NBA Draft Insider

College: North Carolina
Birthday: 12/28/1990
NBA Position: PF
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-10
Wt: 200
Hometown: Tampa, FL

High School: Sickles High

Ceiling: Joakim Noah

Basement: Keon Clark

NBA Comparison: Jared Jeffries

Strengths:

• Athletic, Long
• High Motor
• Good Rebounder
• Quality Defender
• Elite Shot-Blocker
• Developing Offense
• Mid-Range Shooter

Weaknesses:

• Strength
• Offensive Moves

Analysis:

05/07/2012

John Henson declared for the NBA Draft after his junior year and has signed with Jim Tanner for representation.

Henson is another example of player development. As a freshman he was very, very limited on offense and was a handicap to the team. Over the course of two seasons Henson has developed into a quality offensive player without diminishing the defensive skills that made him an impact player.

This season especially Henson began to consistently hit the 12-15 foot jump shot. He seems the most confident from the left baseline making that with consistency. The offense really flowed thanks to Henson being more aggressive and confident in his scoring ability. He shot an extra two shots a game this year at a 50% clip. Henson has actually made exactly half of his field goals (387/774) the last two seasons.

That shooting ability compliments the already great shot-blocking skills Henson has. He has great skills and make-up defensive ability. On the ball he is still too frail to defend NBA power forwards, but off the ball can erase shots as well as anyone in this class. Henson is very long and has a good second jump ability. That second jump ability allows Henson to miss on the initial block attempt and still get back into position for a play on the ball.

There is still a considerable amount of strength that Henson still needs to gain to make it at the next level. That is something that is very common for elite college defenders though. Former prospects like Joakim Noah, Kevin Garnett, and even in this years class Anthony Davis were all considered elite defenders lacking “NBA strength” coming into the league. Strength will come in time and Henson appears to have the frame to add enough strength to play at the next level.

As of today Henson is the No. 4 power forward, No. 10 on the Big Board, and is the No. 16 Overall pick in the Mock Draft.

02/12/2012

Another long and disruptive defender. Henson is a very good defender in space that is at his best on the weak side as a shot-blocker. He is a very good rebounder as well, but not as tough as most at his position. On offense he has developed confidence in his mid-range jump shot knocking it down more consistently. His strengths lie mainly in his defense, but his offense is coming around a lot this season.

In the past Henson was a player that defense did not have to guard. They could play off of him and double down on the teams’ better scorers. This season he has refined his offensive abilities. He is still an “athletic” finisher verses a power finisher. He can make highlight dunks and get around defenders to score over them with length. His shot as mentioned before is much better this season between 10-15 feet, especially along the baseline.

Overall Henson has the tools to be a very good defender in the NBA, but lacks the strength and mass to bang for long periods of time. His great shot-blocking ability can be neutralized by a strong interior scorer willing to bang. The thing Henson has on his side is that if he can add some strength to his frame (a common problem in college) he will be an elite defender.

5/13/2011

The 2011-2012 North Carolina Tar Heels will look the most like an NBA team in college, they have a legitimate prospect at every position. Henson is the glue to the team; he is easily the best defender on the roster and will be a dominating force once again on that side of the ball. Last season Henson showed improvement on the offensive end and seems to have more potential than former prospects that he resembles.

Henson is a much better version of former athletic busts like Brandon Wright and Julian Wright, he has more Joakim Noah to his game. Noah has a much faster motor, but Henson is a great defender on that level and is also underrated offensively like him.

This season Henson needs to bulk up and add at least 20lbs. of muscle to his frame. With that he will have the ability to bang more in the paint and take on the rigors of an NBA season. Henson is the athletic big man every team wants and is only going to get better. 

2010

The problem with Henson is that he has the height of a power forward and the weight (and strength) of a point guard. He has shown great promise as a shot-blocker, a defender and a rebounder. Henson’s offensive game has tons of room for improvement, but Henson has the skill and potential to get there. He needs to add a ton of strength, but Henson can be a specialist for a team on the defensive end as a forward. His versatility and big time games this season have started to warrent the premature lottery talk.

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