NBA Draft Combine 2017

Sam Smith

It was a g’day for media members Friday at the close of the annual NBA Predraft Combine at the West Side Quest MultiSport. No one asked Terrance Ferguson whether he intended to put another shrimp on the Barbie.

But the kid who was labeled the mystery of the NBA draft because he skipped college to play professionally in Australia—of course more so to media members and the public than the NBA—isn’t likely to be a mystery much longer with impressive athletic and shooting abilities at guard.

Ferguson is a reasonable possibility to be available at No. 16 where the Bulls select in the first round of the draft. Though perhaps more advanced than some collegians, Ferguson isn’t ready to step into an NBA starting lineup at his age. But he’s an appealing prospect for a potential mid first rounder, a high flying, exceptional athletic guard with good size who already is a good catch and shoot player from three-point range. For his team, he was primarily an off the bench defender. But he finished games more as the season concluded.

He was one of several intriguing prospects who may be available in the middle of the first round.

Gonzaga seven-foot center Zach Collins, a clever big man, is likely to be selected at the end of the lottery. But there’s considerable uncertainty after the top 10 picks and Collins didn’t play a lot. So some teams may be leery. He looks like an unusually versatile big man.

“I think I’m a five,” Collins said. “I grew up playing a five, but I also play a four. I think I’ve always tried not to be a big stiff and just finish around the rim. It’s important to be able to shoot, dribble and be fundamentally sound wherever you are on the court. The way the game is played now in the NBA, you don’t find a lot of guys having success being big and bulky who only finish around the rim. You have to able to do multiple things offensively and defensively.”

Other interesting prospects who could be available around the Bulls position include Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell, North Carolina forward Justin Jackson, Duke guard Luke Kennard and Florida State forward Dwyane Bacon. There should be other competent big men. Like Texas’ Jarrett Allen, who could slip to the middle of the first round and says he sees no problem with the changing role of big men in the game.

“Animals evolve, humans evolve,” he noted. “The game of basketball is evolving.”

In their own evolution, it would seem the Bulls’ priorities would include wing shooting and athletic ability at guard. Ferguson might check the boxes at both. And already having to earn his playing time against veterans.

“I was learning the basics of being a professional,” said the 6-7 high flier who also draws comparisons to shooters like Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “Take care of my body, recovery and taking care of your money, spend it right and be smart. I was getting ready for professional life, playing against grown men and competing against them every day.”

Ferguson, who turns 19 next week, only averaged about five points playing for Adelaide in the Australian league.  He was slated to attend the U. of Arizona, but followed the path of two previous lottery picks, Emmanuel Mudiay and Brandon Jennings to skip the one year of college, earn money and get a head start on playing against professionals. NBA executives have differing views of the experience. Some believe the player doesn’t advance because he’ll play less being in a league with experienced pros. Ferguson sees it as a head start toward learning about your career.

And, at least, it avoids the hypocrisy of college where some players these days take summer school classes before entering as freshman. That way they don’t even have to attend classes the first semester in the pretense of the student/athlete concept.

“If you want to be a ball player and focus on basketball, school is going to weigh you down most days,” Ferguson acknowledged. “I knew I could not sit in a classroom.”

He could be a ripper. You know, what the Australians say for really great.

The Bulls likely also have that high second round pick from Sacramento and could find Duke’s Frank Jackson there. The scoring combo guard decided to get into the draft for certain after playing well in the first day of scrimmages, which the top draft picks skip for fear of not playing well. Yes, the colleges sure are producing a strong line of competitors.

Monte Morris, the career Iowa State leader in assists, also is more the scoring point guard who should be available at that second round spot. He is known for his care of the ball. He said his mother always taught him to treat the ball like it was her purse and watch out for her. He said he keeps in contact with his former coach, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.  “Fred’s my guy,” he said. “He texted me (after the first day) and even though I didn’t make shots, he said I did show a lot of things that don’t show on the stat sheet. He told me to stay confident and positive and control my body language, go out and do what got me here. He instilled a lot of confidence in me, told me play freely and we’ll see mistakes on film. He’s that kind of guy for players.”

