2011 Draft Workouts - 6/21/11
Bucks Draft Central | Players | Quotes | Photos | Paschketball Video
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Marshon Brooks – Providence – Senior
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Tobias Harris – Tennessee – Freshman
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Jon Leuer – Wisconsin – Senior
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Chandler Parsons – Florida – Senior
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Josh Selby – Kansas – Freshman
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Chris Singleton – Florida State – Junior
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Jon Leuer - Wisconsin
On his workout schedule…
“This was lucky number 16. I have one more left in Dallas tomorrow. I’m feeling good. It’s definitely been a lot of travel and a grind, but I’m enjoying it. You only go through this process once, so you just have to try to enjoy it and prove yourself every time you step out onto the court.”
On if he knows which teams are more interested in him…
“Talking with my agent, there are teams that like me, but you never know. Like I said, until you hear your name called, nothing’s for certain. While I have these opportunities to step on the court and try to compete and prove myself, that’s all I’m focused on right now.”
On skills that he’s surprised teams with in workouts…
“I think that’s one thing: my athleticism. Just showing I can move well for a big man, how skilled I am. Defensively, I’m solid. I can rebound, just all those things I’m trying to show myself every time I step on the court.”
On if Wisconsin’s coaching staff has helped through the process…
“I’ve talked to them a lot – Coach (Bo) Ryan, Coach (Gary) Close, Coach (Greg) Gard – they’ve been great for me, developing as a player these past four years. They’ve had guys go through this process before, so I’ve just been picking their brains. They’ve been telling me what to do, what not to do, so they’ve given me great advice so far.”
On if his mid-range game is helping him in the workouts…
“Yeah, I think so. As a big, to be able to put the ball on the floor and knock down a pull-up jump shot, there’s not a lot of bigs that can do that so that’s something that I think sets me apart a little bit from other guys in this draft.”
On today’s workout…
“It went well, it went really well. I was really the only big, there were a lot of small forwards. I was matched up a lot with Tobias Harris and Chris Singleton, guys that are really good and have proven themselves. I felt like I held my own and did really well against them. I was able to do some things. Overall, it was a good workout. We got after it, we competed and now it’s on to the next one.”
On if there was anything different in this workout compared to others…
“If you lose, you have to run down and back. That’s the biggest difference. You should be penalized for losing, I guess. That’s the only difference. Most of the workouts are pretty similar.”
On if he feels the Bucks are interested in him…
“I hope so. The Bucks are a great organization and would definitely be a good team to play for. Right now, like I said, it’s hard to say who’s real high on you. You can only control so many things.”
On if it would mean a lot to stay in Wisconsin and get drafted by the Bucks…
“Yeah, it would. It would be cool. The people up in Madison, the Badger fans, have been great to me over the last four years and they’re one of a kind. I loved my time up in Madison. To stay in Wisconsin and stay with these fans would definitely be a great honor.”
Marshon Brooks - Providence
On if he’s relieved to be finished with the pre-draft process…
“The last workout. It feels incredible. It’s been a lot of traveling. I actually hurt my ankle the first workout. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling, and as you fly the ankle swells back up and you can’t really get healthy, but it was a great process. I’ll be able to tell my children one day, but it’s over, thank God.”
On his workout schedule and his ankle injury…
“I think I did 11. It (the first workout) was with New York. It wasn’t anything serious; I ended up finishing the workout, but my ankle swelled up and it bothered my range of motion a little bit. Other than that, it wasn’t much of a problem.”
On how he has come into the draft scene after little recognition in and before college…
“Honestly, I think it’s just my exposure, my chance to be seen. I think with us not having three, four, five ESPN games, I didn’t really have a breakout game where I really hopped up on the scene. So they took me to the combine, where everybody was in one gym and I got to compete against others and I fared well, so I think that’s what helped me the most.”
On skills he’s been surprising teams with at workouts…
“Everything. I showed them how well I could score; I think I surprised them with my series of moves and my offensive game and my defense. I know how to use my length around the rim and things like that. Just the small things.”
On his defensive mindset…
“When somebody scores as much as I do, I guess that has to be the question mark; the defensive end and how much effort you’re going to put on the defensive end. Especially at Providence, when I kind of played out of position, I played the power forward a lot. They want to see if my lateral quickness can keep up with these smaller guards.”
On the improvements he needs to make to succeed in the NBA…
“From what I’ve been hearing from other teams, mostly my strength, my core strength as well as my upper body strength. They feel like if I could improve that, I’ll become a better defender and be able to finish around the rim a little bit more.”
On if he sees himself with Alec Burks and Klay Thompson competing for the 10th pick…
“I think that’s something I can’t control. I had a pretty good workout today, didn’t play as well as I would like to, but I did have a pretty good workout. I got to show some things I could do, I could shoot it real well and get to the rim, but kudos to those guys. Good luck. You never know though.”
