Jericho Sims spent four seasons in Austin as a solid center for the Texas Longhorns. He is continuing the tradition of athletic bigs to enter the NBA looking to make some noise after performing as a Longhorn. Sims stacks up nicely in today’s NBA.
Jericho Sims 2021 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Sims graduated from Texas after averaging 6.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. Of course, these are not eye-popping numbers, but he was productive. Sims played far more in his junior and senior season after Jaxson Hayes left for the NBA. In 25 minutes per game, he upped his numbers to 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Texas fans were frustrated with Sims at times because he had some amazing moments and then disappeared. However, he ends his Texas career after earning a Big 12 All-Tournament team spot and a Big 12 title. Don’t ask about the NCAA tournament though.
Strengths
Pick-and-Roll Big With Great Hands
Sims is a super athlete. He has a ton of bounce and can really run the floor. When you combine that with his great hands, he becomes a legitimate threat for an NBA team. Anyone who watches the NBA will know that a lob threat in the pick-and-roll can make it really difficult for a defense. Sims on a team with a good distributor and shooters will almost always create an open shot in a pick-and-roll situation.
Having great hands is also super important because he will have his hands all over the basketball. There will be a lot of situations where he has to make a contested catch and he will be able to.
Defensive Versatility
Jericho Sims’ best trait is his defensive versatility. He has really good feet to go with his insane bounce. Sims will survive switches onto quick guards and can make up any ground with his length. He also bulked up throughout college and can bang in the post with bigger bodies. The problem for him will be staying out of foul trouble as he averaged 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes. Regardless, you can expect Sims to average more than one block per game. Ideally, he could eventually anchor a defense.
Weaknesses
Offensive Ability
Sims is never going to be a star on the offensive end. He is not a player you throw the ball to and ask him to score with his back to the basket. If that happens, most likely a bad shot is coming next. Sure, he can improve here and find a go-to post move, but you are much better off with him in open space. Additionally, he shoots around 50% from the free-throw line which means he probably will not ever become a stretch big.
Low Ceiling
For all of the reasons mentioned, Jericho Sims has a low ceiling. It would be very surprising for him to average north of ten points per game in his career. There also is no clear path for him to improve drastically. He does not have the greatest touch so the scoring aspect of his game may never come.
NBA Player Comparison
Sims is a very similar player to Tyson Chandler. They are long, athletic bigs who run the floor well and make noise in the pick-and-roll. Sims does not have a Team USA spot in his future like Chandler, but he can have a similar impact. If you draft Sims, you are hoping he has a career like Chandler.
NBA Draft Projection
Sims is a clear-cut second-round pick. He will be viewed as someone a team can take a chance on because they know they will get production, but not sure how much. After all, Texas bigs get a lot of love in the NBA.
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