name in the draft, they lose a front-court scoring threat and now two-thirds of their massive front line from a year ago. But with Mbakwe, Nolen (whoops, he graduted), Rodney Williams, and Austin Hollins all returning, there is still quite a bit of ability at Tubby Smith's disposal. (UPDATE: He may be returning.)

Notre Dame: The Irish could be in trouble next season. Yes, Mike Brey is staying in South Bend, but with Ben Hansbrough and Ty Nash graduating and now Carleton Scott remaining in the draft, the Irish are going to be left with a very thin roster. Eric Atkins looked promising as a point guard as a freshman, and Tim Abromaitis and Scott Martin return, but there is not much beyond that. Scott's versatility as a shooter, rebounder, and shot blocker will truly be missed.
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UPDATE: Tobias Harris announces his decision today

UPDATE: As expected, Tobias Harris is headed to Tennessee. How many long, athletic perimeter players can one team have?


6'8" Tobias Harris, a top 10 recruit in the class of 2010, has made his decision and will announce it at 6pm tonight.

While Harris has the size and length of a forward, he is quick and has the perimeter skills of a point guard (think Evan Turner). One of his requirements when picking a school is for him to be able to play a point forward role in an uptempo, NBA style system.

Harris has cut his list to seven: Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, West Virginia, and Georgia Tech.

My personal guess is Tennessee. On his way back from a visit to Georgia Tech last weekend, Harris made a surprise through Knoxville to see Tennessee and Bruce Pearl. Then on Tuesday, Jayvaughn Pinkston, one of the best big man recruits out of NYC, postponed his announcement (he was supposed to be announcing it yesterday, and rumors had him going to Tennessee).

Did he get scared off because Harris will be a Vol?

We find out a 6pm.


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