High risers Johnson, Diaz impress
posted: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 |
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Patrick O'Bryant, Cedric Simmons, Kyle Lowry and Thabo Sefolosha are high-level sleepers in the draft, as discussed in an earlier blog. O'Bryant, in fact, might merit consideration as the No. 1 pick.The pair of prospects I saw later on Monday are also moving up in the draft -- in this case, from the second round to potentially the first round.
On Monday in Clearwater, Miami's Guillermo Diaz and Florida State's Alexander Johnson went through a pretty grueling workout with personal coach David Thorpe of the Pro Training Center.
Diaz and Johnson entered the draft as second-round picks. But after their stellar workouts all over the country, both now have an excellent shot at landing in the first round, according to NBA GMs.
Both players skipped the Orlando pre-draft camp, a sign that their agent, Jason Levian, is confident they'll be selected in the first round.
Of the two prospects, Johnson is the more intriguing. He's a 6-foot-9 power forward who's been measured in workouts with a 39-to-40 inch vertical leap.
Johnson wasn't much of a prospect at Florida State after his first two years, in large part because of his weight. After his sophomore season, he sought out Thorpe, who had done an amazing job sculpting Udonis Haslem, and asked for help.
Thorpe put him on a strict diet and training regimen, and the results were astonishing.
Johnson came into Florida State at a chiseled 225 pounds this season and looked like a completely different player.
"It was so hard," Johnson said. "I'm from the South. I grew up my whole life eating fried foods. Catfish, chicken, collard greens. Coach showed me what I should be eating. I was like, what, no collard greens?"
Johnson salivates with each word. Clearly he loves his food. But his dedication to his game and his body overcame that.
What amazed Thorpe was how completely Johnson dove into the new lifestyle.
"I spoke with him on a Friday about diet. What he should be eating and what he should avoid," Thorpe remembers. "It was a very preliminary conversation. But a few hours later, Alexander called me on the phone and said, 'Coach Thorpe, I'm at Quizno's and I want to know if I can get cheese on this sandwich.' It was at that point I knew the kid had a chance."
Johnson's weight loss has improved his perimeter game remarkably. He is much quicker, runs up and down the floor, can cut to the basket and really gets off the floor now.
His game, in many ways, now resembles that of Denver's Kenyon Martin. While Johnson doesn't have Martin's attitude, it doesn't mean that he's not tough. The kid loves to get physical and can bang.
Johnson also demonstrated a very solid jump shot for a big guy -- he showed some NBA 3-point range, and was excellent from 12-to-15 feet. He ran many of the same drills that the smaller Diaz did and showed that he can shoot off the dribble or spotting up.
He also proved to be in excellent shape. His coach ran the most grueling workout I've seen this spring, and Johnson looked like he could've gone for more.
It's not hard to see why teams are intrigued. While it's clear that Johnson still needs more polish offensively and may need to add another five to 10 pounds to play in the post in the NBA, he's one of the few athletic big men that will be available in the second half of the first round -- and he's more NBA-ready than most of the other players in the draft.
Where could he go on draft night?
The Chicago Bulls had him in for a workout and came away very impressed. They need a player like Johnson at the four and could grab him with the 16th pick if they were to opt for Brandon Roy instead of Tyrus Thomas with the second pick.
The New Jersey Nets, picking No. 22 and No. 23, might be interested in Johnson, too. They have been looking for a Martin replacement ever since he left, and Johnson looks like he'd be great in their up-tempo offense. The Cavs at No. 25 and the Suns at No. 27 are also options.
Diaz is just as impressive on the floor. He's an elite athlete who has been said to have had a 50-inch vertical in high school.
Diaz says it isn't true. "But it was close," he says with a smile.
Diaz was once one of the best young volleyball players in the world, but he switched to basketball his senior year of high school.
In the short span of three years, he's proven to be an explosive scorer at Miami. Now he's trying to prove to NBA scouts that he's got what it takes to make the next big transition -- to point guard.
As I've written before, it's very difficult to show point guard skills in a workout. Diaz showed good ball-handling and excellent quickness in the workout. When he gets to the hoop, he really flies to the basket.
More impressive in a way is his jump shot. Diaz hasn't been pegged as a great shooter in college, in large part because of a questionable shooting percentage.
His workout made clear that Diaz is a much better shooter than previously thought, and feedback from a number of NBA workouts has backed that up. The problem for Diaz at Miami was shot selection rather than shooting form. His shooting ability shouldn't be an issue at the next level.
