Brandan Wright Highlights Friday Workout
June 22, 2007
Charlotte's preparation for the 2007 NBA Draft continued Friday afternoon at the Presbyterian Hospital Training Center at Charlotte Bobcats Arena with Colorado State’s Jason Smith, Boston College’s Sean Williams and North Carolina’s Brandan Wright all taking part in predraft workouts.
Smith, an early-entry candidate for the 2007 NBA Draft, is projected to be a mid to late first-round pick. The fundamentally sound big man earned First Team All-Mountain West Conference honors his sophomore and junior seasons. He finished his three-year career ranked ninth on Colorado State’s all-time leading scoring list with 1,281 points. Smith also ranked sixth in rebounds with 683 and fifth in blocked shots with 149. The 7-0, 240-pound forward/center led the Mountain West Conference in rebounding with 10.1 per game in 2006-07 and finished sixth in scoring, averaging 16.8 points. He also ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.579), free throw percentage (.770) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg).
Williams is another early entry candidate after being dismissed by the Boston College program midway through his junior season for violations of team rules. He is currently projected to be drafted at No. 22 to the Bobcats in the latest compilation of our 18 mock drafts. An athletic 6-10, 235-pound forward/center, Williams led his team in blocks for each of his three seasons at Boston College. He blocked a BC-record 75 shots in just 15 games in his junior season, including 13 in one game against Duquesne. Williams concluded his junior season averaging five blocks per game. He played in 15 games for the Eagles in 2006-07 and averaged 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in 32.2 minutes.
Wright is expected to be selected in the first 10 picks of this year’s draft, with some mock drafts projecting him going as high as number three to the Atlanta Hawks. He won the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament MVP award as a freshman, just the fifth to do so in the conference’s history. Wright’s 6-9, 205-pound frame, long wingspan, tremendous body control and great athleticism allowed him to break the ACC single-season freshman record with a .646 field goal percentage. He was named to the NCAA All-East Regional Team and All-ACC Second Team, and was named the Rookie of the Year in the conference. Wright led the Tar Heels in block shots with 65 and was second on the team in scoring (14.7 points) and rebounding (6.2). He was a two-time Parade All-America selection in high school and played in the McDonald’s All-Star Game. Wright was Tennessee’s Division II Mr. Basketball in 2004, 2005 and 2006, becoming the first three-time recipient at any level of Tennessee high school basketball.
Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent, Smith, Williams and Wright all spoke with the media after the workouts:
BOBCATS HEAD COACH SAM VINCENT
(On today’s workout)
The guys looked good. It was an exciting morning. We had some real springy, athletic players in here this morning. They all came in and put in the work and effort that we like.
(On what other teams Brandan Wright has worked out for)
I’m not really sure what Wright’s workout schedule has been. There had been talk about whether he was going to stay in (the draft) or not, but he did work out for us today and I thought he looked pretty good.
(On the possibility of trying to trade up after working out Brandan Wright, who is not projected to be available at the eighth pick)
The draft is a funny thing, you never know exactly what’s going to happen. Sometimes there are guys that are projected to go early and they slide a little bit, and sometimes guys have a big impact overseas and nobody really even knows about them. We don’t really know what’s going to happen. Most importantly, these guys did themselves a good service by coming out, letting people see them and doing interviews, so we get a little bit more insight as to who they are. On draft day, we let the team decide what they think we should do.
(On if he was surprised that Brandan Wright came to work out for the Bobcats, because he is projected to be drafted before the eighth pick)
I’m a little surprised. I’m happy he came in. We got a chance to look at him and see how he played and worked out, and I thought he did a good job. I think one area where he still needs to improve is on his jump shot. He has to increase his range a little bit, but he did some real nice things.
(On Brandan Wright’s game)
He’s got great size, he’s very fast, his wingspan is incredible, he’s quick to the ball, he has good elevation and he can get his shot up real high, so he’s tough to block. He’s got natural abilities that make him special. I saw his ability to be able to fill the lanes and he’s going to get out quick on the break. He finishes well around the basket because of his exceptional jumping ability, and I think he can develop into a strong defender because of his perimeter and lateral movement and his long arms. The thing that I think he needs to improve on is the maturity of the game. He has to get more experience and he has to get stronger, and those are things that will happen over time – you can’t really rush them. I think he is going to be a solid NBA prospect, but he still needs some development.
