DJ White - NBA Draft Prospects

Numbers: 17.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 61% FG, 69% FT

About Him: DJ White has battled through numerous injuries in his college basketball career which have taken a toll on his athleticism, but he has managed to establish a nice role for himself. The best part about White's game right now is his back-to-the-basket ability, where he has developed a pretty good set of moves. His go-to move his is turnaround jump shot that he can hit out to about 10 feet pretty consistently, as well has a decent jump hook. Both of these moves lose some of their effectiveness against taller or bigger defenders. He is also strong enough to bull his way to the rim against smaller defenders, using a drop-step among other moves. His mid-range jump shot is better than it has been, he can knock it down to about 12 feet when open, but it is still not the most consistent part of his game. He is not much of a passer and his handle can use some improvement, but he moves without the ball very well. He has a knack for being able to slide to the rim (especially on pick-and-rolls) and can finish when he gets to the rim, usually with a thunderous dunk. He does a lot of damage on the offensive boards as well, mainly because he uses his big body to carve out space. Defensively, he has long arms and is a decent shot-blocker. He can get pushed around on the block (probably because of legs injuries that have kept him from improving strength), but is solid in help side and is a smart defender. He is good against the pick-and-roll, hedging aggressively, and looks good in a defensive stance, although he rarely gets tested because he played center at Indiana.

Comparisons: Kurt Thomas, Ronny Turiaf

Bottom Line: White's career at Indiana was really slowed down by injuries, but he still projects to be a decent NBA power forward. Though his athleticism is not what it used to be, he has developed enough of a back-to-the-basket game to be effective. He's probably a late-first round to second round pick.