Ewing and Wright Impress at Pre-Draft Workouts

For NBA Draft hopefuls Daniel Ewing and Bracey Wright, Thursday may not have been their first workout in front of an NBA team, but it certainly won’t be the last.

With Draft Day less than two weeks away, the rush is on to check out all the talent going up for grabs on the big night. That meant an up-close look at the two 6-3 guards as the duo showcased their skills for the Suns' front office and coaching staff on the team’s practice court at America West Arena.

“They both came off very good performances in (the pre-draft camp in) Chicago,” Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. "They played well enough to say, ‘Hey, let’s bring them back to Phoenix and take a look.’ It was good to see those two go against each other today.”

Wright, a junior guard from Indiana, admits he was excited to come to Phoenix and show why he’s been a standout member of the Hoosiers for the last three seasons.

“I’m a really smart player,” said Wright, who averaged 18.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 2.7 apg this year for IU. “I don’t necessarily have to have the ball in my hands to contribute in a game. I get deflections on defense. My length can guard a point guard and a two guard. I give everything I can out there. In terms of my shooting, I can stretch the defense. I also give the option of running the point or coming off screens to score.”

Ewing, who says his style of play is a bit like the NBA's Jason Terry or Bobby Jackson, wasn’t 100-percent satisfied with his performance in front of the Suns, but it allowed him to open up other parts of his game.

“I didn’t shoot the ball well to start off with, but it’s like that sometimes,” the Duke standout admitted. “You’ll have days where your shooting’s off, so you have to do other things. I think I showed that today, playing good defense, stripping the ball in pick-and-roll situations and handling the ball really well. I can shoot, get up and down and make things happen.

“My versatility – the ability to play on and off the ball, offensively and defensively, and being able to guard the ball well helps me out.”

Coming off workouts in big NBA markets like Houston, New York and Los Angeles, the 15.3-ppg scorer for Duke in 2004-05 is quickly becoming a veteran of these types of showcases in front of basketball coaches and front office elite. Not that it took much adjusting. Remember he did have Mike Krzyzewski as a head coach.

“It’s pretty much go out and be yourself,” said Ewing on the workout process. “Do what you do and hopefully the personnel and coaches will like some of those things and it will benefit you.”

As a member of Indiana's basketball program under Head Coach Mike Davis, Wright admits he’s a fan of Gilbert Arenas’ game but doesn’t want to be the second coming of anybody when it comes to his style out on the court.

“I’m the first Bracey Wright, but I always enjoyed watching Arenas play and Larry Hughes play,” he said. “But with Arenas, I see the mold.”

“Bracey plays bigger than his size,” Colangelo said. “He has a tremendous wingspan – a 6-10 wingspan on a 6-2 frame. That’s a big differential and something we always look at. He’s a very good shooter, as is Ewing. They both can defend. And with Daniel, anyone who comes from a solid program (like Duke) probably has a leg up in the process. They have a history of producing good NBA players.”

We’ll all have to wait until June 28’s NBA Draft to see how everything ultimately plays out for the two guards, but Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni says neither guy should worry about finding NBA employment in the near future.

“They’ll have a chance to play in our league and they’ll probably be pretty good,” the 2004-05 NBA Coach of the Year said.