Kendrick Perkins

Overview: High school player who was drafted in the first round and has developed into a capable NBA big man. A role player who’s main responsibilities on-court lies in his ability to defend and rebound. Has a good attitude, but is fairly limited athletically and skill-wise, making him look best suited to come off the bench for most NBA teams that don’t have three Hall of Famers alongside him. He reportedly is known for his excellent work ethic and attitude in the lockerroom, and has already been locked up to an extension that accurately represents his value on the open market. Being just 24 years old, there is still the upside that Perkins will improve on his offensive shortcomings. He brings great energy and seems to fit the new Boston Celtics mentality perfectly. Did exactly what he had to do to help the team with the 2008 NBA Championship.

Offense: Perkins will always be a complimentary player on this end of the floor due to his lackluster combination of skills, fluidity and quickness. He’s a fairly mechanical big man with a limited array of moves in the post he can utilize, and is therefore mostly a threat to crash the offensive glass thanks to his strength and toughness and come up with strong finishes around the paint on shots created for him by others. Perkins sets solid screens and has pretty good hands inside, and is a very good finisher when given the ball in a position to score. He gets to the line at a decent rate considering the limited amount of touches he sees, but only converts only around 60% of his free throws. He has almost no range to speak of on his very unattractive looking jumper, and is a liability when attempting to put the ball on the floor and make a complex move. He does understand his role with Boston’s offense and does not have a problem playing with a team concept. With that said, Perkins needs to work on cutting down on unforced errors, such as turnovers from bad passes, traveling violations, offensive fouls and such. He turns the ball over on about 1/3rd of his offensive possessions, which is one of the worst rates in the NBA.

Defense: Perkins has average height for an NBA center at 6-10, but more than makes up for that with a monster 7-4 wingspan and a chiseled 280 pound frame. All things considered, Perkins might be considered one of the best interior defenders in the NBA. He denies space in the post extremely well, has excellent footwork, and is very hard to back down because of his strength and tenacity. He also uses his length extremely well, often forcing his matchup to alter their shot awkwardly because of his reach. He’s an excellent shot-blocker as well, either coming from the weak-side or showing really nice timing with on-ball blocks, compensating for his average explosiveness. When forced out to the perimeter, though, Perkins’ lack of lateral quickness can get exposed if asked to guard an athletic big man who put the ball on the floor. Perkins is a decent, but not amazing rebounder for his position. He can also be a bit foul prone at times.