Sindarius Thornwell, the 6-5 senior South Carolina shooting guard some of the mock drafts slate to the Bulls on the second round, sounded like someone who would compete amidst questions many players have been getting about why they attended the draft combine.

You wish many of your high lottery picks had that attitude as well.

inside-day-two-of-the-2017-nba-draft-combine

Inside Day Two Of The 2017 NBA Draft Combine

I think I may have spoken Thursday with at least one of the Bulls selections in this year’s NBA draft.

Now I’m trying to figure out if it’s the super athletic shooting guard, the religiously well rounded guy, the clever, mature point guard or the Brooklyn guy who says he intends to show everyone New Yorkers are not jerks. Now, that last guy could really be talented if he can do that.

The NBA Thursday began its intense testing, measuring, prodding and poking of most of the best young basketball players in the world at the NBA Draft Combine on the West Side at Quest MultiSport.

Not really all the best players because many of the projected top picks in the draft don’t show up. Some do for measurements, but opt out of playing in the scrimmages or doing media interviews. Yes, they practice before getting into the NBA how to avoid the media and public.

The top draft picks this year are projected to be Markelle Fultz of Washington, a near unanimous No. 1, Lonzo Ball of UCLA, a near unanimous potential pain in the butt because of his father’s media activism, Kansas Josh Jackson, Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox and perhaps Duke’s Jason Tatum. Arizona’s  Lauri Markkanen sneaks in on the lists of some teams.

It’s not unusual for the top picks these days to skip either the camp, the workouts and media for fear of falling in the draft. Yes, the NBA is investing a lot of money these days in kids who fear competing.

Like Kevin Durant, who still seems to be holding  a grudge about being mocked when he came to the camp and couldn’t lift 200 pounds. Of course, he still ended up as the No. 2 pick. But in the fake tough guy image he’s lately adopted, Durant told ESPN players should, “Stay your ass home, work out and get better on your own time.”

I personally would make any player failing to attend the camp ineligible to play in the NBA. After all, it is a job interview, and if you are first in your class at Yale, don’t you still interview? Or even at a higher caliber university like Ball State.

It turns out no one asked me and Fultz seems safe at the top.

Though I did overhear Ball’s UCLA teammate, T.J. Leaf-- who one scout told me was the next Nikola Mirotic (not exactly sure what he meant)—say he wasn’t paying $500 for a pair of Ball’s new sneakers. And Leaf should be a first round pick with maybe a three-year deal worth more than $10 million. So good at economics already.

But even if most of the top 10 picks weren’t around, or for long, that shouldn’t matter much to the Bulls picking No. 16. Of course, that could change in the month ahead with the lottery drawing next Tuesday and then the draft June 22. There figures to be much speculation regarding the Bulls after a 41-41 season and first round playoff ouster.

But for now it looks like picks Nos. 16 and 38.

There’s an infinitesimal chance the Bulls could get into the lottery with the Sacramento pick from the Luol Deng trade. But that would require three teams between Nos. 9 and 14 to all jump into the top three in the lottery. That’s never come close to happening. So the Bulls likely will finalize that deal with getting pick No. 38, No. 8 in the second round from the Kings.

The Bulls probably will conduct interviews and workouts with more than 40 players, so there’s no point in even trying to guess their selection by whom they meet. I’d say if I were making the pick, I’d most want shooting, great athletic ability and a playmaking point guard.

So how about Donovan Mitchell from Louisville, a big time athlete who can guard multiple positions, play some point guard? His shot isn’t great, but isn’t quite broken.

“I’m a guy willing to work,” said Mitchell, who talked about how proud he was being able to buy new clothes and accessories for his sister, though he said the new car will have to wait. “I feel I have the wing span and being defensive minded like I am, the focus on defense can help in my rookie year.”

