Wildly Unnecessarily Lengthy 2015 NBA Draft Board, Part 4: NCAA Centres
Steve Forbes
At 6'9 and 295lbs, Steve Forbes is evidently huge, really quite stand-out huge in a sport full of big people.
This of course has its positives and negatives. Forbes is extremely static offensively, not able to rotate out of the way but also impossible to move once he has a set position. He uses this bulk to get post position for himself and clear out the lane for driving guards, and he works a lot to get this position, unafraid to go up and seek the contact of any opposing defender. Forbes combines this with some finesse - a very good free throw stroke, an occasional jumpshot, decent kick-out passing skills from the low block and some touch around the basket. IPFW fed Forbes the ball a lot in the post, because he was always an option in there. And Forbes usually delivered.
They also fed him the ball on offense to counterbalance the other end. Defensively, Forbes's man-to-man post D is similarly strong, and he doesn't commit too many reach-in or bump fouls. He does however not do much else on defense, standing in the pack of the zone, not defending the perimeter, and barely provides any help as he is not able to move laterally enough to do so. He plays defense by putting his hands up in the air - it's enough sometimes, but not against speed or seven footers. Forbes protects the post, but not the basket, a man whose sheer size is something of a deterrent on the interior but whom cannot change shots or drives within it.
Forbes is huge, clearly, especially since he carries a few extra pounds on there. By virtue of that very size, he has value to a team. There are illegal screens, foul problems and significant limitations that come with it. But so few players have this kind of size, and that goes for pro teams too.
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At 6'9 and 295lbs, Steve Forbes is evidently huge, really quite stand-out huge in a sport full of big people.
This of course has its positives and negatives. Forbes is extremely static offensively, not able to rotate out of the way but also impossible to move once he has a set position. He uses this bulk to get post position for himself and clear out the lane for driving guards, and he works a lot to get this position, unafraid to go up and seek the contact of any opposing defender. Forbes combines this with some finesse - a very good free throw stroke, an occasional jumpshot, decent kick-out passing skills from the low block and some touch around the basket. IPFW fed Forbes the ball a lot in the post, because he was always an option in there. And Forbes usually delivered.
They also fed him the ball on offense to counterbalance the other end. Defensively, Forbes's man-to-man post D is similarly strong, and he doesn't commit too many reach-in or bump fouls. He does however not do much else on defense, standing in the pack of the zone, not defending the perimeter, and barely provides any help as he is not able to move laterally enough to do so. He plays defense by putting his hands up in the air - it's enough sometimes, but not against speed or seven footers. Forbes protects the post, but not the basket, a man whose sheer size is something of a deterrent on the interior but whom cannot change shots or drives within it.
Forbes is huge, clearly, especially since he carries a few extra pounds on there. By virtue of that very size, he has value to a team. There are illegal screens, foul problems and significant limitations that come with it. But so few players have this kind of size, and that goes for pro teams too.