Diaz is in fantastic shape and seems to have shed a few pounds as well. At Miami, he played on rehabbed knee all year and didn't show some of the explosiveness everyone expected. However, that problem appears to be a thing of the past. He looks like the old Diaz again.
"He's a very quiet guy, but he's the straw that stirs the drink," Thorpe said. "He's the guy who settles everything. He's got a great rapport with the other players. He's a motivator. He tries to make everyone better. He's always resolving conflicts. He's a leader. He's breathing spirit into the hearts and minds of others."
The two big issues for Diaz are position and experience. It's going to be difficult to prove to teams that he's a point guard -- a position he never played in college -- in workouts. Given that he's measuring about 6-1 in shoes, he's small for a combo guard.
Diaz was planning on playing at the pre-draft camp in Orlando to show off his handle. However, he couldn't get a promise from the pre-draft camp administrators that he would get a chance to play the point.
He might not need to.
"In our league these days, you need guys who can get to the basket, and either score a bucket or get to the foul line," one NBA GM told Insider. "You also need a kid who can step back and hit an open jumper. I think the league has evolved. Guys like Diaz couldn't have played in the league six or seven years ago. Today, I think teams need guys like Diaz."
Scouts also worry about his basketball IQ. It's not that Diaz lacks smarts, it's just that he's behind on basketball development. He's played top-level hoops for only three years.
He sometimes gets confused by complex defenses. He hasn't learned some small things, like keeping his head up when he ball-fakes and getting the ball into his shooting hand before he rises for a jumper off the dribble. Such problems can be fixed, but Diaz is less ready to contribute now than some other players in the draft.
Right now Diaz has earned very positive buzz from workouts in Phoenix, Sacramento, Minnesota and Houston. The Lakers are also fans. He's got a number of chances to land in the first round. If he slips into the second round, he's probably one of the first players off the board.
Sleepers: O'Bryant, Lowry, Thabo
posted: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 |
SARASOTA, Fla. -- Pretend for a second there were no mock drafts. No Top 100s. No consensus about which players should be candidates for the No. 1 position.If you just sat in a gym watching prospects play, who would leap out at you?
After spending some time in the gym with LSU's Tyrus Thomas on Friday, I came away pretty convinced that Thomas is one of the best two or three prospects in the draft -- maybe the best.
Most NBA GMs agree. It's not much of reach.
However, after spending an hour in the gym Monday with Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, I had a very similar reaction. O'Bryant looks like the kind of prospect who should be a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.
The only difference? No one has mentioned O'Bryant as a No. 1 candidate.
Let me be the first.
As I watched him work out, I had to keep asking myself, why isn't this guy getting mentioned as a potential top pick in the draft?
Physically, he reminds me a lot of a young Tyson Chandler. Similar size, body and athleticism.
The difference is that O'Bryant already looks much more polished offensively than Chandler has ever looked.
Here's the case for O'Bryant: He's a 7-footer with long arms. He has a nice frame that easily could carry another 25 or 30 pounds of muscle.
He's an excellent athlete with springy legs. He runs up and down the floor like a deer. I know that phrase is used too often to describe guys who run well. Here, I mean it more literally. The kid takes long strides, has a bounce in his step and glides effortlessly across the court -- it's truly reminiscent of how a deer runs.
Defensively, he's good. He rebounds the ball well and is an excellent shot-blocker.
His ability on the offensive end surprised me. He showed a number of post moves, including a sky hook. That's right, a sky hook.
Where'd that come from?
"My high school coach was a little old school," O'Bryant said. "He made me shoot 400 of those every practice till my arms fell off. He wanted me to be Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]."
So why isn't the 7-0, athletic, coordinated, defensively and offensively gifted center not being mentioned as the potential No. 1 pick?
The Toronto Raptors need a center in the worst way. The Chicago Bulls sure could use one, too. The Portland Trail Blazers are in dangerous of losing Joel Przybilla, their only decent center. And what about the Atlanta Hawks? Couldn't they use another big man?
You'd think, but to date, O'Bryant hasn't worked out for any of those teams. The New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz are the only teams that have worked him out.
I talked to the GMs of two of those teams, and both said they were impressed with O'Bryant's athleticism and size but felt he was pretty raw and needed to work on his body.
OK. Can't argue with that. The kid is raw, and he needs to hit the weight room. And he played less than half of the season at Bradley, certainly not a breeding ground for great NBA big men.
