KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The biggest knock on Jeff Withey is that he was born too late, which, even Withey admits, is more than a little humorous, given that the decision was basically out of his hands.
The kinder draftniks sometimes refer to the former Kansas center as a "throwback," and what a darned shame that he missed out on the golden age of the bigs, the salad days of the bangers and the mashers. When it seemed as if half the NBA game involved chucking the rock into the paint and watching the giants bump and grind like a couple of sumo wrestlers.
"I mean, it's a different game than it was back then," says Withey, who's expected to be the second former Jayhawk off the board during Thursday night's NBA Draft after guard Ben McLemore. "You know, big men set a lot more screens, and they're not really posting up anymore.
"But that's why I'm trying to get that jump shot down. The NBA is all about pick-and-popping and pick-and-rolling right now, so that's what I'm trying to get good at. ... People say certain things, but I try not to listen to them. But I can kind of control my own destiny with these workouts, and I'm really happy with the way they're going."
The San Diego native says he has visited 16 teams so far, most recently the Jazz and Suns. When you're 7 feet tall with soft hands and more blocked shots than anyone in Big 12 and Kansas history, someone, somewhere, will try and find a place for you.
The only drama left, really, is where that somewhere is.
NBADraft.net on Wednesday projected Withey off the board early in the second round, to Cleveland at pick No. 33. And that's on the conservative end of the spectrum: DraftExpress.com slotted him at the end of the first round, to San Antonio at No. 28. NBADraftInsider.com? To the Knicks, with pick No. 24.
"He could still get in the first round," NBADraft.net guru Aran Smith notes. "There are still some people that like him, but I think his foot-speed and I think today's NBA has really gone the way of the quicker center.
"If this were the 1991 draft, he'd be a lock for the first round."
But it isn't, so in Withey's case, it's not so much about form as it is about fit. With his lean, 235-pound frame, he isn't your prototypical space-eater. Nor is he a polished, one-on-one offensive force. When it comes to the draft, the club that lands the big lug Thursday might be more important, short-term, than when it actually happens.
"I think the big thing for him is obviously just going to a good team," KU coach Bill Self says. "He'll be much better going with good players or a good team than going to a team that needs him to produce in order to have better chance to win. I mean, I see him at San Antonio or Miami, or these teams that are really, really good. And, gosh, how nice would it be to have a shot-blocker, a 7-footer who can come in and change the game and battle guys around the rim?
"But he's not a natural scorer yet. I mean, he's not a guy where you can say he's definitely got to give this team 13 points and eight rebounds (per game) or he's going to be a flop ... that's not what he's going to be. I think he's going to be, early in his career, a very nice complementary guy that can have a role but kind of find his way into it. So, hopefully, he can be a starter in the league, but I think that's just a little bit down the road."
The first order of business is adapting to the little-man's NBA of today, to the gospel of speed, cutting and space. Withey has made a point at his workouts to showcase a 15-to-16-foot jump shot, to underscore that he's a reliable offensive wing man for a shifty guard, that he's still a viable threat after setting a screen. Something of a cross between the Knicks' Tyson Chandler and the Bulls' Joakim Noah.
"I'm definitely not a banger," says Withey, who averaged 13.7 points, 8.5 boards and 3.9 blocks as a senior. "I'm not a guy that's going to be in the low post, going into guys that (weigh) 280. Physically, I'm not like that. So I try to use what God gave me, and he gave me a thin frame. So what I do well is, I run and get up and down the floor and help in transition and try to get easy baskets that way."
He's faster than he looks. Stronger, too. A California volleyball kid with a California volleyball frame, Withey found himself barely squatting 275 pounds two summers ago. Today, he has it up in the 320 range, all while keeping the same range of motion and flexibility.
"What I'll do is I'll fake, take my dribble and then go to the basket, stuff like that," says Withey. "I'm trying to show people that I'm more than just a defensive player."
More than just a throwback. All Withey wants is for the right NBA franchise to look at him and think about the future, not the past.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.
