2011 Draft Workouts - 6/15/11
Bucks Draft Central | Players | Quotes | Photos | Paschketball Video
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Jordan Hamilton – Texas – Sophomore 10/6/90 - 6’7” – 220 lbs – Guard/Forward
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Klay Thompson – Washington State – Junior
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Marcus Simmons – USC – Senior
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Bill Clark – Duquesne – Senior
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Corey Fisher – Villanova – Senior
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Cory Higgins – Colorado – Senior
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Check back to bucks.com for video and photos of today's workout. For instant updates follow us on Twitter (@bucks).
Klay Thompson - Washington St.
On the workout...
“I thought it went well. It’s a grind because you’re on the road for about three and a half weeks but I expected it. I’m really just trying to enjoy it while I can because I know it’s about to be over with soon and the hard work is all paying off, so I’m trying to enjoy it while I can.”
On him moving up in mock drafts...
“I’m not sure if I am but I’ve been getting positive feedback. I’ve played pretty well in these workouts so I’m just going to keep working. If I keep moving up draft boards, I can’t complain; that’s what I’m hoping. Everyone wants to be the No. 1 pick but I can’t complain with being a lottery selection or being a first-round pick. So I’m just thankful I’ve got that opportunity.”
On how much he studies the team’s roster before he goes into a workout...
“I watch a lot of NBA so I know about all the teams. I think I’d be a perfect fit (with the Bucks), playing alongside Brandon (Jennings), a kid who’s great with the ball, a great passer. I don’t need the ball in my hands to be effective so I think I’d be a great asset to any team. I think here, I’d be a perfect fit because I can stretch the floor, be a great threat from the off-guard position and be a complete guard; defend, rebound, pass, do whatever the coach asks me to do.”
On if he sees himself fitting in with the Bucks defensive system...
“Oh yeah. I had some demanding coaches at Washington State who were all about defense so I know a lot of defensive schemes. I think there’s going to be a lot of new stuff thrown at me if I come here and I’ll be able to adjust. It will take some time but with hard work and focus, I’ll be good.”
On how much of his defense he learned from former Washington State coach Tony Bennett...
“A lot. A tremendous amount. Not all individual defense either; a lot of help D and just being in the right position. I learned a lot from Coach Bennett.”
On if his ability to score is his selling point...
“That’s just one of them. I’ve always been known as a good shooter so I have to continue to work on my handle and off the dribble moves, which I’ve been getting better at. I think I’d add a great scoring addition to this team, they struggled to score, and I think I’d be the perfect fit.”
On his familiarity with Brandon Jennings...
“I used to play against him a lot when he was at Dominguez (High School), when he was a freshman and sophomore, and I was down at Santa Margarita (High School), playing with him in AAU. It was a lot of fun, so I know all about his game and I think we’d be a great combo in the backcourt.”
On what advice his dad, Mychal Thompson, gives him...
“He just tells me to work hard and he said if I expand my game, I’ll show people that I can play at this level and he always just tells me to be thankful; especially if I get to go to draft day. He always reminds me that when he got drafted, there was one hand-held camera there and there wasn’t a lot of coverage. So he tells me it’s a huge event and just be really thankful because it was a lot different back then.”
On if he’s watched old film of his dad play...
“I got to go to Washington for a workout and Coach (Flip) Saunders was on his team and he gave me a few DVDs (from his playing days) back at (the University of) Minnesota. It’s pretty cool watching him play at our age and just seeing what type of player he is and I’m really thankful. He’s got that knowledge of the game, so I learned so much from him.”
On his workout schedule...
“I’ve got three more I think and this will be my, I think, eighth or ninth. I’ve got Golden State, Sacramento and Utah left.”
On what he learned from his marijuana incident...
“I learned a lot. I’m not going to say I’m happy it happened but it’s almost good it happened sooner rather than later because I was going down a wrong path. If I want to live up to my potential and play in this league, I can’t be messing around with that stuff. I haven’t done it since …It was a humbling experience.”
On what he tells teams...
