Get to Know Your Prospect Better: Richard Hendrix

With the draft only three days away, you're going to hear a lot of names get bounced around as players the Wizards could be looking at with their picks.  Scouting reports and highlight reels can help you get a feel for some of the players, but nothing can replace the knowledge and insight that you get from watching a player on a night-in, night-out basis.

In order to get that kind of feel, you really need to talk to someone that's a true fan of the team.  And if you want a more informed feeling for who you're looking at, it always helps if you can find a couple of bloggers who follow the university's athletic program.  With that in mind, we're enlisting the help of some of the college hoops bloggers out there to get a better feel for some of the players the Wizards might end up drafting. 

For this segment, we're turning to Bobbyjack and DJC of the Alabama Basketball Blog to help us get a better feel for Alabama's Richard Hendrix.

In what parts of the game do you think Richard can contribute on an NBA team right away?

Bobbyjack: I see Hendrix contributing right away on the boards. Right now I think any scoring you get out of him will be off missed shots. I see him as a scrapper in the NBA.

What would you say is his biggest weakness is, and do you think that he can improve on it?

BJ: He lacks a mid-range jumper. I think he has it in him to develop one as it wasn't required of him at Alabama.

DJC: I would agree with that, but I might add his FT shooting. I do think he can improve on that, because he was actually a decent FT shooter in HS.

Just looking at his stats, Hendrix looks like one of those rare stat-stuffers that can contribute in a lot of ways, yet most scouts have him pegged as mid-second round pick. Do you think that he's getting overlooked or would you say that's a fair assessment?

DJC: I see him more of a late second rounder because while he has the "body," I'm not sure he has the athleticism. He needs to prove that he will be able to run the court and not fatigue given the NBA schedule.

BJ: I think early 2nd round is about right as a projection, but I could see him being a late 1st round pick. He's got the NBA "body" already.

How does Hendrix compare with other Alabama alums like Robert Horry, Antonio McDyess, and Gerald Wallace?

BJ: Horry, McDyess, and Wallace played above the rim. Hendrix IMO is more of a poor man's Charles Oakley (and he should be proud if he develops into that kind of player). Athletically, Hendrix is not in the class of the 3 you mentioned, but physically he's more prepared than the rest.

Many thanks to Bobbyjack and DJC for their help and their insight on one of the more intriguing prospects out there.  Make sure you check them out as they do their thing on the Alabama Basketball Blog.