Draft Workouts Gallery

Potential Lottery Picks Pack Wednesday's Early Workout
June 13, 2007

Charlotte's preparation for the 2007 NBA Draft continued Wednesday morning at the Presbyterian Hospital Training Center at Charlotte Bobcats Arena with Florida's Corey Brewer, Florida State's Al Thorton and Georgia Tech's Thaddeus Young all taking part in predraft workouts. Georgetown's Jeff Green was scheduled to workout, but did not make the trip.

Brewer is expected to be selected somewhere in the first 10 picks of the 2007 NBA Draft, with some mock drafts having him go as high as fourth and others predicting he could wind up with the Bobcats at No. 8 overall. The 6-9, 185-pound defensive standout was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA Tournament Final Four after helping lead Florida to the second of back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2005-06 and 2006-07. An early entry in the 2007 NBA Draft, he earned First Team All-SEC honors and was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 13.2 points, 2.9 assists and 1,9 steals. He finished his collegiate career tied for 28th on the Gators all-time leading scorer list with 1,225 points, and ranks fifth in career steals with 176. He ranks as Florida’s all-time leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament with 198 career points.

Thorton is also expected to be a potential lottery pick in 2007, with a compilation of 15 mock drafts ranking him 12th overall. The 6-8, 220-pound forward was named Third Team All-American by The Associated Press after leading the ACC in scoring with 19.7 points to go with a career-high 7.2 rebounds in his senior season. The 6-8, 220-pound forward averaged 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 124 games, including 69 starts, for the Seminoles. Thorton elevated his game following his sophomore season, putting up 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.26 steals and leading an 11-win turnaround in his last two seasons at Florida State. The Seminoles were 31-33 in Thorton’s first two seasons and 42-23 in his junior and senior years.

Young is an early entry candidate following his freshman season at Georgia Tech. The 6-8, 220-pound forward is considered by many to be on the cusp of being a lottery pick and appears to be raising his stock with each passing workout. He tied for the team lead in scoring and ranked 15th in the ACC after averaging 14.4 points and scoring in double figures in 25 of the Yellowjackets 31 games. Young also proved to be a threat from the three-point line, connecting on 41.9 percent (39-93) shots from beyond the arc. He added 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while helping lead Georgia Tech to a 20-12 overall record and berth in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent, Brewer, Thorton and Young all spoke with the media after the workouts:

---

BOBCATS HEAD COACH SAM VINCENT
(On Jeff Green)
Jeff Green is going to do private workouts. We’re excited about the kid, we want to see him and he’s obviously a talent, but right now, he is off of our books. We’ll wait and see what happens, maybe that will change sometime later, but he didn’t make it in today.

(On if they will go to Georgetown and work him out or wait until June 18th, which is the last day that a player can pull their name out of the draft)
I prefer to wait until the 18th and see what his status is. We should let the kid make a decision, the last thing we want to do is rush him. He should make a decision based on how he feels and what he wants to do and after he does that, we’ll be ready to take a look at him.

(On the attribute evaluation drills that are done to start the Bobcats workouts)
It’s very important to us that we do our due diligence to make sure that we see a lot of different things. We need to see a kid’s explosiveness and agility, and how they move off of the left leg and the right leg. We’re trying to do some really substantial testing to get a feel for where their bodies are. That’s before they even touch a basketball and get on the court.

(On if Corey Brewer and Al Thornton were matched up together to see their strengths and weaknesses in strength and speed)
We didn’t necessarily plan it that way. We didn’t realize that they had been traveling together and doing the workouts. It turned out to be a nice benefit though, because those are two guys that we are obviously very interested in. Al is more of an inside player that can still shoot the ball on the outside, and Corey is more of an outside player, that doesn’t have as much inside game, and it was nice to see that contrast. But obviously, our final decision will be based on all of our guys getting together and really trying to identify that specific need that we have.

