CougarCorner

Ok, so we all already know that, right? Well, even taking the blue goggles off, here are some stats to back up his awesomeness that I pulled from another site (a sports sim site) that I participate in:

In real life over the past 3 seasons, here are the players that have been in the top 100 in scoring and are either over 6'9 or listed as a center (or both):

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Year Rank Ht   Player
 1 2017   32 6'10 Eric Mika

 2 2016   20 6'10 Kyle Wiltjer
 3 2016   46 6'09 Nathan Boothe
 4 2016   50 6'10 Ben Simmons
 5 2016   52 6'08 Chris Horton
 6 2016   67 6'10 Majok Deng
 7 2016   97 6'10 Tim Kempton

 8 2015   44 7'00 Frank Kaminsky
 9 2015   51 6'11 Jahlil Okafor
10 2015   55 6'11 Bobby Portis
11 2015   75 6'08 Alan Williams
12 2015   85 6'10 Jarell Martin
13 2015   99 6'10 Kyle Wiltjer

Mika is THE only player that is 6-9 or taller in the top 100 in scoring this season! Pretty crazy. Scoring bigs are just getting rarer these days it seems.

Do you think these stats mean he has a chance at going pro after this year.

hawkwing wrote:Do you think these stats mean he has a chance at going pro after this year.

I would say so, yes. Only thing keeping him back is if he's emotionally tied to BYU and his friends there.

Mika would not get drafted if he leaves college after this year. He is not physical enough on defense and his jump shot is suspect. Everyone criticizes this team for their weaknesses, if Mika was NBA ready, we would not have lost some of the games we have.

I'd question your comment about toughness on D. He's surrounded by weenies who don't play tough. But he has to also avoid his nemesis-foul trouble.
This wrubel tweet below suggests he would be drafted. Maybe tail end but he would be orat least be picked up undrafted. His speed up and down court and athleticism would be bonuses. NBA would help his shot development. But his friends, need for a better developed outside shooting, drive to bucket, AND an improved draft stock will keep him here at least one more year.

Eric Mika is WCC's pts/reb/blks leader in all games; 2nd in pts, 1st in reb/blks in league play. Top 10 FT% overall and in league. #RMVP

Mika could get drafted this year. If he left, though, it'd be in the 2nd round at most. He needs more of an outside shot. Bigs that can shoot are all the rage.

Now, if Mika wants to go in the 1st round of the draft, he should wait a year, get another year to develop, and hopefully generate some hype via a tourney run.

It looks like his outside shot is pretty good. We don't know if can hit a 3.

If you watch how physical and athletic NBA 4's and 5's are (which is where Mika would need to play), you would see that at this point in his career, he has no chance at making an NBA roster and would not get drafted (at least in the 1st round). Mika is a really good college player and I am thrilled to have him at BYU but he is not NBA ready. Jimmer dominated the college game like no one in college basketball his SR year (offensively) and yet couldn't get playing time in the NBA despite being a lottery pick. Mika is no where near as dominant as Jimmer was (Mika playing lesser competition). I am not bagging on Mika, I am stating reality. If Mika wants to get drafted and be successful in the NBA he is going to need to figure out how to use his athleticism more effectively, play more physically on defense without getting in foul trouble and develop a reliable 18 foot jumper.

frdbtr wrote:If you watch how physical and athletic NBA 4's and 5's are (which is where Mika would need to play), you would see that at this point in his career, he has no chance at making an NBA roster and would not get drafted (at least in the 1st round). Mika is a really good college player and I am thrilled to have him at BYU but he is not NBA ready. Jimmer dominated the college game like no one in college basketball his SR year (offensively) and yet couldn't get playing time in the NBA despite being a lottery pick. Mika is no where near as dominant as Jimmer was (Mika playing lesser competition). I am not bagging on Mika, I am stating reality. If Mika wants to get drafted and be successful in the NBA he is going to need to figure out how to use his athleticism more effectively, play more physically on defense without getting in foul trouble and develop a reliable 18 foot jumper.

I agree that Mika is not ready for the NBA. Right now the closest NBA comparison is a slightly taller Kenneth Faried.

IMO the adjustment for Mika into being a role player (rebounding, defending big) will be difficult. His best NBA attribute is his rebounding and specifically his motor on the offensive boards. But defensively he can't guard 5's without more strength. He won't be much of a rim protector at the NBA--he is simply too small. He would struggle with most NBA 4's without much better footwork and a little best lateral quickness.

Offensively, NBA 4's are expected to shoot at least the corner 3. Mika isn't close to this. His finishing around the rim is going to have become a lot more diverse but that could happen.

Mika's ability to run into dunks and layups is pretty good and fits the role playing big man role well. So for his Pro career I would advise Mika to focus on physical development to benefit his defense/rebounding, defensive footwork and his jumpshot.

I think he has a real chance to get there but his best NBA chance will come after at least once season past this one at BYU.

. But defensively he can't guard 5's without more strength. He won't be much of a rim protector at the NBA--he is simply too small.

Here's how Mika measures size-wise against 6 of the top-10 starting NBA centers when they were drafted:

Erik Mika = 6'10", 230#

DeAndre Jordan = 6'11", 250#
Karl-Anthony Towns = 7', 248#
Al Horford = 6'10", 246#
Hassan Whiteside = 6'11", 226#
Rudy Gobert = 7'2", 238#
Dwight Howard = 6'10", 240#

I don't think his size is going to be giving any teams reason to hesitate for one second, especially after you give him time to work out in pre-draft mode and put on some additional weight there.