Name: Robin Lopez Position: Center Height: 7-0 (2.13m) Weight: 255 (116kg) College Team: Stanford Cardinals Nationality: American Birthplace: North Hollywood, California Birthdate: 4/1/1988 Drafted: Selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (15th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Brother: Brook Lopez

Strengths: For his size, Lopez is an excellent runner of the floor … Does a good job establishing position in the post … Understands the value of not putting the ball on the floor … Owns a premium set of hands that are both strong and soft … These hands enable him to catch difficult passes thrown into the post or hold onto rebounds without getting them slapped away … Back to the basket skills are still in the developmental stages, but he's shown very good signs of a nice jump hook … Post footwork displays good quickness, balance and coordination when executing moves … Has all the physical tools needed to be a great shot blocker at the next level with long arms, explosiveness and timing … Because of his solid lateral movement Lopez is an above average help defender, which alleviates many open looks from opposing players who attempt to penetrate the lane … Plays with a calm fire and doesn’t allow his emotions to get in the way, but make no mistake, he possesses a mean streak … Quality rebounder who uses his body and mobility to grab rebounds in area and out of position … Still has some time before he reaches the ceiling on his potential … When motivated, Lopez can draw a great deal of contact when attacking the basket … Team oriented attitude in that he will do whatever is required, whether it’s being a hustle player diving on the floor for loose balls or providing an energy play such as a power dunk around the basket … Underrated basketball IQ … Court awareness is exceptional for someone with his lack of refinement … Body type suggest adding weight will not hider his athleticism …

Weaknesses: Physically, Lopez needs to continue to work on his upper body strength … Back to the basket skills are in great need of refinement … At this moment he lacks any real go-to move and could stand to incorporate more moves such as a drop step or a steady turnaround jumper … Not a great out of position rebounder when being boxed out, which could be a strength related issue … Often tries to tap the ball to himself (ala Dennis Rodman), but lacks the strength to do this while holding off his man … Could stand to expand his shooting range out to 10-12 feet as he has no face-up game … Doesn’t do a good job of holding post position without get pushed away from the basket … Average finisher around the basket, especially after contact occurs … Still prone to mental breakdowns, but to his credit he improved as the season carried on … Doesn’t always look to dominate, which makes him appear passive … Post defense must continue to improve - Lopez will often let opposing players set up position without disrupting them … Lopez is a willing passer, but doesn’t have the necessary court vision to see the floor … Free throw shooting has been an Achilles heel for Lopez - although improved he fails to be consistent … Will be a project for any team drafting him …

Matthew Maurer - 5/28/08