Prospect Profile

Video: Draft Combine workout

Strengths:
*Length
*Elite athlete
*Great shot blocker
*Great rebounder
*Good defender
*Competes

Weaknesses:
*Perimeter game needs refinement
*Thin frame
*Poor free-throw shooter

NBA projection:
Henson is a probable lottery pick and he’ll have a solid NBA career, because he enters the league with two next-level skills — shot blocking and rebounding. If he wants to add layers to his game and develop a more consistent face-up jumper, he’ll have plenty of time to do so.

2011-12 Season:
Henson was chosen the ACC defensive player of the year, first-team All-ACC and to the league’s all-defensive team after leading the conference in rebounding and blocked shots. He also finished fourth in field-goal percentage.

Key statistics:
13.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 tpg, 2.9 bpg, 29.1 mpg, .500 FG, .511 FT

Cool statistic:
Henson finished as North Carolina’s all-time leader in blocked shots per game. He finished with 279 in 109 games, an average of 2.56.

Reminds me of:
Derrick McKey

What Insiders Say:
North Carolina coach Roy Williams
"I think he made some jump shots, and yet I think that is fool's gold sometimes. Our chances are better with Reggie [Bullock] or Harrison [Barnes] shooting, and John [Henson] rebounding, as opposed to the opposite way. John took one down the stretch that I didn't want him to take, but in the second half I thought he was so much more effective offensively than just shooting jump shots. He got involved defensively. He blocked some shots that were huge for us. John is just getting better and better."

What Outsiders Say:
Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg
"The guy has ridiculous length. He's kind of freakish in that he shoots as many shots with his left hand as his right. He has the ability to shoot the ball with range and he affects the game defensively because he protects the front of the rim."
 

-- Profile by Chris Dortch, editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Follow him @cdortch.