Jodie Meeks: Like Superman, but Smaller

Meeks The Chicago pre-draft combine last week was an NBA GM's best chance to see 50 of the top NBA draft prospects all in one location. The problem was, this year's combine eliminated 5 on 5 scrimmages, so it was difficult for GM's to see players matched up against one another in full-contact game situations. The reason they did this is because agents were advising the top prospects not to participate because of the potential for injuries.

So this year's combine had a vast majority of the top players in this year's NBA draft in attendance, but many GM's were frustrated by the fact that they only got to see the players participate in drills. One thing they were happy with, though, was that all the players in attendance were put through a series of measurements including height, wingspan, vertical leap, bench press, and sprint.

Click "read more" to see how Jodie Meeks measured up to the competition,

First good things:

His sprint time was the 3rd fastest in the entire combine. He was faster than guys like Ty Lawson who analysts regularly called "the fastest player in the country".
His vertical leap (37 inches) was the 7th highest in the entire combine of 50 players. That is the same as Louisville's Terrance Williams.
He successfully completed 14 reps on the bench press at 185 pounds which was more than all but 3 shooting guards. Luke Harangody was the leader with 23 reps, and James Harden lead all shooting guards with 17 reps.

While athleticism is a major plus for Jodie, size is a major cause for concern:

He only measured 6'3" without shoes which is definitely below average for an NBA 2 guard.
His wingspan is only 6'4". Of all the 2 guards, that is the shortest wingspan except for Jack McClinton (the Miami player that killed us this past year). This means that Meeks plays even shorter than his 6'3" height because he has short arms too.
His Maximum Vertical Reach (the tallest point a player can touch) was the 12th lowest in the entire combine because the combination of him being undersized and having a short wingspan makes him play kind of small. For instance both Meeks and Terrance Williams have a 37 inch vertical, but Williams' max vertical reach is 11'9" whereas Meeks' max vertical reach is 11'3".
He's projected at #44 overall by draft express which is mid second round.

Meeks' athletic ability was actually surprising, but when coupled with his lack of size, it makes more sense. The bottom line is Meeks' athleticism/size combination doesn't get him up as high as most NBA 2 guards. Because he's so undersized when compared to his competition at the next level, he needs to really be able to handle the ball and pass. If he doesn't develop that ability, he will never have a role on an NBA team that is any larger than the role Kelenna Azubuike had for Golden State this year (and that is being optimistic).

Even with those NBA negatives, Meeks is an incredible college basketball player. If Calipari can get him to defend and rebound this year, he'll be one of the 5 or 6 most valuable overall guards in the country (if he were to decide another year of school is what is best for him). UK certainly will be a much better team next year if Meeks decides to return.

Link to measurements from all players that participated in the Chicago pre-draft combine.

And now, 54 in 54:

It never gets old!

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email this