DC Pro Sports Report NBA Draft Profile: Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez, a 7-foot sophomore from Stanford, may very well be the first center taken in the NBA Draft. A lock to go in the top ten, Lopez is very likely to go in the top 5 or even the top 3 players selected overall. He’s got a real 7-footer’s body and won’t be pushed around in the pro game. He has a nice array of post moves so he should be a threat to score in the paint, which is what every team wants in this era of 7-footers who float on the perimeter looking to jack of jumpers. However, Lopez can also move outside and knock down an 18-footer when required. He’s even hit a few college 3-pointers, though I wouldn’t expect that to be a big part of his pro game. Lopez isn’t a great athlete, but he has the long arms you want in a pivot man and he made big strides in his sophomore season.
Lopez increased his scoring from 12. 6 ppg to 19.3 ppg and his rebounding from 6.0 to 8.2 per game. His free throw shooting percentage improved from 69% to 79 percent. Just about the only thing that didn’t improve was Lopez’s shooting percentage, which fell to 47% from the floor. Lopez doesn’t always take great shots, but he’s a fairly smart player who almost doubled his assists per game last season without increasing his turnovers at all.
Lopez isn’t going to lead the NBA in rebounding — ever — but he should be solid, if unspectacular rebounder in the pros. His scoring and 2.1 blocked shots per game, though, indicate he should be well above average in the other things pro teams want their centers to do.
Lopez played two seasons for Stanford, missing the first 9 games of his sophomore season after he was suspended for academic reasons. Brook’s twin brother, Robin, played power forward for Stanford. Here’s a video discussing the twins, particularly Brook, who is easily the better player.

Summary: Brook Lopez is a big man with good moves in the paint and a nice touch from the outside. He’s not a great athlete or rebounder, but he can block shots and should provide real offensive punch in the pivot for whatever NBA team drafts him.
Projection: Top 5 pick.