On today’s workout…
“I was playing against Josh Selby today. It was kind of a weird workout as far as the sizes and everything, but it was a good chance for me to show that I can stay in front of a smaller defender, and I think I did a good job of doing that on the defensive end. He’s a quick guard who likes to get to the rim, and I did a real good job of staying in front of him today, so that was huge.”
Chandler Parsons - Florida
On the workout…
“I intended to come in here and do a one-on-none workout or a workout with just one or two other guys but it worked out great. There were five other great players here so I told my agent I wanted to get in this workout. It’s the last one (for me) so I might as well finish out strong and finish out against some good competition. There’s a lot of talent in this workout and I think everybody competed very hard and it’s out of my hands now. I’ve done everything I can do from here on out so it’s up to them from now on so (I can) just sit back and relax and enjoy it.”
On his workout schedule…
“This was my 16th.”
On what his best skill is that can translate to the NBA…
“I think what makes me different is I do everything well. There’s not one skill that I would say I do phenomenally; I think I do everything very good. I think I can pass the ball, I can rebound very well, I can shoot the ball, make plays, (I have a) very high basketball IQ, play hard, good locker room guy, so I think I bring a lot of great things to a team.”
On what his draft range is…
“I don’t think I’m going to fall to No. 40 but I think there’s going to be a lot of trades. I think there’s going to be a lot of moving around so I figured if they (the Bucks) have the chance to do that and they get a pick where it’s in my range, why not work out for them and come in here and get a good workout in. I don’t know where I’m going to go. I have a good idea of what range I’m going to go, but really all you need is one team to fall in love with you and take a chance on you. I think I’ve proven to 16 teams that I can bring something to this league and contribute right away.”
Chris Singleton - Florida State
On the workouts…
“It’s been going well. It’s been a rollercoaster ride. You have your great workouts, you have your bad ones, but overall, it’s been a good process.”
On how he would define his game…
“I’m probably a little bit more of a grinder. I’m still trying to add to my game offensively but I’m steadily increasing my potential.”
On how he wants to establish himself in the NBA…
“That I belong in the league. A lot of people, they just go out there and just take it for granted that they’re in the league but I just want to earn a spot and continue to do that.”
On his defense…
“Everybody wants to stop Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, we can only try; so I’ll just go out there and try my best.”
On what makes him a good defender…
“It’s hard work and just being in the Florida State system where they preach defense every day, all day. I just learned from that and took what they taught me and went with it.”
On his workout schedule…
“I’ve done 11 or 12 and I have one more tomorrow.”
On his draft plans…
“I’ll be in the green room. It’s definitely an exciting time. There’s no reason to be nervous, you’re going to get picked. I’m not nervous.”
Billy McKinney - Director of Scouting
On today’s workout…
“We had a really good workout today, six players in again. Jon Leuer from Wisconsin, Chandler Parsons from Florida, Marshon Brooks from Providence, a very good scorer, Josh Selby, Chris Singleton and Tobias Harris, from the University of Tennessee, came out as a freshman. The last workout today was a good workout, but you can really start to see the fatigue that the players are having from the workouts that they’ve had. Talking to the players at breakfast this morning, each of the players had about 13 workouts so they’re all ready for the draft, as are we.”
On if the Bucks are interested in Marshon Brooks at No. 10…
“He’s here, so we have some interest. Dave Babcock had seen him earlier this season and the one thing about him is he can really score the basketball. He has a knack for the game, being able to get outside shots as well as being able to get into the paint and create shots for himself and teammates.”
On if Brooks is projecting upward in the draft…
“Absolutely. I think he had a pretty good Chicago pre-draft camp, but what we’ve done since the pre-draft camp is we have spent a tremendous amount of time watching videos on the players. Being able to compare them in the workout is awesome for us. He had a good workout again today.”
On comparing Brooks with Alec Burks, Klay Thompson and Jordan Hamilton…
“(He is) very comparable. He’s very crafty with the basketball. I know he patterns his game after Kobe Bryant, the way he moves and things like that. That’s a stretch to say that he’ll be Kobe Bryant, but again, here’s a guy that scored 52 points in a college basketball game in Big East competition, so he’s a pretty talented player.”
On Wisconsin’s Jon Leuer…
“(There is) not much to dislike about Jon, the way he plays. Of course, being in our backyard, we’ve had an opportunity to watch him play quite a bit. We call him a stretch four that also has the ability to score out of the low post. He’s a little better athlete than people give him credit for, a little better shooter than people think he is. We like him. Of course, we’re not thinking about him with the 10th pick in the draft. Potentially, every guy here at the workout today has an opportunity to possibly go in the first round.”
On if Brooks shows enough handles to be a combo guard or point guard…
“I don’t know so much about the point guard, but he does have handles, without question. I’m sure he could play the point at stretches, but his natural inclination is to be a scorer. In today’s game, with smaller lineups and with his ability to handle the ball, I can see him playing at the small forward position, maybe playing as a combo guard.”
