Know the Prospect: Chris Singleton

So much for that Rapture, am I right?!?  All kidding aside, I now have an entire "Rapture Bunker" below my cellar full of canned foods, water, and Holy Water.  There is no way I am going to want all of this non-perishable food an drink without some sort of "Rapture."  Kind of a disappointment in that regard.

But let's get back to the good stuff.  Chris Singleton is a player whose name has come up a few times in the comments section (requested by bubbachuck and slymslam17, more specifically).  Well, let's get on with the profile.  So much time, so little to do!  Wait, strike that, reverse it.  

Jump with me into a world of pure imagination!

Chris Singleton (it's getting really hard to find middle names for these prospects, which sounds a little stalker-ish when I type it out) completed his junior season at Florida State University last year.  He declared for the draft after the season, and did it on LiveStream!  How technologically savvy of him (here is the video).  We are already very familiar with someone that attended this university, and that guy DWTDD.  Singleton is an intriguing prospect because of his defensive abilities.  He has been awarded ACC Defensive Player of the Year two consecutive seasons.  Winning this award is also WTDD.  He is one of the best and most versatile defenders in the draft, and we all know the Knicks need defenders that are versatile and not named Jared Jeffries.  OK that was a low blow, I apologize Jared.  But Singleton brings more than just defensive abilities to the table.  He made third team All-ACC for his overall achievements this past season.  That's something, right?

The run-down:

Measurements: Chris stands at 6' 7.75" in socks and 6 '9" in shoes.  He weighs 230 pounds.  He has a wingspan of 7' 1".  He has a standing reach of 8' 7.5".  His body fat is just 7.4%.  He is in just as good shape as Tony Perkis!  

Projected Draft Position (as of right now): 19 on DraftExpress.com, 18 on NBADraft.net, 14 at SI.com, and 21 at ProBasketballDraft.com.

Actual Profiles and Such: DraftExpress.com, NBADraft.net, StatSheet, FSU player page.

Amateur Take-Offense: No comment.  JK, LOL, ROFL, BRB, ILU, TTYN.  Singleton posted career highs in PPG (13.1), FG% (43.4, which is still low...), 3FG% (36.8... huh?), Effective FG% (49.4), and TS% (53).  He isn't the greatest shooter, but his three-point shooting drastically improved between his sophomore and junior seasons. He shot just under seven percentage points better from downtown this season, which is a tremendous leap and something that has to raise some eyebrows on the Knicks' staff.  

Singleton has great size, length, and athleticism, and takes advantage of it on the offensive end.  He can post up small forwards and even power forwards and use his quickness and decent touch to get shots off around the rim.  He also has an average mid-range game.  He isn't great off the dribble, and according to DE he would be much better suited off the ball or on a team that likes to run.  DING DING DING.

Amateur Take-Defense: This is where Singleton is going to be making his money.  Dude is a beast on this side of the ball.  I already mentioned that he is back-to-back recipient of the ACC Defensive POTY award.  They don't just give those things to anybody!  (But when you look at this list, it sort of throws salt in his game, but only slightly).  Singleton can guard multiple positions (4's, 3's, 2's) without much difficulty.  He possesses a perfect blend of size and athleticism that translates well to defending all sorts of opponents.  It helped that Florida State is a notoriously stingy defensive team that emphasizes good defense over good offense.

Singleton finished in the top 10 in SPG (2.2) and steals per 40 (2.8).  He reads passing lanes well and has great instincts and timing when going for steals and blocks.  Oh, he also averaged 1.5 blocks the past two seasons.  His defensive rebounding concerns me a little for someone of his size.  He only averaged 4.75 DRB a game this season, which was down from 4.9 last year.  You know what, I just looked at his game-by-game stats, and I am going to retract that last statement.  His rebounding will be fine.  I didn't notice all of the offensive rebounding this guy was doing, which shows that he is very active on the boards indeed.  All-in-all, this is a tremendous defensive prospect.

Comparisons: NBADraft.net compares him to Luc Richard M'bah a Moute.  I get down with LRMAM.  

The Clyde Factor: It's hard to imagine Clyde screwing this one up, unless he calls him "Singletary".  I apologize, but my brain has gas right now and I can't think of anything Clyde could potentially say!

Tidbits:

• This is worth noting.  Singleton missed six games last season after fracturing his right foot in a game versus Virginia.  He was able to heal enough to return for the NCAA Tournament, where he played in each of Florida State's games.  He even put up a gritty 16 and 9 in the Sweet Sixteen, which shows a lot about his heart (and his healed foot, I guess).  I don't know if an injury like this would linger, but it's something to consider.
• There are actually some other Chris Singletons out there in the sporting universe.  There was the former Major League Baseball player (Chris Verdell Singleton) and a couple of football Chris Singletons (former Patriot and Iowa State DB). 
• Chris Singleton is an entrepreneur.  Shortly after declaring for the draft, he and some other launched a clothing line.  It's called Doughpe Clothing, which I am actually told is the correct phonetic and literal spelling of the word "Dope".

Lets go to the video:

Prospect Profile - Chris Singleton (via DraftExpress)

Chris Singleton - Around the Key Dunking Drills (via DraftExpress)

Chris Singleton Fail.mov (via OperaTerp1) -Just look at that form!

Florida State v. Virginia Men's Basketball Highlights (via MooreRachelAnn) -Only pay attention to the first few minutes of this.

Things to Take Away:

• He does have a nice form, and with work he could develop a troublesome face-up game.
• You can see how quick he is, even though there weren't too many shots of him playing defense.  He is also very explosive when leaping, as evidenced by the dunking drill video.
• He sounds extremely well-spoken in his interview, like a stand-up guy.

Final Thoughts: I like Singleton.  He is a tremendously talented prospect whose all-around game has a lot of room for growth.  He would obviously bring defensive stability to the Knicks, but what is he on this team?  Would he see time at 3 or 4?   I like what he can potentially do offensively as a big three, but we already have Extra E.  I could see him learning from STAT and giving him blows, but I also don't want to see too many lineups that feature Amar'e as the center.  All and all, this guy is a plus defender (even though we didn't get to see it) who would immediately help shore up a poor Knicks defense.  I could see the Knicks taking him at 17, and I don't even think I would be overly opposed.  Although I still think Faried is my top choice.  I don't know who can knock him out of my top spot, but I guess I will know it when I see it.

I also just want to apologize if this is not write-up my best work.  I have real-world stuff happening in the incredibly near future (as in this afternoon) but I promise I will be more focused and attentive next time.  If there even is a next time, because of that extremely slow-moving and methodical Rapture.  Am I right?!?  I need to get out of my basement...