(On Sean Williams’ workout)
Williams is a man. He’s an incredible athlete, he’s an explosive jumper, has a nice outside shot, he’s a strong defender and a good rebounder. We saw some things that we really liked from him.
(On Williams’ dismissal from the team his junior year)
We’ll continue to do our investigation and research on exactly what happened. We’re trying to be very selective on the type of guys that we bring in and we want to be careful that we’re not just looking at very talented guys, but we’re also looking at talented guys that have good character and are going to be solid in this organization. Whatever there is that we need to know about a guy’s background, we’re going to do the research to find out, and if there are any questions, then we will address them before the draft.
(On the Bobcats being interested in drafting a few players that they haven’t worked out yet)
My answer to that is that I’m confident in our scouting department. It is the responsibility of our scouting department to understand our team and what is out on the market and to identify the guys that can come in and help us, and then find time to get them in here to work out. They’ve got their own group of guys that they work with and obviously, we all work together. We don’t question what they do because we’ve got good guys in that area. We expect that if there is someone that we haven’t seen, the scouting department will get them on the calendar and at some point, we’ll get them in here and we’ll have a chance to see them.
(On Jeff Green working out for the Bobcats)
I anticipate that he will. I haven’t seen him on the calendar yet, but I know the director of scouting, Kenny Williamson, is talking to all of the agents and players and he’s working hard to get guys in here. I’m sure Green is a guy that is expected to go pretty high, so at some point they’ll get him in here and he’ll work out.
(On the possibility of drafting a player at number eight that the Bobcats haven’t worked out yet)
Once again, that goes back to my comfort in our scouting department. A guy can come in and have a great workout, but he hasn’t had a great last two years, and all of a sudden I want to take him, but the scouts will say that he’s not what he looked like in the workout. I’m going to defer to those guys because they’ve spent more time with them. Also, a guy may come in here and not play well but he’s been playing well for the last couple of years. So if a guy doesn’t come in here but our scouts feel confident that they’ve seen him, they’re comfortable with him and they know he’s going to help our team, then I would support that kind of decision.
(On Brandan Wright’s position in the NBA)
I don’t see him as a five. I’m thinking he’s more of a 3/4 or 4/3 than he is a 4/5. I don’t think he has the body or the frame that’s going to be able to withstand an NBA season.
(On the possibility that most teams will be drafting based on their needs)
I think there is a lot of truth to that. Early on, there had been a lot of talk about how deep the draft is and now players have moved up and down the draft board. Some players that had scheduled workouts are now declining to go on workouts. It’s really hard to say exactly what’s going on. I don’t know if some teams are making promises to players or if some guys are getting afraid because their draft position looks like its dropping, so now they’re coming in to work out. It’s really hard to call. I think everything right now is purely speculation.
(On Acie Law coming in to work out)
The last I heard, Law was not coming in. He was originally scheduled to work out on Friday and as of right now, he is out, but he might be back in by the end of the day. It’s just one of those stay-tuned situations right now.
JASON SMITH • 7-0 • 240 LBS. • FORWARD/CENTER • COLORADO STATE • JUNIOR
(On today’s workout)
I think it was a great workout. It was very competitive and we all went hard today.
(On where else he has worked out)
This was my 12th workout, so I’ve been pretty much all over the country.
(On where he expects to be drafted)
It’s hard to say. It’s really unpredictable. You just have to go into each workout and work as hard as you can.
(On this workout compared to other workouts)
It was a tough one. There was a lot of running and quickness and agility testing, but I thought it went very well.
(On how he thinks his game will translate into the NBA)
I envision myself as a four because of my agility and quickness and I can get up and down the floor. I think the NBA is moving towards a fast pace game with players that can move up and down the floor.
