Pavel Podkolzine

Stats (per game): 2.6 points / 2.3 rebounds

The Skinny:
Is he the Siberian Shaq? Right now he isn’t but with his 7-5, 300 pound frame, he very well could be in the future. The buzz over Podkolzine started from his workout in Chicago during the week of the pre-draft camp last year. Podkolzin showed great mobility, nice touch from the perimeter, and some strong moves against limited resistance. Even though he eventually withdrew from last year’s draft, NBA brass obviously liked what they saw of him, and he’s clearly got the size and skills to be a worthwhile project to work on for the next few years.

With that said, it must be emphasized that he’s still a project. Podkolzine didn’t play much for the second year in a row with his Italian League team, and a lot of it had to do with his age and his lack of experience. The team that drafts Podkolzine may not see any payoffs until maybe 4-5 years down the road when his rookie contract expires. But the big Russian is no doubt the epitome of “upside” that NBA teams will want to gamble on in today’s NBA. His stock may not be as high as last year had he stayed in the draft, but he’s still look at least landing in the mid-first round and could be a late lottery pick if someone is willing to roll the dice on him.