If Rafael Nadal played basketball: center, rated 91

Rafael Nadal as a basketball player: scouting report

Rafael Nadal lands at center because no athlete of his era fought harder for every single point. He won the French Open fourteen times, a record on clay where rallies are long and the winner is usually the player who refuses to give an inch. That is exactly what elite rebounding looks like. Rebounding is the best mark on his card, his defense is right behind it, and together they make him the kind of center who ends the other team's possessions and starts his own.

He is also one of the most complete athletes in this draft. His athleticism and basketball IQ are both near the top of his card, so he runs the floor, recovers on defense and reads plays well. He does most things right handed off the court yet became one of the great left handed players in tennis history, and that kind of adaptability fits a big who can switch onto guards when needed. His playmaking is good for a center too; he can hit cutters from the high post. Twenty two Grand Slam singles titles say he wins the big ones.

Shooting is the only part of his card that lags, and it is still respectable, so keep him close to the rim and give him shooters to space the floor. He slides to power forward with barely any drop, and even at small forward he is a starter, which makes him one of the most flexible frontcourt pieces available. Take him at the very top of the draft. Build around his rebounding and defense, add a playmaking guard and a couple of shooters, and let him grind opponents down possession after possession, the way he did for years on the clay at Roland Garros.

Plays like A relentless glass eater who never concedes a possession

Put Rafael Nadal in your lineup

8 rolls, a starting five and a bench, 82 games. Can you go 82-0? Free, no account.