“I tell them pretty much the same thing I just told you. I’ve been asked about it so many times, which is understandable. I know they’ve got to do their homework, research and see what kind of kid I am. So I just tell them the truth because if you don’t, they’re going to find out either way.”
On how he can play the point along with the shooting guard position...
“I think that’s going to be really valuable at the next level because there’s so many versatile players in this league, so if you can do everything, that’s just going to prolong your career. I’m just trying to work on every part of my game as much as possible. If I keep doing that, I think I’ll be successful.”
Jordan Hamilton - Texas
On the workout...
“It was a good workout. You fight through fatigue and things like that, it’s my eighth workout, and I just continue to go hard. It’s a blessing to be here, I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve got three more (workouts); Utah, Detroit and Denver.”
On if his versatility is helping him out...
“A lot of teams said it will definitely help me because I can also play the two-guard and I can play the three, so whichever teams wants me to play that position, I can … I’ve been playing both my whole life and I’ve also played some four in high school, but not much in college. I just think that my versatility will help me in the draft.”
On if he stays in contact with Texas teammate Tristan Thompson who is also going through the draft process...
“Absolutely, I talk to Tristan about once or twice a week. We ask each other how the workouts are because he might have been at some place I’ve never been to and he’s going to places that I’ve been to. He asked about Phoenix and I asked him about Washington so we’ve just been asking each other and interviewing each other.”
On his familiarity with Brandon Jennings...
“Yeah, I know knucklehead Brandon. I’ve known him for a while; since middle school. He’s a childhood friend. I was actually with him yesterday and we were talking and he just let me know that the Bucks have one of the hardest workouts. If you make it through this one, you will make it through them all.”
On if he could provide a scoring punch...
“I could definitely bring that to a team; scoring, rebounding, I think I’m an underrated passer. I think I can pass the ball really well. I can guard the two, three and some four, so I think my versatility will probably give me the edge.”
Billy McKinney - Director of Scouting
On the top contenders in today’s workout...
“The top two prospects in this workout today: Jordan Hamilton from Texas and Klay Thompson from Washington State, both very good shooters at the small forward position. Both players, I think, will be able to play a little bit of shooting guard in the NBA as well.”
On Klay Thompson and Jordan Hamilton...
“I think Klay is a player that can play multiple positions. He’s good enough with the ball to even be able to play some backup point at some points. Jordan is more of a two-three, but both players have a lot of versatility in their games and they have the ability to shoot the ball really well from deep outside, something of course – as you well know, we were deep in the thrones of shooting the ball poorly last year – and those guys could certainly help us quite a bit.”
On if Thompson and Hamilton were matched up against each other in the workout…
“They went against each other, but we tried to have them work against other players as well so it didn’t seem like a Hamilton vs. Klay Thompson workout, and they both had very good workouts today.”
On if having a father who is a former NBA player impacts the Bucks view of Thompson...
“I’d say one of the things that matters a lot is that he’s had a tremendous amount of experience in talking to his dad about the transition to the NBA. He’s been around the game. When he was younger, his father was around the game so that’s helpful quite a bit, but the bottom line is you can have a father that’s played but you have to get it done between the lines. Klay has proven that he can do that on a consistent basis.”
On if Thompson’s relationship with Brandon Jennings has any impact...
“Klay knows Brandon, but so does Jordan Hamilton. Their families are very close. These guys played a lot of AAU ball together and the bottom line is – I was asked that question last year about Tiny Gallon, was I not? – (and it) didn’t make much of a difference that he knew Brandon. But the bottom line is both of those players, Jordan Hamilton and Klay Thompson, are very good players. They’re first round draft picks and they’re here because we’re looking at them at 10 and they could go from that 10 to 15, 17 slot.”
On the 3-point game of Thompson and Hamilton...
“He (Thompson) shot the ball very well from behind the NBA 3-point line today, so he does have the range, and so does Jordan Hamilton. The one thing about Jordan is you look at him with that Texas team, which was very good this year and they would tell you that they felt they underachieved, but he also has the ability to create shots off the dribble a little better than people think he does.”
