The top prospects in the June 28 NBA Draft showed up at Disney’s Wide World of Sports the day after the NBA Pre-Draft Camp ended. They took physicals, did some media interviews and left.
They missed out on the drills, practice sessions and scrimmages that NBA general managers, scouts and coaches use as a final measuring stick to determine a player’s value and ultimately his draft position.
That left guys like Darius Washington, Jordan Farmar, Rashard Anderson , Denham Brown, James Augustine, Renaldo Balkman, Morris Almond and Curtis Stenson as the stars of the four-day event that raised more questions than it answered.
“We’ve either got to eliminate individual workouts and have everyone come to the Pre-Draft camp," Magic General Manager Otis Smith said, “Or we’ve got to eliminate the Pre-Draft camp. We can’t keep having it both ways because we’re not getting to see guys playing against the best competition."
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South Carolina's Renaldo Balkman
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Whether the league should restrict teams from conducting individual workouts wasn’t the only issue at last week’s camp. Many of the top players who did show up to play still have college eligibility remaining and could decide to go back to school rather than remain in the draft.
Washington (Memphis State), Farmar (UCLA), Almond (Rice) and Balkman (South Carolina) were just four of the players who haven’t hired an agent and thus haven’t officially made up their minds whether it’s college or NBA ball next winter.
“And I don’t know if what happened at the Pre-Draft camp really helped them decide," Smith said. “A couple of those guys certainly helped themselves, but again, you’re not seeing them against the best competition so there is still some doubt."
Washington, who played high school basketball at Orlando Edgewater, seems to have benefited the most from the Pre-Draft camp. He is a good scorer with a brilliant burst of speed off the dribble, but there were questions about his ability to play point guard and at 6-foot-2, that will have to be his position in the NBA.
He had six assists in one game and shot the ball very well throughout the camp – he was 12-of-17 from the field, including five of eight on three-point attempts – but had only one assist in two of the three games he played.
“I used this camp to show (scouts) that I can run a team," Washington said. “I learned a lot and I’m pretty confident that showed them I have what it takes to be a leader."
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Darius Washington Jr. of Memphis
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Farmar might have been the top point guard prospect going into the camp and though he didn’t do anything to erase that, he didn’t do much to build on it. He looks good running a team, but is going to struggle defensively when facing the quickness of NBA point guards.
Beyond those two, it was a real toss up as to what players improved or disproved themselves. As is the case in any “all-star" experience, point guards have the best opportunity to be noticed because they have the ball and often decide who gets to shoot and from where.
Too often, it seems, the point guards decided on themselves as the best candidate to shoot.
“It's hard trying to keep everyone happy and get them the ball where they want it, when you've never played with guys before," Farmar said. “You have to develop a comfort level with these guys and find out where they like to get the ball and that takes time."
Nonetheless, there were some non-point guards who caught scouts’ eyes.
Louis Amundson, a 6-9 power forward from UNLV, ran the floor well, was in the right position and picked up a lot of loose balls around the basket each night. He drew some comparisons with Indiana’s Jeff Foster in terms of ability to scrap and be effective.
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UNLV's Louis Amundson (left) and San Diego State's Marcus Slaughter
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Kenny Adelake, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Hartford, was probably the toughest competitor in the camp. He challenged anyone who ventured into the lane and made it a battle for every rebound in his area. He could use a little polish offensively, but if he gets an offensive rebound, he’s not afraid to bull right back up with it and at least get fouled.
Nik Caner Medley, a small forward from Maryland was a surprise with his scoring and rebounding. The 6-foot-8 swing had 22 points one night on six of eight shooting that included a three-pointer. He took the ball hard to the basket and showed some range on his jump shot.
David Noel, a 6-6 swingman from North Carolina, didn’t score a lot of points, but was one of the best defenders in the camp and showed a high basketball IQ.
Some other shooters worth keeping an eye on when the second-round of the draft comes along would be Steve Novak from Marquette, Tarquan Dean of Louisville, Rashard Anderson and Denham Brown of Connecticut and Morris Almond of Rice.
Players unfamiliarity with each other really hurt the big men. They were often left out of the offense altogether as guards and swingmen rushed the ball upcourt trying to create a fast tempo. When they did catch up, there wasn’t a lot of ball movement so they didn’t get many second chances to touch the ball.
“You’re trying to show what you can do, but so is everyone else on the court and there is only one basketball," said 6-11 Notre Dame center Torin Francis.
Taj Gray, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Oklahoma may have played his way into the first round with a lot of energy, especially at the offensive end. He scored in double figures each game, but will need to prove he can rebound a little more effectively to assure himself a spot in the first round.
J.P. Batista, a 6-9 bruiser from Gonzaga, might have been the most physical player in the camp, but whoever is measuring him is generous with the tape. He looks a little undersized to be a power forward and not quick enough to play small forward, but may stick with somebody because of his toughness.
Whether he’ll be joined by many of his peers from the Pre-Draft camp remains to be seen.
“The league has got to quit sitting the fence on this," Smith said. “I think we ought to eliminate the individual workouts because what can you really see in a two-on-two situation? I’d rather see them play five-on-five and find out who really stands out among their peers."
Bill Fay, an Orlando freelance writer, has covered the Magic since their inaugural season.
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