The other knock? Some NBA scouts believe O'Bryant isn't the most motivated player in the draft. Will he put in all the hard work he needs to become a great player?
All are legitimate concerns for the big guy. But I'm still asking: In a draft supposedly devoid of centers, how could this guy slip through the cracks?
It might not happen much longer. On Wednesday, O'Bryant will have an open workout at the Orlando camp for all 30 teams.
My prediction: I think at the end of the day, O'Bryant sneaks into the top five on draft night.
You want upside? No one in the draft at his height has his athleticism and skill.
Yes, he's a risk without a long track record. But in a draft supposedly void of superstar talent, O'Bryant might make teams think twice.
Here's my take on four other interesting players at IMG on Monday:
Cedric Simmons, North Carolina State: Simmons also was very impressive. So impressive that his workout raised the question, what's the big difference between him and Thomas?
Simmons is roughly an inch taller (Simmons is measuring 6-10 in shoes). He has a bigger, more muscular body (235 lbs. versus 220). He has a similarly long wingspan (7-3). Like Thomas, he's an excellent athlete.
Thomas is more polished on the perimeter. He's a better ball handler and perimeter shooter. And although both are athletic, Simmons doesn't get up the way Thomas does.
However, Simmons is more skilled on the block right now. He's more physical and has more experience.
I think the comparisons to a young Theo Ratliff are dead on. Not only does Simmons look a lot like Ratliff, but he also carries himself like him.
Simmons might never be a great offensive player, but his toughness, rebounding, shot-blocking and athleticism should keep him in the league for a long time, the same way that combo did for Ratliff.
Kyle Lowry, Villanova: Lowry is still testing the waters, although he told me Monday that he's leaning toward staying in the draft.
Lowry is built like an NFL defensive back, with huge shoulders, a thick chest and big calves. He's strong, physical and explosive. He's a blur on the floor and it's clear he's going to be a nightmare in the NBA on the defensive end.
In the type of workout I saw Monday, it was impossible to gauge his point guard skills. He did run a few drills up and down the floor throwing lobs to Simmons, but not much else. His ballhandling was excellent in some agility drills.
The one thing that stood out to me was how well Lowry shot the ball. He has had a rep as a poor shooter in college, but he looked as though he could sink his shot with ease from everywhere on the floor Monday.
I'm surprised Lowry hasn't gotten more buzz in the draft. He is a legit point guard, has NBA strength and speed, and is a great defender. Also, his jump shot is better than advertised. The 76ers, Wizards, Nets and Cavs, among other teams, could use a player like him in the backcourt.
Once he declares, expect his stock to rise.
Thabo Sefolosha, Switzerland: Sefolosha is getting a lot of buzz from international scouts, who claim he's one of the sleepers in the draft.
After watching him work out Monday, I can see why. He's a prototypical small forward in the pros. He's somewhere between 6-7 and 6-8 with a huge wingspan (I swear his fingertips were touching the tops of his knees) and good athleticism.
His body type reminded me a little of the Pistons' Richard Hamilton. He's thin, but not too thin.
Sefolosha has earned a rep in Europe as a guy who does nothing great but everything well. That's what he showed Monday, as well.
He shot the ball very well from midrange all the way out to the NBA 3-point line. He was a little streaky at times with the long ball, but that's to be expected considering he started shooting from that far away only two days ago.
He's a very smooth player with an excellent handle and good court vision. He flies up and down the floor, uses his feet well and can really defend.
"I think the kid has the potential to be a Boris Diaw-type player down the road," one NBA international scout told me. "He's really got all the tools. He's not a huge scorer, but all the little things he does don't show up on the box score."
Look for Sefolosha to start getting attention from the Warriors at No. 9, the Hornets at No. 15, the Kings at No. 19, the Nets at No. 23, the Cavs at No. 25 and the Lakers at No. 26.
Darius Washington, Memphis: There isn't a lot to add about Washington after his workout Monday.
He obviously has an NBA-ready body and is very quick. He also knows how to score, both off the dribble and with the jump shot.
Washington also looked as though he had lost some weight and was in great playing condition.
The problem is that very few teams in the NBA believe he's a point guard. He has too much of a scoring mentality for the taste of many scouts. A mere workout can't change that impression.
