Dane Moore NBA Podcast: Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and Obi Toppin Film Review

Whether they select first overall or opt to trade the pick, the Timberwolves front office will need to come to a final decision on how they rank the top prospects in this class. Three of the most likely names to show up at the top of their board are Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and Obi Toppin.

On this week’s podcast, Will DeBerg, who coaches locally at the University of St. Thomas, again joined me to review the film of these prospects. We discussed the risk propositions of Edwards, Wiseman and Toppin’s skillsets — and how those questions may impact the way front offices around the league grade the members of the trio.

(If you can’t access the Spotify player, click here to listen to the latest episode.)

Below is a list of current and former NBA players who measured similarly to Anthony Edwards’ when they entered the league. Edwards reportedly stands 6’5” in shoes, with a 6’9” wingspan and weighs 225 pounds.

• James Harden: 6’5” / 6’11” / 222
• Lance Stephenson: 6’5” / 6’10.5” / 227
• Iman Shumpert: 6’5.5” / 6’9.5” / 222
• Dion Waiters: 6’4” / 6’7” / 221
• Victor Oladaipo: 6’4” / 6’9” / 213
• Justise Winslow: 6’6” / 6’10” / 222
• Buddy Hield: 6’5” / 6’9” / 212
• Malcolm Brogdon: 6’5.5” / 6’10.5 / 223
• And to use a Timberwolves example, Shabazz Muhammad: 6’6” / 6’11” / 222

Two common comparisons for James Wiseman are Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside. Wiseman reportedly stands 7’1” in shoes, with a 7’6” wingspan and weighs 240 pounds. At that size, neither Gobert nor Whiteside are perfect physical comparisons for Wiseman.

• Gobert measured both taller and longer than Wiseman when he entered the league — standing 7’2”, with a 7’8.5” wingspan and weighing in at 238 pounds.
• Whiteside measured noticeably shorter and lighter than Wiseman when he entered the league — standing 6’11.5”, with a 7’7” wingspan and weighing in at 227 pounds.

The closest physical comparison from the past ten drafts I came across for Wiseman was Willie Cauley-Stein — who measured 7’1”, with a 7’3” wingspan and weighed in at 242 pounds when he entered the league. And then there were a few others who were a little shorter than Wiseman but equally as long and heavy.

• Myles Turner: 6’11.5” / 7’4” / 239
• Jaren Jackson Jr.: 6’11” / 7’5” / 236
• Dewayne Dedmon: 6’11.5” / 7’4” / 239
• And to throw in a Timberwolves example, Gorgui Dieng: 6’11” / 7’3.5” / 230

As for Obi Toppin, who reportedly stands 6’9 in shoes, with a 6’11” wingspan and weighs 220 pounds, there are three different archetypes of players who measured similarly when they entered the league.

Guys who have or could play small-ball 5

• John Collins: 6’9.5” / 6’11” / 225
• Marcus Morris: 6’9” / 6’10” / 230
• Marquesse Chriss: 6’10” / 7’ / 233
• Tristan Thompson: 6’9” / 7’1” / 227
• Jordan Bell: 6’8.5” / 7’ / 224

Small-ball power forwards

• Kevin Knox: 6’9” / 7” / 213
• Kyle Kuzma: 6’9.5” / 7’ / 223
• Aaron Gordon: 6’9” / 7’ / 220
• TJ Warren: 6’8” / 6’10” / 220
• Paul George: 6’9” / 6’11” / 214

Guys who were good in college that fizzled out quickly in the league

• Perry Ellis: 6’8” / 6’10” / 218
• Sam Dekker: 6’9” / 6’11.5 / 219
• Tyler Hansbrough: 6’9.5” / 6’11.5” / 234
• Kyle Singler: 6’8.5” / 6’10” / 228
• TJ Leaf: 6’10” / 6’11” / 222
• Robbie Hummel: 6’8.5” / 6’8.5” / 218