Took a look at the
pre-draft measurements of the #1 overall pick in last week's draft
Derrick Rose and the Spurs' 1st round pick
George Hill. From a physical standpoint, Hill compares quite favorably to Rose (note: to reduce this thread by a few pages, I am not claiming that Hill is a comparable player to Rose).
Here's the tale of the tape:
Height w/o Shoes
Derrick Rose 6' 1.5"
George Hill 6' 1.25"
Height w/shoes
Rose 6' 2.5"
Hill 6' 2.5"
Weight
Rose 196
Hill 181
Wingspan
Rose 6' 8"
Hill 6' 9"
Standing Reach
Rose 8' 2.5"
Hill 8' 1.5"
Body Fat
Rose 4.6
Hill 3
No Step Vert
Rose 34.5"
Hill 34"
Max Vert
Rose 40"
Hill 37.5"
Bench Press
Rose 10
Hill 9
Lane Agility
Rose 11.69 sec
Hill 12.2 sec
3/4 Court Sprint
Rose 3.05 sec
Hill 3.07 sec
Rather comparable numbers. I think Rose is the slightly better athlete and the superior player, but Hill is no slouch. I believe the Spurs had Hill rated as one of the top 15 prospects in this draft. Other than the lane agility drill, his numbers are right up there with any other guard in the draft.
Also,
Hairston and
Gist performed rather well themselves. The Spurs apparently went into this draft looking for long, athletic, and experienced college players. Players who have the athleticism to survive in today's NBA, but perhaps some maturity as well.