NBA Draft Combine Measurements Are Out: A Recap Of Key Results

The measurements from the 2012 NBA Draft combine are out, which gives me a chance to get on my soapbox about these things. We have to remember two essential truths here.

• These matter. They are not useless.
• These don't matter as much as people think.

It's important to keep both of these truths in mind. Measurements are only really important when they help answer key questions about a player's size. Is he a [INSERT POSITION]? Is he too big/small for [INSERT POSITION]? Stuff like that. In addition, I'd also caution not to make too much out of height. The important measurements are wingspan (for wings and even power forwards that have to guard pick and roll a lot) and standing reach (for big men). I'd ignore body fat (that can always be fixed with conditioning).

Without further ado, the measurements, via ESPN's Chad Ford. Historical measurements used below the jump are via Draft Express' archive.

• Anthony Davis: 6'9.25'' without shoes, 6'10.25'' with shoes, 221.8 pounds, 7'5.5'' wingspan, 9'0'' standing reach, 7.9-percent body fat.
  
• Thomas Robinson: 6'7.75'' without shoes, 6'8.75'' with shoes, 244.2 pounds, 7'3.25'' wingspan, 8'10'' standing reach, 5-percent body fat.
  
• Bradley Beal: 6'3.25'' without shoes, 6'4.75'' with shoes, 201.8 pounds, 6'8'' wingspan, 8'3'' standing reach, 6-percent body fat.
  
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 6'5.75'' without shoes, 6'7.5'' with shoes, 232.8 pounds, 7'0'' wingspan, 8'8.5'' standing reach, 7-percent body fat.
  
• Andre Drummond: 6'9.75'' without shoes, 6'11.75'' with shoes, 278.6 pounds, 7'6.25'' wingspan, 9'1.25'' standing reach, 7.5-percent body fat.
• Harrison Barnes: 6'7'' without shoes, 6'8'' with shoes, 227 pounds, 6'11.25'' wingspan, 8'6'' standing reach, 9.6-percent body fat.
  
• Perry Jones III: 6'10.25'' without shoes, 6'11.25'' with shoes, 233.8 pounds, 7'1.75'' wingspan, 8'10.5'' standing reach, 4.6-percent body fat.
  
• Terrence Jones: 6'8.25'' without shoes, 6'9.5'' with shoes, 252 pounds, 7'2.25'' wingspan, 8'9.5'' standing reach, 7.7-percent body fat.
  
• Jeremy Lamb: 6'4'' without shoes, 6'5.25'' with shoes, 179.2 pounds, 6'11'' wingspan, 8'5'' standing reach, 6.7-percent body fat.
• Jared Sullinger: 6'7.75'' without shoes, 6'8.75'' with shoes, 268.2 pounds, 7'1.25'' wingspan, 8'11'' standing reach, 10.7-percent body fat.
• DIon Waiters: 6'2.5'' without shoes, 6'4'' with shoes, 221 pounds, 6'7.25'' wingspan, 8'2'' standing reach, 8.5-percent body fat.
  
• Austin Rivers: 6'3.5'' without shoes, 6'5'' with shoes, 202.8 pounds, 6'7.25'' wingspan, 8'1'' standing reach, 6.2-percent body fat.
  
• Terrence Ross: 6'6'' without shoes, 6'7'' with shoes, 196.6 pounds, 6'7.25'' wingspan, 8'5'' standing reach, 3.2-percent body fat.

Some thoughts:

• Anthony Davis' standing reach is a lot lower than I thought, though his wingspan is great. The only other player to have a 7'5'' or higher wingspan and a 9' standing reach or lower was Dallas Lauderdale in 2011.
• Thomas Robinson's measurements are very solid, with the wingspan in particular being a huge feather in his cap. The wingspan/height dichotomy isn't quite as vast as with Elton Brand (6'8.25'' in shoes, 7'5'' wingspan), but it does compare very well to guys like Chris Webber (6'9''/7'3'.5''). The standing reach is a bit low though -- only four guys with a wingspan of 7'3'' or longer measured with a shorter standing reach.
• I don't think Bradley Beal's numbers help him or hurt him. It's about what we expected. He's taller than Eric Gordon, but with a one-inch shorter wingspan. His wingspan is the same as Brandon Roy, Klay Thompson and Evan Turner, though he isn't as tall as either of them.
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist measured out very well. He's actually very similar to Carmelo Anthony (6'7.5'' in shoes/7'0'' wingspan/8'9.5'' standing reach), though they have very different games.
• Andre Drummond, Perry Jones III and Harrison Barnes are all physical freaks, but you knew that. Barnes' body fat does seem a bit high.
• Jeremy Lamb is skinny.
• Terrence Ross' wingspan is really short considering his prototypical height.

All in all, this stuff matters, but it's also important not to make too much out of them. The athletic testing numbers should come out soon.

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