During the NCAA Tournament, we NBA heads watch (almost) every game, judging the pro prospects of particular players. Inspired by our daily Doing Lines feature, Drooling Lines offers a daily summary of what the box scores tell us.Hasheem Thabeet -- Few elite prospects have been dealt specific indictments such as Thabeet's offense saw Saturday in UConn's win over Missouri. Despite his tremendous size advantage, Thabeet only managed to get off four shots against the Tiger defense, scoring five points. He further registered no blocked shots (and that's his top offering to the pros!) and earned 13 good rebounds, seven on the defensive glass. I'm not sure at this point that it's like Thabeet is more talented in NBA terms than Samuel Dalembert. (That's not a compliment.)
DeJuan Blair -- Blair was the only other "first round with a bullet" prospect in action Saturday. He had a flawless offensive night, going 9-for-9 for 20 points. He added 10 rebounds. But his overall defense lacked something, not fire (which he always has) or toughness (in spades, he has toughness), but ... instincts. He plays well in Jamie Dixon's defense -- he knows his role and fulfills it. But he has a long way to go if he wants to be an above-average pro defender. Never mind the height of the players he'll oppose -- the NBA is a pick-and-roll league, and Blair has to show an ability to read it, lest Al Jefferson and Amar'e Stoudemire pin him to death.
Of course, measurements in May will say a ton about Blair's stock in June. The rumors have him at a legit 6'7 in shoes with a 7'3 wingspan. For what it's worth, that wingspan is longer than that of Paul Millsap and Carlos Boozer, though Boozer stood two inches taller in sneakers. Measurement time will almost assuredly be all about Blair and the point guard crop. (And, um, Stephen Curry.)
Sam Young -- Young ended his college career without a Final Four, but he'll be a prospect that grabs attention this spring. His tremendous 28-point night against tough Villanova helps. He'll need a reliable deep stroke at the next level, having shot less than 37% this season. He has good size at the two, but carries a bit of that Chris Douglas-Roberts stigma: can he create in the NBA? This is the problem wings face when moving from college to the pros -- often, their best offensive talent is creating shots for themselves. Every NBA team has creators, and it takes the right situation for that skill to be useful or to fit properly. Young is a tough defender, though, and will likely find himself gone in the first round.
A.J. Price -- Price has a few factors working against him: this seems to be a draft heavy on point guards, and the league seems to be putting new weight on shooters at that position. If you're Derrick Rose, Mike Conley, or Russell Westbrook -- sure, you'll get drafted high without a killer jumper. But Price obviously isn't in any Rose-Conley conversation in terms of playmaking, or Westbrook's class in terms of defense and athleticism. Price instead comes off as a minor Darren Collison, or a poor man's Ty Lawson without the foot speed or the jumper. Given that Collison and Lawson will both be in this draft, probably in the second half of the first round, I don't see Price getting picked up until at least midway through the second.