He'll try to answer those questions when he plays in Orlando at the predraft camp. If he can change minds, he could sneak into the first round. If he can't, it isn't out of the question that he could slip out of the draft altogether.
posted: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 |
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Patrick O'Bryant, Cedric Simmons, Kyle Lowry and Thabo Sefolosha are high-level sleepers in the draft, as discussed in an earlier blog. O'Bryant, in fact, might merit consideration as the No. 1 pick.The pair of prospects I saw later on Monday are also moving up in the draft -- in this case, from the second round to potentially the first round.
On Monday in Clearwater, Miami's Guillermo Diaz and Florida State's Alexander Johnson went through a pretty grueling workout with personal coach David Thorpe of the Pro Training Center.
Diaz and Johnson entered the draft as second-round picks. But after their stellar workouts all over the country, both now have an excellent shot at landing in the first round, according to NBA GMs.
Both players skipped the Orlando pre-draft camp, a sign that their agent, Jason Levian, is confident they'll be selected in the first round.
Of the two prospects, Johnson is the more intriguing. He's a 6-foot-9 power forward who's been measured in workouts with a 39-to-40 inch vertical leap.
Johnson wasn't much of a prospect at Florida State after his first two years, in large part because of his weight. After his sophomore season, he sought out Thorpe, who had done an amazing job sculpting Udonis Haslem, and asked for help.
Thorpe put him on a strict diet and training regimen, and the results were astonishing.
Johnson came into Florida State at a chiseled 225 pounds this season and looked like a completely different player.
"It was so hard," Johnson said. "I'm from the South. I grew up my whole life eating fried foods. Catfish, chicken, collard greens. Coach showed me what I should be eating. I was like, what, no collard greens?"
Johnson salivates with each word. Clearly he loves his food. But his dedication to his game and his body overcame that.
What amazed Thorpe was how completely Johnson dove into the new lifestyle.
"I spoke with him on a Friday about diet. What he should be eating and what he should avoid," Thorpe remembers. "It was a very preliminary conversation. But a few hours later, Alexander called me on the phone and said, 'Coach Thorpe, I'm at Quizno's and I want to know if I can get cheese on this sandwich.' It was at that point I knew the kid had a chance."
Johnson's weight loss has improved his perimeter game remarkably. He is much quicker, runs up and down the floor, can cut to the basket and really gets off the floor now.
His game, in many ways, now resembles that of Denver's Kenyon Martin. While Johnson doesn't have Martin's attitude, it doesn't mean that he's not tough. The kid loves to get physical and can bang.
Johnson also demonstrated a very solid jump shot for a big guy -- he showed some NBA 3-point range, and was excellent from 12-to-15 feet. He ran many of the same drills that the smaller Diaz did and showed that he can shoot off the dribble or spotting up.
He also proved to be in excellent shape. His coach ran the most grueling workout I've seen this spring, and Johnson looked like he could've gone for more.
It's not hard to see why teams are intrigued. While it's clear that Johnson still needs more polish offensively and may need to add another five to 10 pounds to play in the post in the NBA, he's one of the few athletic big men that will be available in the second half of the first round -- and he's more NBA-ready than most of the other players in the draft.
Where could he go on draft night?
The Chicago Bulls had him in for a workout and came away very impressed. They need a player like Johnson at the four and could grab him with the 16th pick if they were to opt for Brandon Roy instead of Tyrus Thomas with the second pick.
The New Jersey Nets, picking No. 22 and No. 23, might be interested in Johnson, too. They have been looking for a Martin replacement ever since he left, and Johnson looks like he'd be great in their up-tempo offense. The Cavs at No. 25 and the Suns at No. 27 are also options.
Diaz is just as impressive on the floor. He's an elite athlete who has been said to have had a 50-inch vertical in high school.
Diaz says it isn't true. "But it was close," he says with a smile.
Diaz was once one of the best young volleyball players in the world, but he switched to basketball his senior year of high school.
In the short span of three years, he's proven to be an explosive scorer at Miami. Now he's trying to prove to NBA scouts that he's got what it takes to make the next big transition -- to point guard.
As I've written before, it's very difficult to show point guard skills in a workout. Diaz showed good ball-handling and excellent quickness in the workout. When he gets to the hoop, he really flies to the basket.
More impressive in a way is his jump shot. Diaz hasn't been pegged as a great shooter in college, in large part because of a questionable shooting percentage.
His workout made clear that Diaz is a much better shooter than previously thought, and feedback from a number of NBA workouts has backed that up. The problem for Diaz at Miami was shot selection rather than shooting form. His shooting ability shouldn't be an issue at the next level.
