Some stat heads will tell you that rebounding is the most translatable statistic from level to level, and there is some truth to that. However, when we look at players going from high school to college and then college to the NBA we see that blocked shots is an incredibly translatable stat that you see adapted from level to level.
Last year, there were only three players in NCAA Division 1 basketball to average at least two blocks, eight rebounds and a box +/- of 5+. First round NBA draft pick Robert Williams was one along with Penn State’s Mike Watkins. The third of these was UNC-Greensboro 6’10” sophomore James Dickey. We want to talk about Dickey, since not enough people are.
Early On
Dickey has always had a unique ability to run and move. His length is off the charts, growing up as a gangly type player, he has continuously played with a great motor and had soft, passer friendly hands. The entire bugaboo with him has always been his weight. It certainly was not his production, as Dickey was the anchor of a nationally ranked Word of God program that lost only two games on the 2015 season.
Due to his weight, Dickey’s recruitment did not match the level of his production. Playing a national schedule at Word of God, he also played with Dennis Smith Jr. and Edrice Adebayo on the Adidas Gauntlet with Team Loaded NC. People saw him, however his size scared off some coaches, as UNC Greensboro did not have to fight off too many other suitors to get him.
Even coming into college with a question mark about his weight and strength, standing at 6’8” and weighing in around 170 pounds, he tipped the scales last season at strong 6’10” 200 pounds. After a redshirt freshman year at UNC-Greensboro, he added 20 pounds of solid muscle to his frame and Dickey proved to be an absolute force, named 2nd Team All-Southern Conference as a sophomore.
In College
Even though he was Conference Defensive Player of the Year, after leading the Southern Conference in rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocked shots, Dickey really broke out in last year’s NCAA tournament. There he dropped a 10 point (5-10 FG) and 11 rebound performance in the near upset against Gonzaga. He was altering shots at the rim and strongly securing rebounds in traffic and out of his area. This is particularly eye opening when you see Gonzaga carried bigs like Jonathan Williams 6’9”) as well as projected 1st rounders Killian Tillie (6’10”) and Rui Hachimura (6’8”).
When looking at comparisons, it was kind of tough to find someone who played like Dickey. However, the comp was hiding in plain sight, in every statistical category (both normal and advanced) we looked up, one name popped up on every list. That was Texas A&M sophomore Robert Williams, the 27th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Let’s look at how their stats compared in 2017-18, both were sophomores…
| Williams | Dickey | ||
| Points | 10.4 | 8.9 | |
| Rebounds | 9.2 | 8.6 | |
| Blocks | 2.6 | 2.1 | |
| Off Reb % | 10.2 | 12.4 | |
| Tot Reb % | 18.9 | 18.3 | |
| Block % | 10.8 | 9 | |
| Steal % | 1.8 | 1.7 | |
| Shots/Game | 7.3 | 6.6 | |
| Height | 6’10” | 6’10” | |
| Vertical | 38″ | 36″ | |
| Wing Span | 7’6″ | 7’5″ |
We will talk ad nauseum here about the stats, but we don’t want you to gloss over the measurements at the bottom here. Dickey is currently 6’10” and (per UNC-Greensboro strength staff) he wields a 7’5” wingspan to go along with a 36” vertical leap. Again, numbers that very much support his rebounding and shot blocking to translate moving forward.
As we mentioned before, the two skills that translate at every level, blocked shots and rebounds, Dickey and Robert Williams both do these at a high rate. However, so do a couple other notable players…
In 2017-18, along with Dickey, there were only 4 other players who averaged 2.1 blocks, 2.9 offensive rebounds and 8.4 blocks per game. Two of those players were one and done 2018 NBA Lottery picks Wendell Carter (drafted by the Bulls at #7) and Mohammed Bamba (drafted by the Magic at #6). The other two players were Seattle University’s 7’3” junior Aaron Menzies and Drexel’s 6’8” senior Austin Williams.
As a sophomore, Dickey led the Southern Conference in each of the categories mentioned above, rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocked shots per game. He was named as the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and already sits 5th on the All-Time UNC-Greensboro blocked shots list (after only two seasons).
Looking Ahead
In taking a look at the 2018 draft there were only two players selected with longer wing spans than Dickey, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mo Bamba, and the aforementioned Williams. While at the draft combine, there were only five players tested who had a wingspan at 7’5” or more. Looking at Dickey’s +7, height to wing span, his length would have been would have been eye-popping in the 2018 draft. Here are some comparable players from the 2018 draft and where they measured at…
| Height | Wingspan | |
| Deandre Ayton | 7’1′ | 7’5.5″ |
| Marvin Bagley | 6’10.5″ | 7’0.5″ |
| Jaren Jackson Jr | 6’9.25″ | 7’5.25″ |
| Mo Bamba | 6’11.75″ | 7’10” |
| Wendell Carter jr | 6’10” | 7’4.5″ |
| Mitchell Robinson | 7′ | 7’4″ |
| Keita Bates Diop | 6’8.5″ | 7’3.25″ |
| Chimeze Metu | 6’10” | 6’11” |
| Ray Spalding | 6’10.25″ | 7’4.75″ |
| Kevin Hervey | 6’7.75″ | 7’3.5″ |
| Thomas Welch | 7′ | 7′ |
| Kostas Antetokounmpo | 6’10.5″ | 7’2.25″ |
There are a select few players who carry Dickey’s player profile, however, if you notice, players who run well, have length, have great hands, block shots and rebound typically find themselves in the NBA. As you have it, there have been five names, outside of Dickey’s, we have mentioned in this article, players who match Dickey’s statistical profile alone, and three of them were early entry NBA first-round draft picks (Carter, Bamba and Williams).
Only entering his junior year, it will be interesting to see how Dickey progresses moving forward. As he showed against Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament, he can perform against top talent. Without question there is a lot to like, and when you add in the fact that Dickey is a late bloomer, there is still some more to go.