At 6-3 he’s a bit small at shooting guard, but he has been compared with players like Avery Bradley and Eric Bledsoe. “Those are smaller guys able to defend taller wings,” noted Mitchell.

Or just perhaps go for the all-Tomball wing.

North Carolina’s Justin Jackson is a versatile wing player generally projected to be selected around the Bulls’ position. He’s from Tomball, Texas like the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler. But seemingly the other side of the city. Jackson said he was home schooled, so he didn’t know if Butler was celebrated in high schools there. He is deeply religious to the point he talked about making sure teams understand his commitment to God first doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about basketball. As a player he seems a bit like Paul Zipser with perhaps some more athletic ability.

“At times,” Jackson said, “people can take my beliefs sometimes as a negative. For me, my faith and my family are the most important things in my life; basketball comes right underneath that. So people may take that as, ‘He’s not as serious about basketball.’ In these interviews hopefully I can portray basketball as a talent I’ve been given by God. So if I don’t try to work as hard as I can at those abilities, I feel that’s a disgrace to Him.

“I’ve never met him or talked to him,” Jackson said about fellow Tomball native Butler. “It is a cool connection because he is one of the best guards in the league. That would be cool to have two Tombalians on the same team. I’m not sure (what Tomball tough, a favorite Butler expression, means). I guess hard nosed, continues to work hard. I’ve never heard that saying before. I usually say I’m from the Houston area because nobody really knows where Tomball is. For him it is the pride he has and that’s major respect the way he takes off for Tomball.”

Jackson was asked about North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and whether they’d become great pals if he becomes a Bull. Jackson said he thought Trubisky would have more pressing business.

I also liked the resume on Rawle Alkins, a freshman shooting guard from Arizona, though perhaps as a second round pick. He still could return to college because he hasn’t signed with an agent. Alkins is the Brooklyn kid who came into this week’s interviews—called speed dating by the kids for the quick sessions with teams—having studied the staffs of every team so he could call every one of the gms and scouts by their first names.

“Every interview, I do research on the team,” said Alkins. “I make sure I know the general manager’s name, people on staff. I try to get them as comfortable as possible about the stigma of New York athletes. They’re not that rude. You’re applying for a job; do your best to get it.”

Alkins is a physical scoring guard with an improving shot, an intriguing prospect “I really don’t have a position,” says Alkins. “I play multiple roles, guard the four man, wing, point guards.”

Another interesting possibility is Gonzaga point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, who is a likely second round selection and not quite the NBA level starter. But he’s a natural point guard who led Gonzaga in points, rebounds and assists in the championship game. He’s not exceptionally fast, but a top playmaker and floor leader type who can run an offense.

“You kind of know what you are getting with a player like me,” he said. “My maturity, coming into this league probably as backup you have to be solid; can’t be a high risk, high reward guard. I’m someone who can take the reigns and be in control. Coming into this league you have to earn your stripes; a backup has to be a solid point guard. The coach has to know what he’ll get and I feel I can bring that to table. I’m not a converted point guard. I’ve been a point guard my whole life and that comes naturally.”

Another interesting guy who isn’t your typical ham ‘n egger is Florida State’s Dwayne Bacon. He’s an athletic wing man who can shoot well enough to be a big shooting guard. He’s been projected anywhere from the late teens in the draft into the 30s.

“I play two and three mostly,” he said. “I feel as I get older I can play some point guard as well.”

In that realm as well is South Carolina’s P.J. Dozier, a big guard who can play point but doesn’t yet shoot well enough at shooting guard.

“It’s something I work on countless hours,” he said about the shooting. “I’m versatile and can play the one through the three. I’ve been playing point all my life and also defend one through three. The more positions you can play, the more you can be on the court and help your team.”

Josh Hart, who returned to Villanova after they won the 2016 title, is an experienced shooting guard. Though he corrected me there.

Probably a second round pick and too bad since the Bulls could use a shooting guard.

inside-the-2017-nba-draft-combine

Inside the 2017 NBA Draft Combine

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