Diaz is in fantastic shape and seems to have shed a few pounds as well. At Miami, he played on rehabbed knee all year and didn't show some of the explosiveness everyone expected. However, that problem appears to be a thing of the past. He looks like the old Diaz again.
"He's a very quiet guy, but he's the straw that stirs the drink," Thorpe said. "He's the guy who settles everything. He's got a great rapport with the other players. He's a motivator. He tries to make everyone better. He's always resolving conflicts. He's a leader. He's breathing spirit into the hearts and minds of others."
The two big issues for Diaz are position and experience. It's going to be difficult to prove to teams that he's a point guard -- a position he never played in college -- in workouts. Given that he's measuring about 6-1 in shoes, he's small for a combo guard.
Diaz was planning on playing at the pre-draft camp in Orlando to show off his handle. However, he couldn't get a promise from the pre-draft camp administrators that he would get a chance to play the point.
He might not need to.
"In our league these days, you need guys who can get to the basket, and either score a bucket or get to the foul line," one NBA GM told Insider. "You also need a kid who can step back and hit an open jumper. I think the league has evolved. Guys like Diaz couldn't have played in the league six or seven years ago. Today, I think teams need guys like Diaz."
Scouts also worry about his basketball IQ. It's not that Diaz lacks smarts, it's just that he's behind on basketball development. He's played top-level hoops for only three years.
He sometimes gets confused by complex defenses. He hasn't learned some small things, like keeping his head up when he ball-fakes and getting the ball into his shooting hand before he rises for a jumper off the dribble. Such problems can be fixed, but Diaz is less ready to contribute now than some other players in the draft.
Right now Diaz has earned very positive buzz from workouts in Phoenix, Sacramento, Minnesota and Houston. The Lakers are also fans. He's got a number of chances to land in the first round. If he slips into the second round, he's probably one of the first players off the board.
Sleepers: O'Bryant, Lowry, Thabo
posted: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 |
SARASOTA, Fla. -- Pretend for a second there were no mock drafts. No Top 100s. No consensus about which players should be candidates for the No. 1 position.If you just sat in a gym watching prospects play, who would leap out at you?
After spending some time in the gym with LSU's Tyrus Thomas on Friday, I came away pretty convinced that Thomas is one of the best two or three prospects in the draft -- maybe the best.
Most NBA GMs agree. It's not much of reach.
However, after spending an hour in the gym Monday with Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, I had a very similar reaction. O'Bryant looks like the kind of prospect who should be a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.
The only difference? No one has mentioned O'Bryant as a No. 1 candidate.
Let me be the first.
As I watched him work out, I had to keep asking myself, why isn't this guy getting mentioned as a potential top pick in the draft?
Physically, he reminds me a lot of a young Tyson Chandler. Similar size, body and athleticism.
The difference is that O'Bryant already looks much more polished offensively than Chandler has ever looked.
Here's the case for O'Bryant: He's a 7-footer with long arms. He has a nice frame that easily could carry another 25 or 30 pounds of muscle.
He's an excellent athlete with springy legs. He runs up and down the floor like a deer. I know that phrase is used too often to describe guys who run well. Here, I mean it more literally. The kid takes long strides, has a bounce in his step and glides effortlessly across the court -- it's truly reminiscent of how a deer runs.
Defensively, he's good. He rebounds the ball well and is an excellent shot-blocker.
His ability on the offensive end surprised me. He showed a number of post moves, including a sky hook. That's right, a sky hook.
Where'd that come from?
"My high school coach was a little old school," O'Bryant said. "He made me shoot 400 of those every practice till my arms fell off. He wanted me to be Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]."
So why isn't the 7-0, athletic, coordinated, defensively and offensively gifted center not being mentioned as the potential No. 1 pick?
The Toronto Raptors need a center in the worst way. The Chicago Bulls sure could use one, too. The Portland Trail Blazers are in dangerous of losing Joel Przybilla, their only decent center. And what about the Atlanta Hawks? Couldn't they use another big man?
You'd think, but to date, O'Bryant hasn't worked out for any of those teams. The New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz are the only teams that have worked him out.
I talked to the GMs of two of those teams, and both said they were impressed with O'Bryant's athleticism and size but felt he was pretty raw and needed to work on his body.
OK. Can't argue with that. The kid is raw, and he needs to hit the weight room. And he played less than half of the season at Bradley, certainly not a breeding ground for great NBA big men.
The other knock? Some NBA scouts believe O'Bryant isn't the most motivated player in the draft. Will he put in all the hard work he needs to become a great player?
