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Well, it wouldn't be draft season if there wasn't rampant speculation on the height and wingspan of some of this year's top prospects. Up until, now the accuracy of the measurements given out to the media are completely controlled by the school's media guide. The only chance we have a real opportunity get an accurate measurement of everyone's height and length comes at the NBA Draft Combine.
Most of this year's chatter has focused on Bradley Beal and Thomas Robinson, who could both be in the mix for the Wizards with the third overall pick. Although the official measurements won't be released until tomorrow, early reports from CBS Sports' Jeff Goodman have encouraging numbers for both Beal and Robinson. Let's start with Thomas Robinson:
Thomas Robinson just told me he measured 6-8 3/4 with shoes. 7-3 wingspan and 5 percent body fat. Official measurements released tomorrow.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) June 7, 2012
Height-wise, that's puts him a little bit on the short side, but his wingspan is very encouraging. At 7'3", Robinson has the same wingspan at the draft combine as Tyson Chandler, Tyrus Thomas, Andrew Bogut, and Kawhi Leonard. As we've discussed before, the Wizards struggled defensively at power forward last season. Based on today's results, Robinson should at least be well-equipped to defend his position.
As expected, Bradley Beal measured a little bit on the small side, but not by as much as you expected:
Bradley Beal measured 6-4 1/4 and 6-8 wingspan.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) June 7, 2012
At 6'4 1/4" Beal shares the same pre-draft height as Tony Allen and his wingspan is only one inch shorter than the All-Defense First teamer. Time will tell if he's got the lateral quickness and IQ to keep up defensively, but at this point, we can at least say his height and wingspan in and of itself should not make him a defensive liability. Furthermore, on the offensive end, Beal measures out a full inch taller than Eric Gordon and Monta Ellis (although Gordon does have a longer wingspan than Beal by one inch) which should put any concerns about him not being able to get his shot off at the next level to rest as well.
Note: All pre-draft measurements comes via the Draft Express Pre-Draft Measurement Database.