2015 NBA Draft: Robert Upshaw (C; So; Washington)

Robert Upshaw 
College: Washington 
Birthday: 1/5/94
NBA Position: Center
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 7-0
Wt: 260
Hometown: Fresno, CA
High School: San Joaquin Memorial


Strengths:
Has great physical dimensions for a center as far as height, length and absolutely massive hands … An imposing presence in the paint with great timing as a shot blocker, was leading the nation up until he left Washington … Can block shots with either hand, plus does a very good job of playing with his arms straight up … Altered a lot of shots at the basket, would cause turnovers and was quite good at gaining his team possession after a block or miss … Was a good rebounder at both ends of the floor, took up a lot of space in the post and could keep the ball high … Averaged 4.5 bpg to only 2.1 fpg, making great strides from his time at Fresno St where fouls would become an issue … Tends to keep the ball very high when he gets it close to the hoop, which is what you want your big man to do … Improved his comfort level in the post, was very hard to guard off of the right shoulder … Does not take much of a hop for him to finish above the rim, had a lot of lobs and dunks getting behind the defense … Draws a lot of fouls, seeing that the best counter to playing him is to be physical … Big threat to finish or get fouled once he gets the offensive board … Played pretty well within himself, tended not to force the issue and did not take a lot of bad shots … Was gradually getting more time as the season progressed … Even though the last game he played for UW was three and a half months before the combine, he showed up in pretty good shape, all things considered ...


Weaknesses:
The league seems to be gravitating away from the “lumbering big man” and his lack of overall speed and lateral quickness will mean he will have to adjust to NBA speed, and fit into the right system … Will need to be better at boxing out for defensive rebounds, got by a lot on sheer size at the college level … Can definitely work on setting stronger screens and his positioning without the ball … Not overly explosive or athletic, needs to be more assertive running the floor at times … Conditioning will be a key to how much time a team can keep him on the court … Still has a long way to go offensively, was not always aggressive in gaining post position, even when he had a massive size advantage on a regular basis … Plays very high when guarding a player back to the basket, seems to have trouble bending his knees enough to maintain solid ground … Can be pressured into making bad passes when double teamed … Was a very poor FT shooter, very little arc on his shot and had a lot of line drive attempts, only shot 43.4% last season … Does not always rush to defend the open shooter, something that will be required in the NBA … Even with his improvements on offense, he remains very raw, a tad mechanical in the post and will never became a go-to post player … Will have to react better to pick-and-roll situations defensively by stepping up and hedging when needed … Questions surrounding his maturity and off-court issues that got him dismissed by both Fresno St. and Washington ...


Notes:
Measured 7’0 in shoes, 258 lbs with a 7’5.5 wingspan and a 9’5 standing reach at the 2015 NBA Draft Combine … Played his freshman year at Fresno State, later being dismissed from the program in August 2013 … Transferred to University of Washington in September 2013 … Played 19 games as a redshirt sophomore at Washington, with averages of 10.9 ppg (59.3% FG), 8.2 rpg and an at the time NCAA leading 4.5 bpg in 24.9 mpg … Was dismissed from Washington, citing a violation of team rules … Many note that he is quite nice and outgoing, though there are plenty of concerns regarding his dedication and maturity … Will have questions surrounding his commitment to being a professional, given his track record … Still provides very rare size, as well as a desired NBA skill as far as his post defense and rim protection … May lack ideal athleticism and conditioning for an NBA center, will definitely be a project and the game's speed will take a lot of getting used to … Showed limited post moves beyond the baby hook shot and fade away, is a bit predictable in that facet … While one might see him as a potential pick-and-roll player, will need a much better understanding of how to execute it … Can drift in and out of games, pointing to needing seasoning and probably limiting his playing time until he has the conditioning to play extended minutes … Very rare measurables for a center who is not completely immobile, may force a team into taking a chance on him as a defensive minded back-up center … His off-court concerns will likely scare some teams away and have definitely lowered his draft position, will need to do everything he can to prove to teams he is worth the potential risk ...

Michael Visenberg 5/27/15


Overview:

As the 2015 NBA Draft approaches, we’ll be taking a look at the top prospects in this year’s class to gain a sense of what the Phoenix Suns should do with their pick. Today, we’ll be taking a look at Robert Upshaw.

When it comes to draft candidates, there are none more controversial than Upshaw, a 250-pound center last seen playing for the Washington Huskies. In his second season of collegiate basketball, the seven-footer averaged 10.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and a nation-leading 4.5 blocks per game while shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor.

Helping the Huskies to a surprising 11-0 start to their 2014-15 season, Robert Upshaw is a no-brainer lottery pick based on his talent alone. Unfortunately, his off-the-court track record is what has his draft stock all over the board.

At 21 years old, Upshaw is bursting with defensive potential. His offensive game is limited, but he has the physical attributes and the base set of skills to be a dominant rim protector in this league. The only question is, which team will take a chance on him, and how long will that team be willing to wait in the draft until they feel comfortable with the potential risk here?