On Marquette’s Jimmy Butler…
“We’ve always liked Jimmy. In fact, we were hoping to get him in for a workout here, but he didn’t feel that we would take him at 10, number one, and he wouldn’t be available at 40. Jimmy was the MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and because he’s been in our backyard, we’ve had a great chance to look at him. He’s another guy that we think will probably be gone in the first round.”
On if the Bucks would take Leuer at No. 40…
“If he’s at 40, I think it’s kind of a no-brainer for us. But that’s doubtful with the workouts that he’s had so far and the way he’s performed that he will be there with our 40th pick.”
On if Leuer is moving up in the draft…
“With a player like Jon, who has the size and the skill set that he has, he’s going to be a very valuable asset to the team that drafts him.”
On Josh Selby’s NBA potential…
“He’s got a lot of growth in his game. Right now, I look at Josh Selby as kind of an undersized two. He plays the point guard, he’s a guy that can probably play both positions, but he has more of a scorer’s mentality. A guy that really likes to get to the basket, but he has the ability to knock down the outside shot. A lot of the guys that have come out early in the draft probably could’ve used an extra year of school, but they’re here now and he’s going to have to make do with making the changes in his game to fit into the NBA.”
On if the Bucks see their pick as fluid and are zeroing in on someone or some position…
“When you talk about fluid, one of the things that we’re trying to determine right now in the last week or so – the draft is two days away – and one of the things happening is we’re not sure what’s going to happen above us. The first six players in the draft seem to be set and after that, from seven on down to 10, there could be some surprises in the draft that could impact us in a very good way. Right now, we’re doing all of our homework on player backgrounds and their skill sets and we’ll be ready to roll with whatever happens.”
On the volume of trade calls from other teams…
“There’s been a lot of activity as far as calls. One of the reasons is that the number 10 pick has a lot of value, to us and to teams that are trying to move up in the draft to get what they feel would be a very good player, maybe better than what would be available in the teens or in the twenties.”
On Kawhi Leonard…
“Kawhi Leonard, from San Diego State, was projected to be a lottery pick and we had him scheduled to workout today; however, when he worked out in Detroit, a couple of other players worked out with him, and they said he had a problem with his Achilles tendon, which he backed out of the workout (because of). He did not workout in Detroit – he started to workout there, backed out of their workout. One of their players, Jonas Jerebko, had an Achilles injury this year, so Detroit was being mindful of this young man’s future. It’s not necessarily that he has a guarantee, but just more of a health situation, being concerned for his health.”
On if the Bucks would take Leonard with the 10th pick…
“We would have loved to see him, but I think it’s kind of doubtful that he would be at 10. A very multi-dimensional player. We have to plan for every eventuality, whether he’d be at 10 or if we happen to move up and want to take him there, but we know him pretty well. All of us in our scouting department – John Hammond, Jeff Weltman, Dave Babcock – we’ve had a chance to see him multiple times.”
On if Leonard is a true small forward…
“Yes, but very versatile. He rebounds, he’s a great rebounding small forward, can pass the ball, great feel for the game.”
On how picks seven through nine can affect the Bucks 10th pick…
“We’re doing our homework and it’s kind of like life a lot of the times. You have to be able to roll with the punches.”
On if the shooting guards available would be good options for the Bucks…
“Absolutely. And then one of the things you talk about is how the draft varies. Yesterday, some of the draft experts on ESPN were talking about Kawhi Leonard going in the top five or six, they were talking about Klay Thompson maybe going in the top five or six, Alec Burks going there. You talk about this draft being rather fluid and us dealing with that, that’s what we’re trying to manage.”
On if the Bucks would pick Jimmer Fredette…
“It’d be very difficult. I know, in talking to John Hammond, it would be very difficult. His policy in the past is if a guy hasn’t come in, it’d be very difficult for us to draft him. And the other part of that is Jimmer, in his mind – we talked to him in Chicago, believes he’s a starter and we have a very good young starting point guard here. And so, sometimes the player and the agent get together and say, ‘maybe that’s not the best spot for you to go. There are other teams that maybe you could be a starter.’ But we know Jimmer’s game pretty well too. We’ve all been ‘Jimmered’ this year at some time or another.”
On Fredette…
“We feel good about the options that will be available at 10. Of course it’s a little disappointing that he didn’t come in to workout for us; however, we have seen him a lot over the last couple years. We feel like we know his game, we had a chance to interview him and talk with him extensively in Chicago and like everything about him. He’s got a lot of heart.”
On if there’s a big drop-off from the 10th pick to the mid-teens…
“Some people would argue that there’s not. Some people say that the player you could get at 10, you could get at 15 or 17. We feel like if we stay where we are, we’re going to get one heck of a player.”
