NBA Draft Insider

Selected No. 14 by the Houston Rockets

College: Kentucky
Birthday: 3/14/89
NBA Position: Power Forward
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 235
Hometown: Huntington, WV
High School: Huntington
NBA Comparison: David West

Strengths: Patrick Patterson is a solid and smart basketball player. His offensive game has improved every year at Kentucky and his face-up game is almost as polished as his post game. He has a solid post game with spin moves in his arsenal. Patterson is a very good finisher around the basket and has a decent right-handed jump hook. He has extended the range on his jump shot and has to be covered out to 20-feet. He’s also a solid on-ball defender, and while he is not a great shot-blocker, he does contest shots and gets after it on defense. On the glass, he understands rebounding angles and blocks out well, making him a good rebounder.

Weaknesses: Patterson will be a bit undersized in the NBA as a power forward, so he will need to expand on his offensive game. He doesn’t finish with his left hand around the rim, heavily favoring his right hand in those situations. He needs to work on his ball-handling; he can become more of a face-up threat if he can beat his man off the dribble, because opponents already respect his jumper. Patterson is a good, but not great athlete, so adding a few more post moves will be beneficial. If he tries to use his current post game in the NBA he will be in trouble on the offensive end.

Aaric Hickerson – 2/16/2010