When Stern said the name Jason Thompson, I was shocked. I had just heard of him a couple of days ago and didn't know anything about him. So the first thing I did was just read up on him, instead of watching at the rest of the first round.
The first impression I got is: OK, the kid is big he's got legit NBA size for the position but he sounds soft. I saw DX's comparisons, names like Mark Blount, Malik Allen, Channing Frye and Juwon Howard.

But he's kind of a mystery man so I don't think it's fair to label him unless you've got an extensive look at him in games. We'll learn a little more about him in the Vegas Summer League and going on through training camp.
I think the positives are:
- Legit physical specs for the NBA 4 spot, unlike Arthur who is more in that Kenyon Martin with less muscle mold, or a sloppy kid who can't really get up and down the court and has never been in legit basketball shape like Speights or DeAndre Jordan, or Randolph - a 4 man who plays like a 3 at times and weighs less than our skinny 2-guard.
- Skilled player, unlike some of these guys who have bad footwork or can't shoot or
think they can shoot. My impression is of a guy who can fit into a team concept. With the 12th pick in a weak draft we're not going to find a future star, but we could find a dependable role player.
- Somewhat experienced, He is coming from playing against lower-level competition but he stayed 4 years and he's matured. This is different from some Kendrick Brown type of guy who had the physical tools but was 20 years old and coming from Junior College level competition. There will be an adjustment period but he's not some teenager that'll get down on himself and pout when he's not putting up double doubles and getting touches right off the bat.
Negatives:
- Probably kind of a softie, but looking at video of him at least not as soft as Pau Gasol.
- Probably not going to be able to score in the post in the near future. Physically he looks like a Joe Smith type of power forward who's going to get most of his buckets facing the basket. It will take him at least a year to adjust to the strength of the defenders he'll face. He's going to have to learn how to establish and hold position and then use his length to get good shots.
As I'm trying to learn more about the kid a name came to mind as a comparison: David West. I think it's realistic (but optimistic) that his early career could follow a similar path of development. West worked on his body, got stronger over the years and he's become a master at getting to "his spots" and getting buckets in places where his team needs him.