Damyean Dotson

Wheat Hotchkiss

For prospects, the pre-draft process can be a grueling endeavor. From the NBA Draft Combine in early May to weeks of workouts, flying from city to city to audition for teams, even some of the world's best athletes feel the toll on their bodies.

The ultimate goal, however, is to earn a spot on an NBA roster. For some prospects, like Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell, it's starting to set in that that childhood dream will soon become a reality.

On Wednesday, Mitchell, a probable first-round pick, received an invitation to attend the 2017 NBA Draft and sit in the green room at the Barclays Center on June 22.

"I kind of went off the wall yesterday just screaming and yelling in my pillow," Mitchell said after Thursday's pre-draft workout for the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "I'm excited, but I've still got a few workouts to go."

Along with Mitchell, another participant in Thursday's workout for Indiana — North Carolina forward Justin Jackson — also received a green room invite. Both players could be options for the Pacers, who currently own the 18th overall pick in next week's draft.

Mitchell is a player that seems to be flying up draft boards, thanks to a strong showing during the pre-draft process. Some mock drafts have him going as early as the 11th pick, meaning the Pacers might have to trade up if they want to take him (though the usual caveat applies that mock drafts are nothing more than semi-educated guesses).

It is easy to see why scouts love Mitchell as a prospect. He improved tremendously in his sophomore season at Louisville, more than doubling his scoring average from his freshman season from 7.4 to 15.6 points per game. He led the Cardinals in scoring, averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 assists per contest, and led the ACC with 70 steals on the season (2.1 per game).

But those numbers only scratch the surface of what makes Mitchell such an enticing prospect. His athletic measurements are off the charts.

Though he is just 6-1 1/4 without shoes, Mitchell has a freakishly long 6-10 wingspan. For perspective, former Pacers guard George Hill — nicknamed "The Creature" for his own absurd measurements — was the same height but with a wingspan an inch shorter when he went through the draft process in 2008.

Mitchell also had a 36.5-inch standing vertical leap at the combine, the highest measurement of any prospect who took part in testing and the same number that Pacers high-flyer and reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion Glenn Robinson III put up at the 2014 combine.

With those measurements, it's easy to see why Mitchell would impress in pre-draft workouts. It doesn't hurt that he can also impress teams by saying the right things in interviews.

"I just credit it to just being a perfectionist," Mitchell said about his rising draft stock. "Every little detail — it doesn't matter if I'm working out for (the team with the) 24(th pick), 25, or number one. I treat the workout like it's the same everywhere I go and really focus on the little things."

Offensively, Mitchell has improved as a shooter. After making just 18 3-pointers as a freshman, he knocked down 80 as a sophomore while increasing his 3-point percentage from .250 to .354.

Though he played mostly off the ball in college, Mitchell wants to show teams that he can run the point at the next level, though his defensive prowess may mean that he can remain at shooting guard despite his height. Similar-sized players like Avery Bradley have found success at that position by playing strong defense.

Mitchell's wingspan certainly allows him to bother bigger players on the perimeter. He said on Thursday he thinks he can even guard certain power forwards and credits his success on that end to two years in Louisville coach Rick Pitino's aggressive defensive system.

"You don't see the floor unless you play defense," Mitchell said. "I think that is really what helped me get ahead of certain guys in this process. Even if I play great defense and a guy hits a shot, I still get mad at myself and I want to get another stop. That mentality I think will help me."

Mitchell recently had another chance to put his defensive skills to the test, when he and other draft prospects (including Duke's Luke Kennard, Wake Forest's John Collins, and Oregon's Jordan Bell) worked out with Pacers All-Star forward Paul George in California.

"Working out with Paul is awesome," Mitchell said. "He's a veteran. He knows his stuff. He gave me the work a few times, he gave me a few buckets. But being able to go against that, it helps you prepare for guys who are your own age.

"When you go against guys who's faced guys the likes of LeBron, Kawhi, even Kobe — it definitely helps you become a better defender...If you can guard guys like him and keep guys in front of you like that, it will definitely help you. I think that's one of the big reasons I've improved."

Would Mitchell enjoy the opportunity to potentially play alongside George?

"100 percent," he said. "I love Indiana and I've been around Paul for a little bit, so I like talking to him, I like communicating with him. He's a great guy and I love this organization."

Jackson is another intriguing first-round option for the Pacers.

The 6-8 small forward went through the pre-draft process after his sophomore season, but elected to return to school. It was most definitely the right decision for Jackson, who was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American as a junior, when he averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and led the Tar Heels to a national championship.

