The all-time Big East NBA mock draft
Dikembe Mutombo
C, Georgetown
1990-91 Georgetown stats (Junior): 15.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 4.7 blocks per game (Lost in 2nd round to UNLV)
Mutombo averaged 4.7 blocks per game as a college junior, and altered countless others with his length and smart timing around the rim. He was a terrific rebounder on both ends, using his quick second jumping to grab offensive putbacks and his lower body strength to carve out space on the defensive end. Mutombo won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, and that was before NBA players were truly allowed to rotate and help around the basket. Today, Mutombo likely has even greater defensive impact, able to challenge shots more freely at the rim, and use his length as a deterrent on the perimeter.
Mutombo’s rim protection potential was a top-three skill in this Big East cohort, but he’s down at seventh for a couple reasons. He entered the NBA at 25-years0old, which limits the upside factor, and may scare teams away from spending a top-five pick on him in today’s market. He also was fairly limited as an offensive big in college — he did develop into a useful pick-and-roll finisher as a pro, but outside of some decent post passing skills and offensive rebounding, he didn’t offer much on this end. Those two things keep Mutombo at No. 7, but he could potentially be even more terrifying on defense today than he was in the 1990s.