Smith: 'I think I'm ready'
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford
Friday, May 21
LOS ANGELES -- High school phenom J.R. Smith surprised a group of NBA scouts on Thursday when he showed up with several other SFX players and completed a workout for the Nuggets, Lakers, Clippers and Jazz.
After the workout, Smith told Insider he had hired agents Arn Tellem and Bob Myers and would be forgoing his college eligibility to stay in the draft. Smith had committed to North Carolina before a string of impressive performances at several high school all-star games.
Some scouts are calling J.R. Smith the top high schooler in this year's draft.
"I think I'm ready. I've ready elevated my game to a higher level," Smith told Insider. "The (high school) all-star games convinced me that I have what it takes to play in the NBA."
Smith had few surprises left on the court. His workout just confirmed what scouts already knew. He showed deep range on his jump shot and extraordinary leaping ability in a number of drills during a 45-minute workout with Texas' Byron Mouton and Texas Tech's Andre Emmett.
Afterward, one NBA scout predicted big things for Smith. "He's the best high school player in the draft from a preparedness standpoint," the scout told Insider. "He's got a great, NBA body and athleticism, and he's probably the best shooter in the draft. He's also got some star quality about him. I think at the end of the day, he's going to be the first two guard taken in the draft."
That assessment matches up with what Smith heard from the NBA draft committee when he submitted his name. "I got great feedback from the NBA (draft) committee," Smith told Insider. "I was told I could go anywhere (from) No. 1 to No. 16."
With so few players ready to make an immediate impact in the league, expect Smith to continue to rise on draft boards as we get closer June 22. That combination of athleticism, strength and shooting ability is very tough to beat when it comes to drafting a two guard.
Will Bulls draft Deng at No. 2? This really shouldn't come as a surprise, but a Bulls source told Insider this week that if Chicago ends up with the No. 2 pick and Emeka Okafor is off the board, the team likely will trade the pick or draft Luol Deng at No. 2.
"We just don't have the stomach to draft another high school kid," the source told Insider. "Based on what we've seen of Howard, he's closer to Kwame Brown than he is to LeBron. A lot closer."
Araujo rising? Another fast riser on many NBA draft boards is BYU's Rafael Araujo. Araujo, who has been working out in L.A. for the past month, put on a solid display of strength and aggressiveness in a recent workout against Colorado's David Harrison. Contrary to at least one printed report, Harrison did not quit the workout early, but several people who were in attendance claim he should have.
Araujo
"Araujo's in a different class than Harrison," the scout told Insider. "He outplayed him in every way imaginable."
What does that mean for Araujo's draft stock? Scouts are loving his toughness and fire. Several scouts also report he continues to improve his outside jumper and is even hitting college-range 3s with regularity. The biggest question about Araujo is basketball intelligence. The scouts who watched him extensively at BYU claim he made a lot of mistakes with the basketball and can be a poor decision-maker.
Still, scouts continue to rank Araujo as one of the top center prospects in the draft. He's had big workouts in both Portland and Seattle this week. Given his strong play, he could go anywhere from No. 12 (Seattle's likely spot) to No. 21 to Utah. Don't expect him to slip any lower at this point.
Samaradziski in for sure? Peja Samardziski had a great workout in Boston earlier in the week, and a source inside the Celtics claims if he's on the board when they pick, expected to be at No. 15, they'll take him. With that kind of assurance, it's very likely Samardziski won't pull out of the draft. But he might not even last to the 15th spot. Several teams above the Celtics like him, and there's speculation around the league he already has a promise from one of them.
Nelson vs. Telfair: Jameer Nelson has a series of workouts scheduled against Sebastian Telfair over the course of the next few weeks. It's an interesting choice by both agents. On paper at least, Nelson should have a clear advantage in strength, athleticism and experience. He should outplay Telfair badly, especially because Telfair's greatest strength -- his passing in the open court -- won't be on display in workouts.
However, Nelson also could wind up a big loser. If Telfair outplays him or even plays him to a draw, the hype machine will run out of control, and Nelson could see all the goodwill he's earned this year go down the drain. I'm always for guys working out against each other, but in this climate, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little surprised that both guys agreed to do it.
UCLA's Trevor Ariza made it official this week that he too will forego his college eligibility and stay in this year's draft. Ariza, like so many other players in this draft, is difficult to get a read on. He was widely considered one of the top high school players in the country last year and had a pretty decent rookie season for the Bruins.
Scouts are all over the board on him. Several believe that based on potential, he's a kid who will go somewhere in the 20s. Others think that he could easily be one of the kids who falls into the second round. The small forward class is the weakest it's been for a long time. Only Luol Deng, Josh Smith and Josh Childress are expected to be in the lottery. Several other swing players, including Oregon's Luke Jackson, should also end up in the first round.
However, after that it's a crap shoot. With so many big men and young international and high school players expected to dominate the second half of the draft, there's a chance Ariza and the rest of this small forward class could get squeezed out of the first round.
Adidas is hosting its first-ever Superstar Camp Asia this week. Adidas invited 50 players from Asia to participate. Twenty-two of them are 6-foot-7 and taller. They have a 14-year-old in the camp who already stands 7-foot tall. The general consensus from a handful of NBA scouts who are over there say that there is more talent (and athleticism) than they had expected. Former Knicks GM Scott Layden, Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas and former Sonics forward Detlef Schrempf are attending the camp to help and -- in one interesting novelty -- trying to teach "basketball English" to the kids in the camp.