Jackson said on Thursday that having interviews with NBA teams last season helped him get a good grasp on where he needed to show improvement to boost his draft stock.

"Getting stronger and being able to shoot the three ball more consistently," Jackson said. "Those were kind of the two main things. And then defensively, trying to be a little more active and better on the defensive end."

Jackson took that advice to heart and showed significant improvement, especially shooting the basketball. He turned into a real weapon from 3-point range, converting threes at a 37-percent clip after only shooting 29.2 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore.

With good size and an improved shooting stroke, Jackson can offer teams a versatile offensive game. He's tall enough to see over defenses and make smart passes, handles the ball well for a player his size, and has a go-to move with a floater he can convert at a high rate with either hand thanks to his soft touch and 6-11 wingspan.

A week before the draft, Jackson said he still doesn't have a feel for when he might hear his name called. He could come off the board in the latter half of the lottery or he could still be available when the Pacers are on the clock with the 18th pick.

"It's hard for me because my range (is) a little bit bigger, like from 10 to 20," Jackson said. "There's not necessarily one or two teams that were really serious about 'Okay, we want him.' It can get to your nerves a little bit."

Like Mitchell, Jackson has a connection to a current Pacers star. Both he and Pacers center Myles Turner were high school stars in Texas and two of the top recruits in the class of 2014. Turner attended Thursday's pre-draft workout and chatted with Jackson for a few minutes afterwards.

"Basketball players respect other good basketball players," Jackson said. "I've played with him a little bit, I played against him at (the) McDonald's (All-American) Game and some of the camps and things like that.

"Obviously, he's turned out to be a really good player in the NBA. I respect him a ton. He's a great guy. Hopefully I can get to where he's at."

Clemson's Jaron Blossomgame (left) and Houston's Damyean Dotson (right) hoped to impress Pacers scouts on Thursday.

Blossomgame, Dotson Offer Second-Round Options on the Perimeter

While Mitchell and Jackson will come off the board in the first round, there are plenty of intriguing wings that should be available in the second round, where the Pacers own the 47th overall selection.

Two possible options are Clemson's Jarron Blossomgame and Houston's Damyean Dotson, both of whom also took part in Thursday's workout.

Like Jackson, Blossomgame tested the draft waters a year ago before electing to return to school. His primary focus in his senior season at Clemson was on his defensive development, something he sees as his ticket to early playing time in the NBA.

The Tigers' system allowed their players to switch ball screens, which gave Blossomgame the opportunity to use his 6-7, 219-pound frame against a variety of different players. That experience has served him well in workouts like Thursday's.

"Personally, I think it went pretty good," Blossomgame said of his audition for the Pacers. "I wanted to do a good job of showing my versatility defensively, being able to guard guys like Justin and Donovan and then switch on the big guys like Luke."

Blossomgame averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a senior, primarily playing the power forward position. In the NBA, he seems best suited for a hybrid role playing as both a small forward or a power forward in smaller lineups.

Blossomgame's strengths stem primarily from his energy and effort. He moves well in transition and crashes the glass well, particularly on the offensive end. Combined with defensive abilities, he has a good feel for the type of role he might be asked to fill.

"I think you can put me in right away and I can kind of do what Andre Iguodala does — be an energy guy, defend at a high level, and play in transition," Blossomgame said.

The biggest question mark in regard to Blossomgame is his inconsistent shooting percentage. He attempted right around three 3-pointers per game as both a junior and a senior, but with vastly different results. After posting a .446 3-point percentage in 2015-16, Blossomgame converted just 25.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc last season.

That stark difference begs the question — which shooter will NBA teams be getting if they take a chance on Blossomgame?

"I think it's somewhere in the middle between those two numbers," he said. "I'm still improving on a lot of parts of my game, but shooting is one thing I need to really emphasize."

Dotson is a 6-5 shooting guard who turned heads with a strong showing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in mid-April, a showcase for the best senior prospects in the country. Dotson averaged 14.7 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds over the three-day event while shooting 55.9 percent from the field. His team captured the title and Dotson was named tournament MVP.

"I think I just played as a great teammate," Dotson said of his performance at Portsmouth. "I did all the little things, shared the ball, shot the ball well, and just played good defense and rebounded it well."

His performance at Portsmouth backed up what was an excellent senior season for Dotson. He averaged 17.4 points per game in his final year on campus and converted 44.3 percent of his 3-point shots, up significantly from the .367 percentage he had as a junior. Dotson credited the improvement to mechanical adjustments he made during workouts last summer.

