NBA Draft 2013: Top 5 Comps

Comparing prospects to past or present players is a fun way for analysts and fans of many sports to put potential draftees into context. The problem of course is that no two players are alike. If you need proof, look no further than the several sets of identical twins in the history of the NBA (most recently the Morris and Collins twins): none of them seem to have the same game as their genetic clone.

For this article, I'm going to take a look at five of the top prospects in this draft and find an NBA All-Star who, as a rookie or prospect, shares significant similarities in physique, skills, and weaknesses with the likely top 6. The goal is to contextualize the players' ceilings. Let's roll:

Nerlens Noel <=> Tyson Chandler

Physique: Skinny seven footers, long and athletic
Skills: Shot-blocking
Weakness: Offense
Wildcard: The jersey number 3

Chandler came into the league as a confused high schooler who wanted to be the next Kevin Garnett. That never happened, but he eventually turned into the defensive anchor for the NBA champion Mavs and was named to his first All-Star game in 2013. Noel has that potential defensively, and if he can learn to set good screens and crash the hoop for lobs and offensive rebounds, he could be an All-Star too some day.

Ben McLemore <=> Ray Allen

Physique: Prototypical 2-guards

Skills: Shooting, finishing in transition

Weakness: Defense

Wildcard: Ray Allen, movie star. Ben McLemore, famous rapper (wait, is it the same Macklemore??)

This comparison gets thrown around often because Allen is a near idealization of his position. Superstars are rarely among the great shooters, but Allen and Reggie Miller (also pictured above) stand out. If McLemore plays on a team that gets him open jumpers and he attacks the basket relentlessly, he has great potential.

Anthony Bennett <=> Larry Johnson 

Physique: Strong and quick but undersized power forwards

Skills: Inside/outside power game with shooting range

Weakness: Size

Wildcard: Both are UNLV Runnin' Reb's!

Technically Grandmama never made an All-Star game, but it's an outright travesty that he wasn't on the 92-93 team (Kevin Willis and the immortal Michael Adams were selected as injury replacements for the Eastern Conference, with LJ at home in Charlotte averaging a 22/10... oops!). He enjoyed a long and memorable career because of his incredible knack for scoring and his willingness to bully opponents into the paint. Bennett can do those things and if he, like LJ, can overcome his relatively short stature he's got a bright future.

Otto Porter <=> Danny Granger

Physique: Tall and long small forwards

Skills: Shooting

Weakness: Average athleticism

Wildcard: Hermione Granger's best friend is Harry Porter. Or is it Potter? 

Granger fell to Indiana in the late lottery before making the 2009 All-Star team. His success is due in large part to his ability to get his very effective mid-range shot off over shorter defenders. Porter did exactly the same thing at Georgetown.

Victor Olidapo <=> Dwyane Wade

Physique: Compact, high-flying 2-guards

Skills: Attacking the basket, off-the-charts intangibles

Weakness: Outside shooting

Wildcard: Both probably won "Most likely to have their name misspelled" in their HS yearbook

Wade was more under the radar at Marquette than Olidapo was at Indiana, but exhibited similarly explosive leaping ability and a presence of character that made Pat Riley believe he could be a star. Olidapo has that buzz around him after an out-of-nowhere amazing year at IU. 

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