All are legitimate concerns for the big guy. But I'm still asking: In a draft supposedly devoid of centers, how could this guy slip through the cracks?
It might not happen much longer. On Wednesday, O'Bryant will have an open workout at the Orlando camp for all 30 teams.
My prediction: I think at the end of the day, O'Bryant sneaks into the top five on draft night.
You want upside? No one in the draft at his height has his athleticism and skill.
Yes, he's a risk without a long track record. But in a draft supposedly void of superstar talent, O'Bryant might make teams think twice.
Here's my take on four other interesting players at IMG on Monday:
Cedric Simmons, North Carolina State: Simmons also was very impressive. So impressive that his workout raised the question, what's the big difference between him and Thomas?
Simmons is roughly an inch taller (Simmons is measuring 6-10 in shoes). He has a bigger, more muscular body (235 lbs. versus 220). He has a similarly long wingspan (7-3). Like Thomas, he's an excellent athlete.
Thomas is more polished on the perimeter. He's a better ball handler and perimeter shooter. And although both are athletic, Simmons doesn't get up the way Thomas does.
However, Simmons is more skilled on the block right now. He's more physical and has more experience.
I think the comparisons to a young Theo Ratliff are dead on. Not only does Simmons look a lot like Ratliff, but he also carries himself like him.
Simmons might never be a great offensive player, but his toughness, rebounding, shot-blocking and athleticism should keep him in the league for a long time, the same way that combo did for Ratliff.
Kyle Lowry, Villanova: Lowry is still testing the waters, although he told me Monday that he's leaning toward staying in the draft.
Lowry is built like an NFL defensive back, with huge shoulders, a thick chest and big calves. He's strong, physical and explosive. He's a blur on the floor and it's clear he's going to be a nightmare in the NBA on the defensive end.
In the type of workout I saw Monday, it was impossible to gauge his point guard skills. He did run a few drills up and down the floor throwing lobs to Simmons, but not much else. His ballhandling was excellent in some agility drills.
The one thing that stood out to me was how well Lowry shot the ball. He has had a rep as a poor shooter in college, but he looked as though he could sink his shot with ease from everywhere on the floor Monday.
I'm surprised Lowry hasn't gotten more buzz in the draft. He is a legit point guard, has NBA strength and speed, and is a great defender. Also, his jump shot is better than advertised. The 76ers, Wizards, Nets and Cavs, among other teams, could use a player like him in the backcourt.
Once he declares, expect his stock to rise.
Thabo Sefolosha, Switzerland: Sefolosha is getting a lot of buzz from international scouts, who claim he's one of the sleepers in the draft.
After watching him work out Monday, I can see why. He's a prototypical small forward in the pros. He's somewhere between 6-7 and 6-8 with a huge wingspan (I swear his fingertips were touching the tops of his knees) and good athleticism.
His body type reminded me a little of the Pistons' Richard Hamilton. He's thin, but not too thin.
Sefolosha has earned a rep in Europe as a guy who does nothing great but everything well. That's what he showed Monday, as well.
He shot the ball very well from midrange all the way out to the NBA 3-point line. He was a little streaky at times with the long ball, but that's to be expected considering he started shooting from that far away only two days ago.
He's a very smooth player with an excellent handle and good court vision. He flies up and down the floor, uses his feet well and can really defend.
"I think the kid has the potential to be a Boris Diaw-type player down the road," one NBA international scout told me. "He's really got all the tools. He's not a huge scorer, but all the little things he does don't show up on the box score."
Look for Sefolosha to start getting attention from the Warriors at No. 9, the Hornets at No. 15, the Kings at No. 19, the Nets at No. 23, the Cavs at No. 25 and the Lakers at No. 26.
Darius Washington, Memphis: There isn't a lot to add about Washington after his workout Monday.
He obviously has an NBA-ready body and is very quick. He also knows how to score, both off the dribble and with the jump shot.
Washington also looked as though he had lost some weight and was in great playing condition.
The problem is that very few teams in the NBA believe he's a point guard. He has too much of a scoring mentality for the taste of many scouts. A mere workout can't change that impression.
He'll try to answer those questions when he plays in Orlando at the predraft camp. If he can change minds, he could sneak into the first round. If he can't, it isn't out of the question that he could slip out of the draft altogether.
. Lots of options. I'd trade the Atlanta pick from next year to move up this year (I know it's a gamble) to grab a Sefolosha or Rondo type player that would fit our style and sooner than later.