One thing Dotson did exceptionally well at Houston was rebound the basketball. He played for two seasons at Oregon, where he averaged 3.5 and then 3.2 rebounds per game, but nearly doubled those averages after transferring. In his two seasons with the Cougars, Dotson averaged 6.8 and 6.9 rebounds per game, terrific averages for a player who played primarily as a guard.

Dotson credits his success on the glass to conversations he had with Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson.

"I feel like my coach pushed me a lot," Dotson said. "He told me I was very athletic and I've got a good first jump, so he wanted me to go out there and get the ball. That's what I did."

Since college, Dotson has focused on improving defensively and as a playmaker creating for others (his 6.0 assists per game at Portsmouth were a major jump up from his college numbers, where he never averaged more than 1.3 per contest). Thursday's workout was his 12th with an NBA team and he could very well hear his name called in the second round next week.

Marquette's Luke Fischer (left) and Vanderbilt's Luke Kornet (right) are two centers with very different skill sets.

Two Lukes Offer Different Options at Center Position

The last two prospects at Thursday's workout shared the same first name and stature. Luke Fischer (Marquette) and Luke Kornet (Vanderbilt) are both centers, but their games could not be more different.

The 6-11 Fischer is more of a traditional big man, while the 7-foot Kornet plays more on the perimeter.

Kornet holds the NCAA record for most 3-pointers made by a 7-footer, having converted 150-of-472 (31.8 percent) shots from 3-point range over his four years in college.

His smooth stroke was on full display on Thursday during the portion of the workout open to the media. Kornet knocked down shots from beyond the NBA arc at a remarkably high clip, drawing considerable attention from the media throng in attendance.

His performance also earned praise from the other players in Thursday's workout. Count Mitchell, who rather amusingly referred to Kornet as "tall Luke" even though he's just an inch taller than Fischer, among his fans.

"He can really shoot the ball," Mitchell said. "I'm really impressed."

Offensively, Kornet's comfort on the perimeter makes him an intriguing option in the pace-and-space era, where big men who can stretch the floor are an increasingly valuable commodity.

Defensively, Kornet was one of the best rim protectors in the country the past two seasons. He averaged 3.0 blocks per game as a junior and 2.0 as a senior and was named to the All-SEC Defensive team both years.

Despite his height, Kornet's defensive success did not come naturally.

"My first two years I honestly might have been the worst defender on our team," Kornet said. "And then being able to be all-conference defense, I worked really hard in the weight room to improve that side of my game."

Unlike Kornet, Fischer's game is based primarily in the post.

He actually began his career at Indiana and appeared in 13 games for the Hoosiers as a freshman before electing to transfer back to his home state of Wisconsin. Fischer's numbers were very consistent over his three seasons at Marquette and he averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game as a senior.

"I can do a little bit of everything," Fischer said. "I can be like that hard-working, tough-nosed type of guy (who) rebounds, blocks shots, can guard the ball screens. I know that my game being a back-to-the-basket type of guy isn't going to translate super well to the NBA right away, so I'll do whatever it takes to get there."

Fischer did not take a huge volume of shots in college, but he was extremely efficient in his limited usage, shooting above 60 percent from the field in each of his three seasons with the Golden Eagles, including a career-best 64.7 percent as a senior.

But in stark contrast to Kornet, Fischer rarely utilized his jump shot. He did not attempt a single 3-pointer during his time in college, but knows he needs to expand his range to be able to earn playing time at the next level.

"I definitely have to change my game up a little bit, be able to step out and hit the 15-foot jump shot and hopefully eventually even a little bit further than that," Fischer said.

jackson-mitchell-could-offer-pacers-help-on-the-wing

Jackson, Mitchell Could Offer Pacers Help on the Wing

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Height: 6-5
Weight: 205
Position: SG
College: Houston
Age: 23

PPG: 17.4
RPG: 6.9
APG: 1.1
BLK: 0.2
STL: 0.9

HONORS
2016-17 NABC All-District 25 Second Team...2016-17 All-American Athletic Conference First Team...2015-16 All-American Athletic Conference Honorable Mention...2016 Gulf Coast Showcase Most Valuable Player...2015 Global Sports Classic All-Tournament Team...The American Player of the Week (Feb. 29, 2016)...The American Honor Roll (Feb. 27, 2017)...The American Honor Roll (Feb. 13, 2017)...The American Honor Roll (Feb. 6, 2017)...The American Honor Roll (Jan. 9, 2017)...The American Honor Roll (Dec. 18, 2016)...The American Honor Roll (Dec. 28, 2015)

