The presumptive No. 1 pick in the NBA draft is a freshman at the University of Georgia named Chet Holmgren. He is subject to a lot of scrutiny.
Most of the skepticism about the prospect is about how skinny he is. Two nights before Thanksgiving, my uncle and I watched the UCLA vs. Gonzaga game together.
The state of basketball is in trouble if he is the No. 1 recruit. He said he would box him out.
You would not read this if my uncle was reading it. I tried to explain that he broke a school record for blocks in his first game and that he is a 7-footer with a handle.
It helped that my uncle would call him a "cue tip" or say that his legs look like they're going to break when he lands, and then Dick Vitale would yell "Are you serious?! He was responding to my uncle as the UCLA team raced against the Gonzaga team.
It is impossible to deny that the man is skinny. I am not trying to tell you not to believe what you see. It will not affect his basketball ability in the long run.
Anthony Davis was listed at 220 pounds when he joined the league. He bulked up when he got to the league, currently being listed at 253 pounds. When he was drafted, Antetokounmpo was 196 pounds. If you don't believe me, you can check my findings in your mirror.
The big knock on Kevin was that he was too skinny and weak. How could you think about drafting someone who can't bench 185? I wonder how much of a concern his bench press is when he is draining a 30-footer with a hand in his face.
This is to say that Homgren is going to be fine. He will be good at basketball and his frame will fill out. His weight is not the most important thing. I would argue that the most important thing is that this 7-footer can block a shot, bring the ball up the floor, get by a defender at the three-point line with a behind-the-back dribble, and then dunk it. How.
What does that weigh?
