12. C Jonathan Jeanne, Le Mans
It’s tough to find a more unique prospect than Jeanne, as the 7-3 Frenchman brings an almost unheralded combination of height, length and athleticism that alone will make him one of the draft’s most sought-after foreigners. He’s still rail thin and highly underdeveloped, but has the type of primative skill set and freakish athletic profile that’ll make some scouts’ mouths water with excitement.
In a sense, he’s the French version of Thon Maker.
Jeanne’s wingspan is officially listed in the 7-7 range, and his mobility on the court is difficult to match in terms of players his size. He can shoot the ball with some consistency, and has even shown prowess attacking his defender off the dribble and nailing pull-up jumpers on occasion.
He can space the floor all the way out to the perimeter, and has shown a level of ball handling ability that is quite frankly not seen in your typical 7-3 big man by almost any account. He can push the pace in transition or get to the basket off the bounce. He still has to polish off a great deal of the minutia in regards to his game offensively, but he has everything needed to blossom into a true stud with time and the right coaching staff behind him.
Defensively, as well as some areas offensively, is where Jeanne’s 195 pound frame really hurts him at the moment. He’s listed about one to two inches taller than the aforementioned Maker, and weighs about 20 pounds less. If you’ve seen Thon Maker in any capacity, you can see why that’s a more than slight problem.
Jeanne has plenty of room to fill out his frame and will certainly put a great deal of stress on doing so, but that’s his greatest weakness coming in. He moves his feet well on both sides of the ball and has the base skill set needed to produce in almost any facet. Being bullied by stronger bigs is going to be what limits him early on, and what he must, must overcome to exploit the full expanse of his massive potential as an NBA player.
Next: 11. Bryant