SENIOR (2016-17)
Joined with Rob Gray to give Cougars two All-Conference First-Team selections in the same year for the first time since Carl Herrera and Craig Upchurch in 1990 in the Southwest Conference... Only Cougar to start all 32 games and started all 64 games during his Houston career... Ranked among the nation's top-10 leaders in 3-point field goal percentage (44.3, 10th) and 3-point field goals made per game (3.38, 8th)... One of only two players to rank among the American Athletic Conference's top-10 leaders in both scoring and rebounding... Ended his career having made at least one 3-pointer in a school-record 32 straight games... Scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three 3-pointers in the Cougars' season-opening win against Morgan State inside Hofheinz Pavilion... Scored 16 points with four 3-openers in opening win vs. George Mason at Gulf Coast Showcase... Led all players with 21 points and four 3-pointers in win over South Dakota in Gulf Coast Showcase Semifinals... Also grabbed nine rebounds against the Coyotes... Drove the lane and dished to Devin Davis for the game-winning layup as time expired to lead the Cougars to the Gulf Coast Showcase championship over Vermont... Finished with eight points and three assists... Named tournament Most Valuable Player... Posted 13 points with six rebounds at LSU... Recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and game-high 11 rebounds in win against Prairie View A&M... Posted his second straight double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds at Arkansas... Finished with 12 points and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds in win against Rhode Island... Enjoyed his third double-double of the season with game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds in win against UT Rio Grande Valley... Connected on 8-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-10 from behind the 3-point line, against the Vaqueros... Finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in win against Liberty for his fourth double-double... Scored 10 points with six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in win at UConn... Tied for game-high honors with 25 points and led all players with eight rebounds in win at USF... Led all players with 18 points and grabbed six rebounds with three steals in win against Tulsa... Finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for fifth double-double of season against No. 22/22 Cincinnati... Enjoyed another double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in win at East Carolina... Posted 10 points with a team-high eight rebounds at UCF... Recorded 14 points with six rebounds against Memphis... Led Cougars with 25 points and six 3-pointers at SMU... Added five assists and a steal against the Mustangs... Led Houston with 20 points and nine rebounds and added two assists in win at Tulane... Posted 20 points, thanks to four 3-pointers, with 10 rebounds in win against Temple... Scored game-high 31 points and drained seven 3-pointers with six rebounds in win against UCF... Became 58th Cougar to score 30+ points in a game during his career...Topped his career high with 32 points on 12-on-16 shooting in win at Tulane... Buried 6-of-7 3-point attempts with three rebounds in only 26 minutes against the Green Wave... Became first Cougar since Aubrey Coleman in 2009-10 to post consecutive 30-point games and became only 32nd Cougar with multiple 30-point games during his career... Totaled 24 points with a team-high seven rebounds in win at Tulsa... Finished with 19 points and five 3-pointers against No. 19/23 SMU... Led all players with 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in win against UConn... Sank a free throw with 3.3 seconds left to break a tie and lead the Cougars to the win at Memphis... Finished with 31 points and nine rebounds to pace Houston... Drained his lone 3-pointer with just 12 seconds left in the Cougars' Senior Day win over East Carolina to extend his school-record streak. American Championship: Posted 15 points with three rebounds against host UConn in Quarterfinals. NIT: Scored 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting and grabbed six rebounds with a pair of assists against Akron in First Round... Drained a bucket with 8:18 left to become 47th player in Houston history to reach 1,000 points during his career.

