Welcome back to this year’s NBA Draft preview series. To see other prospects, be sure to check out the other previews here.
Today’s piece is on Hannes Steinbach; the best rebounder in the class. A 6’10 big with three point range, his fit on the Raptors appears too good to be true. Let’s dive in.
Hannes Steinbach
Height: 6’10.25 | Wingspan: 7’2.25 | Weight: 248 lbs | Age on Draft Day: 20
College: Washington | NBA Position: C/PF | Role: Floor Spacing Big
Stats provided by tankathon.com
One of the most immovable forces in college basketball, Hannes is a physical and well-built rebounding machine. He led all of college basketball with 11.8 rebounds per game, with 7.6 defensive and a massive 4.2 offensive boards per game. His 14% offensive rebounding rate and 25% defensive rebounding rate are comparable to Joel Embiid’s rebounding numbers as a college freshman.
There are undoubtedly concerns with Hannes’ defensive role in the NBA, but he’s been relatively consistent at staying with his man on drives and closes out effectively. He plays with a high level of physicality and a strong motor, so you know he’s going to give a shit on every possession and put his body on the line, and that’s really all you can ask for as someone who just projects to be an average-at-best defender.
Hannes can be a smart connective presence at times, though he needs to improve his reads and stop sticking with the ball. His game as a pick-and-roll player and short-roll connector could really benefit from stronger ballhandlers and shooters than the ones he played with in Washington.
He possesses great touch, and his footwork stands out, allowing him to finish efficiently around the rim and stay composed under pressure. He catches cleanly and finishes well through traffic with soft touch around the basket, consistently initiating and absorbing contact inside.
Hannes’ shooting came at low volume, but unlike fellow draft classmate Chris Cenac, there’s much more to like about the shooting upside here. Hannes didn’t go hunting for threes, but he tookthem when he was open (most of them coming from quick pops after a screen). His form and touch are great, and he posted encouraging numbers at the line. Might take a year or two, but I can definitely see Hannes contributing as a true floor spacing big very soon into his NBA career.
I’m not really one to put Hannes into the “tweener” category based on his size. The guy is gonna be a hair under 7 feet in shoes and weighs almost 250 lbs; those are NBA center measurements.
Hannes’ positional projection is called into question due to his style of play and how that fits into the modern NBA. He’s a fine rim protector (but he’s not a great one), and he’s a rather slow perimeter defender, though he at least plays with effort. Lacking the verticality to play center and the quickness to play forward means that Hannes needs to find his niche rather quickly if he wants to stick around. Considering his skillset and physical profile, center makes the most sense for him.
Hannes’ defensive profile is more as a help defender. He’d likely need to play with superior rim deterrents lest he gets targeted at the rim. Regardless, he doesn’t make too many mistakes even if that doesn’t show up in the box score.
I’ll go back to his passing/connecting abilities, because while I think there are some encouraging signs, Hannes still posted a poor AST/TO ratio and often got tied up on the pick-and-rolls that the Huskies ran. I don’t think this is as big of a concern, but it’s something to note.
For a team lacking a strong, interior rebounding presence, Hannes would fit like a dream as a core future piece of the Raptors.
Hannes’ motor, rebounding, and pick-and-roll feel would complement Scottie Barnes nicely as both are high-IQ forwards who play with physicality and can operate as short-roll connectors. The Raps’ player development (which turned CMB into a near-immediate contributor) could also help him max out his potential as a shooter. While the Raptors have struggled at actually developing shooting, they seem to have more success with players who join the team already possessing some established shooting skills, like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
The Raptors would still need to address multiple concerns that Hannes simply can’t provide, such as advantage creation, guard play, and a more advanced shooting profile, but he would be a great brick to lay in the team’s growing foundation.
I would be surprised if Hannes falls to the 19th pick, but there are a lot of draft pundits out there who seem to think he may be falling from his mid-season consensus as a lottery lock. If he does fall to the 19th pick, the Raptors really shouldn’t think twice to add another versatile piece to their frontcourt.
Steinbach’s efficient offence, domineering physical profile, and elite rebounding project him to be quite impactful, even if there are some things he’ll need to work on.
Consensus NBA Draft Range: 12-20
Brendan’s Ranking: 15th
Floor Projection: Rebounding force who can shoot the occasional three in key backup minutes. Uncertain role projection could keep him from becoming a fully impactful starting player.
Median Projection: Possession generating, floor spacing, starting big in the style of Bobby Portis/Jalen Smith, with the physical rebounding juice of Steven Adams.
Ceiling Projection: Domantas Sabonis with an edge/Minnesota Kevin Love.