NBA Draft Prospects: Top 5 Big Men
5. Ike Anigbogu, UCLA Bruins
Despite being overshadowed by his bigger name freshman teammates at UCLA (Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf), Anigbogu has been steadily climbing NBA draft boards, and has become a borderline lottery pick.
Restricted to playing just 29 games due to various minor injuries, Anigbogu could not find the consistency in his playing time to pass senior Thomas Welsh on the depth chart. He was limited to just 13.0 minutes per game last season. When on the court, though, the 18-year-old showcased the athleticism and explosiveness that made him a top 20 recruit coming out of high school.
His per 40-minute averages of 14.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game display the potential that has many NBA teams salivating at the chance to draft him.
Standing at 6'10", Anigbogu has a ridiculous wingspan of 7'6" and a standing reach of 9'2", allowing him to alter shots at the rim without much effort. His block percentage of 8.8% would have been third in the PAC-12, but he didn't play enough minutes to qualify.
Already weighing 250 lbs, the former Bruin also has the ideal frame, and lower body strength, NBA teams desire from their big men. He can withstand punishment when defending the post and can move opponents out of the way when crashing the glass. There is no question of the impact he can make on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, is another matter though.
Anigbogu's offensive talents start, and end, with rebounding and second-chance points. He averaged 4.1 offensive boards per 40 minutes and a 13.4% offensive rebound percentage, with 64.4% of his shot attempts coming at the rim.
However, per Hoop-Math.com, Anigbogu shot only 36.1% on his jumpers (13-of-36) and struggled with free throw shooting (53.5%), making one worry if he will ever be able to expand his shooting range and offensive game.
Another weakness was Anigbogu's propensity to get into foul trouble. His high-energy motor is a plus when it comes to rebounding and getting down the floor in transition, but it also led to him falling for shot fakes, committing silly fouls. The freshman committed 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes of action at UCLA.
Anigbogu, who won't turn 19 until October, is projected to go in the middle of the first round (15-20) due to his enormous upside. A bit of a project, teams are hoping his floor is Bismack Biyombo while his upside, long-term, can be DeAndre Jordan.
The most intriguing landing spot for Anigbogu is the Atlanta Hawks at pick 19. After the Hawks trade of Dwight Howard and likely free-agent departure of Paul Millsap, they need a long-term option up front and could do a lot worse than Anigbogu.