Here’s a look at Robert Upshaw’s draft profile and where he might fit in with the Phoenix Suns’ draft plans.

Strengths:

Pat Connaughton may have stolen the show at the 2015 NBA Draft Combine with his unreal 44″ vertical, but Robert Upshaw probably wasn’t far behind. Not only did Upshaw record the longest wingspan at the combine (7’5″), but he also had the highest standing reach (9’5″) AND the largest hands of any combine participant.

Add that to what we saw from his time with the Huskies and the potential is very clear. Before Washington let him go in January, Upshaw was leading the NCAA in blocks, was nearly a nightly double-double and provided the kind of terrific interior defense that any NBA team would love to have.

Upshaw’s importance to the Huskies was pretty evident. The team started their season 11-0, but after he was released in January, Washington floundered to a 2-10 finish to their season.

Upshaw’s height, length and anticipation on the defensive end make him the kind of big that can be a defensive anchor for any contender. His offense is severely limited at this point, but since he’s only 21 years old, most teams could live with that.

Most important of all, Upshaw seems to be saying all the right things when it comes to his off-the-court troubles. Not only did he take full responsibility for his actions at the draft combine, but he came off as well spoken and eloquent in the process. If he has truly put his inner demons behind him, some team might take a chance on him in the first round.

Weaknesses:

Upshaw said all the right things at the draft combine…but was he saying them because he truly meant them, or just because they would help him get drafted? That is the question most front offices will have to weigh when the Robert Upshaw discussion comes up.

On the one hand, the physical gifts are obviously there. This kid is talented and has the tools the become a marquee defensive anchor. But which team will be willing to take a flyer on a guy who was dismissed from two college teams over a span of three years because of drug use?

I’m not here to get into an argument about whether or not marijuana should be legal. But if you’re trying to make millions of dollars playing the game of basketball, here’s what you need to know: for all intents and purposes, marijuana is illegal to you. Right or wrong, if you want to play professional basketball, or even collegiate basketball, smoking pot isn’t allowed. Period.

Upshaw had some slight problems with that.

In 2013, Fresno State let him go due to drug use. Upshaw spent the summer in a Houston treatment program run by former NBA player John Lucas, who also struggled with drug issues during his playing days. Upshaw earned his second chance with the Huskies and under Lorenzo Romar’s stricter regime.

But Upshaw once again failed multiple drug tests and even with his impressive start to the season, he was let go in January. He hasn’t been playing basketball since, choosing to focus on bettering himself as a person and prepare for this moment.

The talent is there, but we’ve seen players with off-the-court issues derail their own NBA careers too many times to feel comfortable with Upshaw being a sure-fire lottery pick.

As far as his on-court skills are concerned, we’ve already mentioned that he’s not a great offensive player. He’ll need to develop something of a post game on that end, or he could always just try to become an improved version of DeAndre Jordan: a defensive and rebounding monster who gets most of his points from offensive rebounds and alley-oops out of screen and roll sets.

Speaking of DeAndre Jordan, Robert Upshaw is a similarly appalling free throw shooter, converting only 43.4 percent of his attempts from the foul line with the Huskies.

Potential Fit:

Now that we know that Upshaw is a tremendous talent with potential off-the-court issues, where does he fit in with the Phoenix Suns? If we’re being completely honest, that description sounds right at home for this team. But that also means the Suns might want to stay away from him because of it.

I won’t pretend to know the first thing about addiction, but what I can tell you is that the NBA doesn’t have a great history when it comes to players turning their lives around so they can focus solely on playing basketball. It’s simple math that in most cases, if you give a guy with an addiction millions of dollars, it’s going to be pretty tempting for him to use it on feeding that addiction.

Perhaps that’s a vast overstatement, but for a team with a mostly painful draft history, is that any reason to feel comfortable about a guy who’s said all the right things in the past and still had the same old problems in the end?

Upshaw has a family to provide for and mentioned at the combine that it’s all about putting food on the table. But what happens when he gets to the NBA, starts playing well, earns everyone’s praise and makes millions of dollars? Isn’t it reasonable to wonder what happens to his current sacrificial mentality at that point?

Personally, I hope Upshaw proves me wrong. I would love nothing more than to see him get drafted, work his butt off to prove everyone wrong and become a serviceable center in this league, no matter what team he’s playing for. But from the Suns’ perspective, the last thing they need to do with their lottery pick is use it on an unstable personality.

From a basketball perspective, the Suns already have Alex Len at center, and Len made great strides in his second season once Jeff Hornacek promoted him to the starting lineup. It’s far too early to give up on the 21-year-old Len, who has the potential to become a defensive anchor on one end and a stretch-five on the other.

For another thing, this team already has an attitude problem as well. Even if the Morris twins are found innocent/can agree to a plea bargain with their current felony aggravated assault charges, we can’t forget that Markieff Morris was stirring the pot of discontent and bad tempers all season long by racking up the second most technical fouls in the NBA and calling out the fan support at US Airways Center.

This is a team coming off a brutally disappointing season trying to build something positive for the future. With their 13th overall pick the Suns should stay far away from Robert Upshaw.