(On Corey Brewer’s versatility defensively)
I think that’s definitely a huge upside to Corey’s game. We asked him in an interview what positions he is most comfortable guarding, and he said one, two, three and four. At Florida, they put him on whoever their toughest opponent was going to be, and that shows his competitiveness and it shows that he’s willing to accept the challenge. We’re going to be all about defense. We want to really be a strong defensive team, so we like hearing that from the young guys. The other thing that really stuck out was his shooting ability. He has a real nice shot from the outside, and he also demonstrated the ability to shoot the mid-range shot. He gets to the 14- and 15-foot sweet spot, and he can really elevate and get that shot off. That’s a little bit of a lost art in today’s game, so that was nice to see.

(On Corey Brewer’s ability to create his own shot)
We feel like he can create his own shot. He’s got good ball-handling skills and a pretty quick first step. When a guy can shoot it as well as he does, then the defense really has to close out, and that creates an opportunity for him to get by guys. So, we really liked some of the things he did today.

(On Al Thornton’s workout)
Thornton was good. He has a strong body, he’s very aggressive and he fills that void that we’ve been talking about in terms of getting an inside scorer. He’s an exceptional athlete, but still has the ability to shoot the three-point shot. This year at Florida State, he stepped outside and increased his three-point field goal percentage, so he was a real nice prospect also.

(On Thornton’s position in the NBA)
I see him more as a four/three than a three/four. We debated a little bit and felt that he has the body that’s big and strong enough to defend the fours, he’s got the foot speed to get out and defend threes, but his game is a little bit more of a four than it is a three. He’s not going to catch the ball on the wing and give a head fake and go around a lot of guys, but at the same time, if you penetrate and pass it out to him, he can make that spot-up shot. So, we’re seeing him more as a four/three than a three/four.

---

COREY BREWER • 6-9 • 185 LBS. • FORWARD • FLORIDA • JUNIOR
(On today’s workout)
It was by far the toughest workout I’ve had, and it’s my fourth workout. I think it went pretty well.

(On where he has worked out so far)
I’ve been to Boston, I worked out for Sacramento, and I worked out for Chicago.

(On why this workout was tougher than the others)
It’s a lot of one-on-one stuff, it’s a lot of competitive stuff, we do a lot of drills, and it’s non-stop.

(On how much tougher it was to work out with two other potential lottery picks)
That’s what’s fun about this workout process – going up against the best players. Al Thornton and I have been working out together – this is our fourth straight workout together. It’s fun to finally have somebody else to workout with. We were really happy about Thaddeus (Young) coming in. We were tired of beating up on each other.

(On if their similar game and body type allow for teams to want them to work out together)
Our body types are not similar at all. I’m skinny and he’s a 225-pound muscle man (laughter). We have different games, but we both play the same position, and we both get it done. I guess you have to see if opposites can go against each other, and we’re opposites. It’s always fun to work out against him.

(On if his defensively versatility is what people should be most attracted to about his game)
Yes sir, I think it is. I feel like I can guard one through four. I did in college. It’s a different story in the NBA – you have to adjust and get stronger, but I’m a versatile defender, I guess that’s what people like.

(On how his game would fit in with the Bobcats)
I feel like the Bobcats are a young, growing team. They’ve got a lot of pieces with Emeka (Okafor), Sean May, Raymond Felton at the point, (Adam) Morrison and Gerald Wallace. I feel like I can come in and bring some versatility as another athletic wing.

(On who else he will be working out for)
I leave tonight to go to Minnesota, then I work out for Memphis and Milwaukee.

(On mock drafts and where he expects to be drafted)
Mock drafts really don’t mean anything. In some mock drafts I’m as high as four or five and I’m 13th or 14th in others. They really don’t mean anything – I have no idea where I’m going.

(On if he thinks he would be equally effective as a shooting guard or a small forward)
Yes sir, I feel I can play either the two or the three – small forward or shooting guard.

(On if he believes that he can create his own shot well)
I believe I can. I feel like I need to work on that aspect of my game, but there were a lot of times when the game was on the line and the ball was in my hands and I had to go get a shot for our team. I feel that if it comes down to it and I put in a lot of work, I’ll be able to do that eventually.