On if he feels Thompson is moving up in the draft...
“Absolutely. He’s had some good workouts, he’s been to a lot of teams. I think he said he’s been to at least 12 teams, so people are looking at him in a variety of ranges and once he gets into the workouts, much like the European players, he’s so fundamentally sound that going through the workouts really is a benefit for him and the teams that are looking at him.”
On how much they look at size in a guard...
“With Klay Thompson and Jordan Hamilton, both of those guys are multi-positional players. Again, as I said earlier, they can play both the two and three positions. Klay has a little bit of an edge at some point because he can play the point guard position. He handles the ball out on the floor a little bit, but having the size to defend some of the players that we face in the Eastern Conference, if you’re playing multiple positions is definitely a benefit.”
On Hamilton’s explosiveness...
“He’s a better athlete than he shows. He’s a better defensive player than he shows. One of the benefits of having guys come in and work out (is that, during the season,) we get accustomed to seeing them in their environment – with Texas – and when we get here, we get a chance to put them through enough drills where we can see them do other things.”
On Hamilton and Thompson compared to Colorado’s Alec Burks...
“Burks does get to the hole probably a little bit more, that’s his forte. He has to improve his outside shooting a little bit as everybody knows, but I would say that’s probably the biggest difference. These guys really shoot the ball well. Burks has mid-range game, he’s going to have to extend his range as a professional player.”
On who is the best defender of the three...
“I think they all have their strong suits. Hamilton can probably even play some smaller power forwards. Klay Thompson probably can defend the three perimeter positions and Burks probably some one and some two, a little bit of small forward. They each can defend a variety of positions.”
On if they see any benefit in trying to move down in the draft...
“We really feel good about the 10th pick. We’ve had a lot of interest in the pick, in terms of people wanting to move up to get there. We happen to like the position we’re in. When looking at the draft, it’s been said all along that this is not a great draft. I think when people say that, it’s because of the lack of impact players in the draft. You don’t have the Shaquille O’Neals, the LeBron’s, the Jordan’s, those kind of players in the draft. However, I think there are going to be some players in this draft that are going to have really good NBA careers, long careers.”
On the point guards in for workouts today...
“Cory Higgins, Rod Higgins’ son at the Charlotte Bobcats, and Corey Fisher from Villanova were also in today. Bill Clark from Duquesne, a good shooter in the second round, a shooting guard. Both of those guys we’re looking at as potential second round draft picks. They played very well. It was a good workout today, but as it gets closer to the draft, you see kind of a drain in energy. These guys have already had 11 or 12 workouts and are a little bit fatigued, which is natural.”
On Corey Fisher and Cory Higgins...
“He (Corey Fisher) is a good ball handler, a good defender, a good floor general. Very tough player. Higgins is a good-sized point guard. He’s 6-3, 6-4, he can handle the point guard position but also defend both the point guards and some shooting guards.”
On seeing Bismack Biyombo in Europe...
“I was at the Eurocamp last week, John Hammond and I went over there, and Bismack Biyombo had a (individual) workout. He didn’t shoot the ball well, but that’s not his forte. So I think one of the strategies that agents may have to rethink a little bit is sometimes having those players play in the games in which he can do the things that people have seen him do, like he did in the Hoops Summit game, is probably better for him. But I don’t think that will impact where he goes in the draft because people really understand what assets he brings to a team. He’s a great athlete, rebounds the ball, blocks shots, those kinds of things. Everybody that’s watched him play understands that he has his offensive limitations.”
If Biyombo’s offensive limitations rule him out for the Bucks...
“We still like what he can do in terms of rebounding and defending, defending inside, blocking shots. You can never have enough big people. That’s an area where we kind of ran short this year, so he still merits consideration.”
On comparisons between Biyombo and Ben Wallace...
“I would say that’s pretty accurate. I would have to say maybe he’s a little better than Ben offensively. I saw both of those players at the same stages of their respective careers. Both of those guys are tremendously athletic. Again, they have their offensive limitations, but Ben Wallace has had one heck of a career and I think Biyombo will do the same.”
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