Keith Benson

Keith Benson

Benson has spent the past two summer leagues and training camps with the Hawks, but seemingly that well has dried up. He briefly played in the NBA, managing nine minutes with the Warriors late in 2011-12, but didn't make it back last year. Benson spent most of last season in the D-League, averaging 10.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in only 23 minutes per game in two stints with the Erie BayHawks, bookending a stay in the Philippines, where he averaged 23.6 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game for Talk'N'Text in the Commissioners Cup. However, import big men ALWAYS put up big numbers in the Philippines, as there are very few domestic big men to compete with them. And so despite the ostensibly gaudy numbers, Benson was released for being "ineffective", and replaced by Donnell Harvey, who was acquired to bring the "toughness, interior defense and communication" that Benson just didn't. Therein lies the story with Benson - he's tall, athletic, fluid, and fairly skill, but he's just not tough enough, and shot blocking is not the same as defense.

Atlanta then uses their only pick of the night to take Keith Benson, the last remaining capable collegiate big. There proved to be quite the gap between the draftings of JaJuan Johnson and Keith Benson; twenty one spots in all. And yet they're really not that different. JaJuan is slightly better at everything, but it's not a huge gap.

Keith Benson - Benson is, essentially, the mid-major JaJuan Johnson. He is perhaps marginally bigger, but the difference is negligible. Neither is really a centre, and neither is really a power forward. Yet both adhere to the new model of big man, the face-up thin and athletic ones. Benson doesn't look for contact, nor take it well. He is not great at posting, does not take charges, and likes to float around the perimeter, even without a handle. Yet he does have good touch when finishing around the basket, including a rather ugly right handed hook and hitting his free throws, in spite of a weird hitch in his release. His jumpshot has also improved greatly, and now incorporates three point range. And while Kito is an example of why blocked shots do not necessarily equal good defense - especially since he goes for them excessively - he can change many a shot on the interior with his reach and athleticism. He rebounds, too, although his dominant size against mid major competition rather biased those numbers. Benson struggles on the interior, is too slender, and does not always give defensive effort, but he's got enough on his resume for that to not matter too much.