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford
Friday, May 21
LOS ANGELES -- High school phenom J.R. Smith surprised a group of NBA scouts on Thursday when he showed up with several other SFX players and completed a workout for the Nuggets, Lakers, Clippers and Jazz.
After the workout, Smith told Insider he had hired agents Arn Tellem and Bob Myers and would be forgoing his college eligibility to stay in the draft. Smith had committed to North Carolina before a string of impressive performances at several high school all-star games.
Some scouts are calling J.R. Smith the top high schooler in this year's draft.
"I think I'm ready. I've ready elevated my game to a higher level," Smith told Insider. "The (high school) all-star games convinced me that I have what it takes to play in the NBA."
Smith had few surprises left on the court. His workout just confirmed what scouts already knew. He showed deep range on his jump shot and extraordinary leaping ability in a number of drills during a 45-minute workout with Texas' Byron Mouton and Texas Tech's Andre Emmett.
Afterward, one NBA scout predicted big things for Smith. "He's the best high school player in the draft from a preparedness standpoint," the scout told Insider. "He's got a great, NBA body and athleticism, and he's probably the best shooter in the draft. He's also got some star quality about him. I think at the end of the day, he's going to be the first two guard taken in the draft."
That assessment matches up with what Smith heard from the NBA draft committee when he submitted his name. "I got great feedback from the NBA (draft) committee," Smith told Insider. "I was told I could go anywhere (from) No. 1 to No. 16."
With so few players ready to make an immediate impact in the league, expect Smith to continue to rise on draft boards as we get closer June 22. That combination of athleticism, strength and shooting ability is very tough to beat when it comes to drafting a two guard.
Will Bulls draft Deng at No. 2? This really shouldn't come as a surprise, but a Bulls source told Insider this week that if Chicago ends up with the No. 2 pick and Emeka Okafor is off the board, the team likely will trade the pick or draft Luol Deng at No. 2.
"We just don't have the stomach to draft another high school kid," the source told Insider. "Based on what we've seen of Howard, he's closer to Kwame Brown than he is to LeBron. A lot closer."
Araujo rising? Another fast riser on many NBA draft boards is BYU's Rafael Araujo. Araujo, who has been working out in L.A. for the past month, put on a solid display of strength and aggressiveness in a recent workout against Colorado's David Harrison. Contrary to at least one printed report, Harrison did not quit the workout early, but several people who were in attendance claim he should have.
Araujo
"Araujo's in a different class than Harrison," the scout told Insider. "He outplayed him in every way imaginable."
What does that mean for Araujo's draft stock? Scouts are loving his toughness and fire. Several scouts also report he continues to improve his outside jumper and is even hitting college-range 3s with regularity. The biggest question about Araujo is basketball intelligence. The scouts who watched him extensively at BYU claim he made a lot of mistakes with the basketball and can be a poor decision-maker.
Still, scouts continue to rank Araujo as one of the top center prospects in the draft. He's had big workouts in both Portland and Seattle this week. Given his strong play, he could go anywhere from No. 12 (Seattle's likely spot) to No. 21 to Utah. Don't expect him to slip any lower at this point.
Samaradziski in for sure? Peja Samardziski had a great workout in Boston earlier in the week, and a source inside the Celtics claims if he's on the board when they pick, expected to be at No. 15, they'll take him. With that kind of assurance, it's very likely Samardziski won't pull out of the draft. But he might not even last to the 15th spot. Several teams above the Celtics like him, and there's speculation around the league he already has a promise from one of them.
Nelson vs. Telfair: Jameer Nelson has a series of workouts scheduled against Sebastian Telfair over the course of the next few weeks. It's an interesting choice by both agents. On paper at least, Nelson should have a clear advantage in strength, athleticism and experience. He should outplay Telfair badly, especially because Telfair's greatest strength -- his passing in the open court -- won't be on display in workouts.
However, Nelson also could wind up a big loser. If Telfair outplays him or even plays him to a draw, the hype machine will run out of control, and Nelson could see all the goodwill he's earned this year go down the drain. I'm always for guys working out against each other, but in this climate, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little surprised that both guys agreed to do it.
UCLA's Trevor Ariza made it official this week that he too will forego his college eligibility and stay in this year's draft. Ariza, like so many other players in this draft, is difficult to get a read on. He was widely considered one of the top high school players in the country last year and had a pretty decent rookie season for the Bruins.
Scouts are all over the board on him. Several believe that based on potential, he's a kid who will go somewhere in the 20s. Others think that he could easily be one of the kids who falls into the second round. The small forward class is the weakest it's been for a long time. Only Luol Deng, Josh Smith and Josh Childress are expected to be in the lottery. Several other swing players, including Oregon's Luke Jackson, should also end up in the first round.
However, after that it's a crap shoot. With so many big men and young international and high school players expected to dominate the second half of the draft, there's a chance Ariza and the rest of this small forward class could get squeezed out of the first round.
Adidas is hosting its first-ever Superstar Camp Asia this week. Adidas invited 50 players from Asia to participate. Twenty-two of them are 6-foot-7 and taller. They have a 14-year-old in the camp who already stands 7-foot tall. The general consensus from a handful of NBA scouts who are over there say that there is more talent (and athleticism) than they had expected. Former Knicks GM Scott Layden, Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas and former Sonics forward Detlef Schrempf are attending the camp to help and -- in one interesting novelty -- trying to teach "basketball English" to the kids in the camp.