JUNIOR (2015-16)
Only Cougar to start every game... One of only three players to rank among the American Athletic Conference's top-11 leaders in both scoring and rebounding... Led Houston with six double-doubles... Made his Houston debut in the starting lineup against Prairie View A&M... Finished with 21 points, including three 3-pointers, and added six rebounds and two assists against the Panthers.... Recorded 11 points with 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his career against UT Rio Grande Valley.... Scored nine points with seven rebounds in win against Murray State... Led all players with 19 points and 12 rebounds at Rhode Island... Finished with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in win against LSU... Totaled 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three 3-pointers and added six rebounds and a pair of assists in win against North Carolina Central... Posted 16 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals in win against Eastern Illinois during Global Sports Classic Second Round... Scored 11 points in a 4-minute stretch early against the Panthers... Totaled eight points with seven rebounds against Grand Canyon during Global Sports Classic Third Round... Finished with 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds with three assists and a pair of steals against Wyoming in Global Sports Classic Championship Round... Posted 15 points with eight rebounds against Nicholls... Drained five 3-pointers on the way to 17 points in win at USF in American Athletic Conference opener... Added six rebounds and a pair of steals against the Bulls... Grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, including three offensive, at Cincinnati... Totaled 10 points with a team-high seven rebounds against UConn... Led Houston with 16 points and added seven rebounds and three assists at No. 8/NR SMU... Scored 11 points against USF... Posted nine points and nine rebounds in win against Tulsa... Finished with 23 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in double-overtime win at East Carolina... Totaled 13 points with four rebounds in win over No 12/NR SMU... Posted 23 points with four 3-pointers at Tulsa... Recorded 21 points with three 3-pointers and three rebounds in win against Memphis... Recorded 12 points with four rebounds in win against UCF... Led the Cougars with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting with four rebounds in win at Tulane... Tied for team lead with 20 points and led Cougars with six 3-pointers against Temple... Led five Cougars in double digits with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting with six rebounds at UCF... Led all players with 22 points and 14 rebounds in win at UConn for seventh double-double of the season... Tied for team lead with 13 points and led the Cougars with seven rebounds and three 3-pointers in win against Cincinnati. American Championship: Posted 16 points with three 3-pointers and added four rebounds against Tulane. NIT: Scored 14 points with a team-high six assists and added two steals against Georgia Tech in First Round.

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE (2014-15)
Sat out and did not compete while attending classes at Houston Community College.

SOPHOMORE (2013-14 at Oregon)
Made 33 starts, averaging 9.4 points per game as the team's fourth-leading scorer... Reached double figure scoring in 16 games... Ranked third on the team in FGs made (116) and fourth in rebounds per game (3.2)... Starter in 69-of-70 games he's played in during his Oregon career... Shot 80.3 percent at the charity stripe, sinking 53-of-66 free throws... Scored season-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting against Western Carolina... Matched his season-high on Feb. 19 against Washington, scoring 17 points on an efficient 7-of-8 shooting effort with two steals... Scored 13 points against Pacific and Cal Poly in the Global Sports Hardwood Challenge... Led team past Ole Miss in overtime with 13 points, six boards, two assists and a block... Scored 14 points with three assists in blowout victory over UC Irvine... Made the go-ahead lay-in with 35 seconds left in overtime against BYU (12-21), part of his 15 points... Stole the ball and scored a breakaway dunk with less than one second left in overtime, finishing with 11 points in win at Utah... Scored 16 points with four boards and two assists at Colorado... Scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with two assists and a steal against Stanford... Had 12 points with three rebounds and two assists at Arizona... Went 6-of-9 from the floor with 15 points in victory against Oregon State on Feb. 17... Scored 15 points on a 6-of-11 shooting display in victory over Arizona State on March 4.

FRESHMAN (2012-13 at Oregon)
Started 36 of Oregon's 37 games... Ranked second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (3.5 rpg)... Was named to the 2013 Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team... A Pac-12 All-Tournament team selection after averaging 14.7 points per game for the tournament champions... Selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team following the regular season... Finalist for the Team USA U19 team... Scored a season high 23 points against Saint Louis in the NCAA Round of 32, hitting 5-of-6 three-pointers... Connected on eight field goals and scored 21 points against Oregon State on Jan. 6... Grabbed a career-best nine rebounds against Washington State on Jan. 23... Scored in double figures 22 times, including six straight to end the season... Shot 33 percent from behind the arc (47-of-143).

JACK YATES HIGH SCHOOL
Averaged 21 points and five rebounds per game as a senior... Named 2012 Greater Houston Player of the Year by Houston Chronicle... Selected as 4A All-State, All-Region 3 and All-District 21 in his senior season... Named team captain in 2011-12... Led JYHS to the 4A state title game, scoring 23 points in a losing effort... Registered 26 points in the semifinal round of the state tourney to send JYHS to the title game... Averaged 18 points and six rebounds as a junior... Recognized as the District 21 Newcomer of the Year... Also an All-District performer as a junior... Member of JYHS team that was a consensus No. 1 ranked prep team in the nation in 2009-10 ... Helped lead JYHS to a state title as a sophomore... Played prep basketball for Greg Wise... Played AAU basketball for Houston Hoops under the direction of coach Byron Gibson.

PERSONAL
Full name is Damyean Da'Kethe Dotson... Born in Houston... Son of Lorie Dotson... Majoring in sociology.

Damyean Dotson

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