2008 NBA Draft Preview: Brook Lopez

It is still early too make predictions about the 2008 NBA draft. Many news- and sports-related sites have released their mock NBA drafts for 2008. It is already pretty clear and has been listed almost unanimously by the websites with mock drafts that Brook Lopez will be No. 5 in the draft and will be going to the Grizzlies.

Yet, some sites, including draftexpress.com, believe that Brook will be No. 3 and will be drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Brook Lopez is a star basketball player for Stanford and is from Fresno, California. Brook is a naturally gifted athlete with both of his brothers also playing Division 1 basketball and his mother being a former Olympic swimmer.

Some of Brook Lopez's many traits that have draw attention of many NBA teams include his ability to run the floor, his immense lateral quickness and that he is an absolute presence in the post defensively. Brook also has an unmatched jump hook shot and an uncanny ability to draw fouls.

Sorry to say, for Brook Lopez, but he has some serious flaws in his game. He is weak with his left hand and struggles to pass out of a double team. Brook Lopez has just average rebounding abilities and often settles for bad shots. Lastly, he is highly predictable offensively. These errors in his game do seem to be fixable and he does show potential to become a better rounded player.

Adding to Brook Lopez's strengths on the court is his impressive resume. Brook was the captain of his high school's basketball and volleyball teams his senior year. He was also a McDonald's All-American basketball player. For the 2007-2008 basketball seasons Brook Lopez was named to the All Pac-10 First Team, was an All Pac-10 Defensive Team Honorable Mention, and was part of the All Pac-10 Tournament Team.