(On what he knows about the Bobcats)
The Bobcats are a great organization. They are rising up, and they were only seven games out of the playoffs. It’s a great opportunity to me.
(On if he believes shooting is the best part about his game)
I have a lot of different skills. I always give 110 percent and I go hard no matter what. Shooting is one of my more known skills, but I can do a lot of different things.
(On what is the best unknown part about his game)
A lot of people don’t know that I can move really well. A lot of people think that a seven-foot white guy can’t run up and down the floor with the best of them, but I get around very well.
SEAN WILLIAMS • 6-10 • 235 LBS. • FORWARD/CENTER • BOSTON COLLEGE • JUNIOR
(On today’s workout)
It was tough, but it was great. I had a lot of fun and I got a little sweat in.
(On where else he has worked out)
This was my first workout outside of Houston where I work out with John Lucas.
(On why he chose to work out with the Bobcats)
The competition was good here with Brandan Wright and Jason Smith, and they have the eighth pick so I wanted to show them what I have.
(On being dismissed from the Boston College team his junior year)
No comment. I have talked to other teams about it but I have no comment now.
(On how other teams responded to his comments about being dismissed)
I think I’m in a good place.
(On where he expects to be drafted)
I’m not even worried about it. I’m just trying to get better every day and where I fall is where I fall. I feel that whatever team gets me is going to be lucky. I feel like I’m a top five talent.
(On what he knows about the Bobcats)
They are young and they were seven games out of the playoffs last year, and they could use some help.
(On if he talks to any of his former Boston College teammates)
Definitely. I talked to (Jared) Dudley about this workout, and he told me it was the toughest one he’s been to.
(On why he decided to workout for the Bobcats after hearing it was a tough workout)
I wanted to test it out. If this was the toughest one, I wanted to go through it to see what the NBA had.
BRANDAN WRIGHT • 6-9 • 205 LBS. • FORWARD • NORTH CAROLINA • FRESHMAN
(On today’s workout)
I thought it went pretty well. It was a really tough workout, there was a lot of running and conditioning but overall, I thought I did a good job.
(On if he had been told that this was going to be a hard workout)
Definitely. I talked to Sean (May) and Raymond (Felton). They told me that this workout was the toughest by far. You just have to keep going through it, and even though you may get tired, miss some shots and get a little sloppy, you just have to keep working hard and you’ll get through it.
(On his decision to come and work out for the Bobcats)
It was a combination of a lot of things. You have to be able to cover your tracks. You never know who might trade into the top five to get the player you want.
(On if was the first time he has worked out with other players)
Yeah, it was to get a little competitive spirit, and I thought I did a good job. I thought it would be a great opportunity to work out for the local team.
(On where else he has worked out)
I’ve been to Atlanta, Memphis, Boston and Milwaukee. I think this might be my last stop.
(On the process of going from college to the NBA)
It’s a real fast process. A lot of young guys and I sat down and talked about it because we knew it would be coming up fast. Back on October 15, my goal was to just to get in to North Carolina, show what I could do and earn my spot. As the season went on, I continued to get better and my skills progressed. Coach (Roy) Williams had a lot to do with that, and I was also playing with a lot of talented guys.
(On being mentioned as a possibility to be drafted at number three overall)
It’s a good feeling, but you have to have high expectations for yourself at the beginning of the season. If you continue to work hard, the sky is the limit. That’s especially true for a guy like me. I’m only 19 years old, and I’m going to continue to mature.
(On if he expects to make an immediate impact in the NBA)
I definitely anticipate going in and making a solid contribution to the team. I’ve played everywhere I have been in the past and I don’t think it will be any different in the NBA. It’s going to be a little bit harder, but I made the decision to enter the NBA draft, and you have to be ready.
(On where he thinks he needs improvement)
I think I need improvement in every aspect of my game. I need to continue to get stronger, develop and mature, work on my skills on the block, work on my mid-range game, try to extend my jump shot out to about 22 feet, work on my ball handling and just tighten up on the fundamentals. I just need to learn the tricks and the trade of the NBA game, and that’s going to come with time and maturity.
