A big man with an NBA body who works hard in the paint is different, in regards to how his defensive abilities translates, from an undersized point guard.

Let me rephrase so that I'm clear, as someone who watched him in college:

- He is physical, not just for college, but for the NBA
- He works hard in the paint, not just for college, but for the NBA
- He has terrific lateral quickness and agility for his size, not just for college, but for the NBA

There is a reason he was a projected lotto pick before the injuries. Actually, there were several reasons. And of those reasons, a number of them were for what he can do to you down low on defense.

You say he'd get called for fouls all the time-- I don't doubt that early as a pro, he will struggle with this, as many hard-working bigs do. But he's a high IQ team player who works hard, and I'm sure he will learn. He's not Danny Fortson. (Plus, when it comes to physical play, the refs let big men bang around more than they allow excessive contact on the wing-- bangers are still a huge commodity in the pros.)

McBob, Lee, and Love are all very different than McGary, because McGary's upside as a player isn't as a scorer/shooter, and Love/Lee are huge liabilities on defense, so it's weird to compare him to them. "A better Nick Collison" is probably the best comparison to current NBA players. Collison did more in college than McGary, but he had more time in college to showcase his skills-- I have no doubt McGary's numbers if he could've stayed on the court would've bested Collison's in college.

His motor, his toughness, his outstanding nose for the ball on the glass, his ability to set vicious legal picks and be in the right place at the right time, his ability to score on putbacks, cuts, pick and rolls, and getting back on transition offense before the other guys his size can-- all adds up to high value in the pros, especially in an age when very few teams have high-motor big men of McGary's level of toughness. He may never be the guy who throws the team on his back, but he's the guy who can win you games.

Literally all of this hinges on his ability to stay healthy, which is a very legit question mark, btw. Hence why he slipped. But if McGary had been healthy last year, I would've been stunned if he'd fallen out of the lotto in this draft, and probably not even out of the top ten. You can't really teach the stuff McGary can bring to a team.