(On the Bobcats bringing in players that have won National Championships)
I think it will mean a lot to play with guys who are winners, because that’s what it’s all about, winning basketball games. At the next level in the NBA, you have to win basketball games. I feel that I can come in and help the team win.

(On the underclassmen from the 2006 National Championship Florida team all returning to school for another year)
We all didn’t think we were ready to go to the NBA at the time. We felt that we did something special in winning our first national title, but we weren’t ready. Also, we were all really close, and Taurean (Green) was the other piece of our puzzle, the fourth guy, and we didn’t want to leave him out. We felt that if we came back for another year, it would benefit all of us, we could all get better, and we considered Taurean (Green) to be a high draft pick also. We put our minds to winning another national title and that’s what we did.

---

AL THORTON • 6-8 • 220 LBS. • FORWARD • FLORIDA STATE • SENIOR
(On today’s workout)
It was my toughest workout by far, it kind of caught me off guard, but it also was the best one. It was a lot more physical than my other workouts. I think they’re looking for more of an inside player than a perimeter one. They know what they need, as opposed to other workouts that weren’t as specific as this one.

(On Thaddeus Young being a part of the workout)
It was a different look going against Thaddeus. I’ve gone against (Corey) Brewer for all of my other workouts. We were both excited to have another small forward here.

(On this workout compared to other workouts)
We had big guys at the other workouts. Corey (Brewer) and I are both small forwards and we were going up against bigger guys. Here, we were all small forwards and we were doing a lot more guard stuff.

(On what position he sees himself playing in the NBA)
I think I’m a three/four. I see myself as more of a three.

(On his matchups with Corey Brewer in workouts)
He doesn’t really like it when I take him down in the post, but it goes both ways. Man, do I hate chasing that guy around. It seems like he never gets tired, he runs for ever.

(On what other workouts he has left)
I go to Minnesota right after this, then Milwaukee and Philadelphia, and I think that’s it for now.

(On what workouts he has done so far)
Sacramento, Chicago, Boston and here.

(On where he believes he will be drafted)
I think I’ll be in the top 10 area.

(On how his stock improved over the course of his senior year)
I really didn’t know how much my stock was improving during the season. I found out after the season when all the agents started calling and tried to get in contact with myself and my coaches.

(On what he knows about the Bobcats and how he thinks he would fit in)
I know they’re a young team and they were very close to getting into the playoffs. I think I would fit in quite well with more of an up-tempo team and contribute right away.

---

THADDEUS YOUNG • 6-8 • 220 LBS. • FORWARD • GEORGIA TECH • FRESHMAN
(On today’s workout)
It was by far my hardest workout. A lot of guys have been saying this is a tough one, and sure enough, it was. Going against great guys like Al Thornton and Corey Brewer – that just makes you so much better.

(On why this was the hardest workout) We went through a series of tests before we actually starting doing the workout, and that’s hard on the body. We did how many push-ups you can do in a minute – we did the broad-jumping, and other things like that. It’s a lot of wear-and-tear before you actually start the workout, so your body is a little fatigued.

(On where he has worked out so far)
I’ve worked out for Philadelphia, New Orleans, the Clippers, the Bulls, and here.

(On where he expects to be drafted)
I’ve been getting a lot of great feedback, and everybody’s been saying I’ve been doing well in the workouts. I just hope for the best.

(On if it matters what team he gets drafted by)
Nah, I love the game and it’s just fun being out there and competing. That’s what I came to do – just compete and show what I can do, and hopefully good things happen.

(On what his game would bring to the Bobcats)
A lot of versatility, great character, and just the ability to do different things on the court.

(On the transition to the NBA after just one year in college)
I’m a great listener, so I don’t think the transition will be hard. I just have to build my body a little bit more, I know it’s a grown man’s game. I just have to go out there and play as hard as I can for the minutes I’m gonna get.