2016 Draft Workouts

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Playmakers are in vogue in the NBA these days. The one-dimensional specialists are giving way to the more versatile talents who can thrive both offensively and defensively in a game increasingly dominated by pick and rolls.

With that in mind, the Pacers drafted Iowa State's Georges Niang with the 50th overall selection in Thursday's NBA draft, adding a 6-foot-9 four-year collegian who they hope can step into the rotation immediately and bypass the detour to their Development League affiliate in Fort Wayne.

RELATED: Georges Niang Bio + Video Interview »   Photo Gallery »

Niang stood out in the final group workout against the likes of potential first-rounders Brice Johnson and Cheick Diallo, which went a long way toward convincing the Pacers to invest in a player they didn't expect to be available to them.

"You look at some of the teams and how they're playing that are going deep into the playoffs," general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "The spread four is really important. And then the other thing is you have to have four guys who can make plays. We thought Niang is really one of the best playmakers in college basketball.

The pick-and-roll game is (big). If your four man can dive but also pick and pop and shoot the ball, drive the ball and make quick decision plays, that's what we saw in that workout. Against bigger guys. Believe it or not that workout was really important to us. I don't know if it was 20 percent of it or 30 percent of it but it was an important workout."

RELATED: Story from Niang's Pre-Draft Workout »

Niang earned second- and third-team All-American honors last season at Iowa State, along with the Karl Malone Award as the nation's best power forward. He averaged 20.5 points on 55 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He was a college 3-point threat, hitting 39 percent of 4.1 attempts per game.

He was widely regarded as a borderline draft pick because of his lack of athleticism, but the Pacers believe his skills and IQ will make up for that.

"The game is athletic, but I think he's always gotten by and been successful because he's super crafty," Pritchard said. "My boss (Larry Bird) is pretty crafty, too...He knows how to use his body, he's got the spin moves, he does all that and he knows how to be in the right position on defense, too.

"We needed that. At the end of the year we said we really need to improve our overall team IQ."

Pritchard added that the Pacers made some attempts to obtain a late first-round draft pick after the draft began, but were unable to work a suitable trade. He said one early selection changed the entire draft, but declined to identify it.

"It was a very unique draft this year," he said.

Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Pacers Pick Up Playmaker in Niang

The Pacers appear to have finished their collective eyeballing of prospects for Thursday's NBA draft. So what do we know?

Not much, really, unless we are a member of the Pacers' basketball department, and we aren't. The list of candidates the team has lured for workouts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse doesn't reveal everything in the grand scheme of things, and we certainly don't know what teams drafting ahead of them are planning, not to mention trade possibilities.

DRAFT CENTRAL: Video and Stories on 42 Prospects at Pacers.com/Draft »

The best outsiders to the process can do is try to get a handle on the caliber of player who might be available to the Pacers with the 20th pick. Perhaps you've seen the list of previous No. 20 draft picks, published here on Pacers.com. All it tells you is what you already know, namely that it's a hit-or-miss position from which to select a player. Teams are fortunate to get a player who can earn a spot in their rotation for awhile. Many 20th picks wash out of the league after two or three years, never to be heard from again.

Still, you never know. Sometimes players from the second round wind up having great careers, and with so many 19-year-olds feeling the draft these days, a team might get a little lucky and land one who blooms into a major contributor.

Scan the mock drafts, and you can find at least 17 players predicted for the Pacers with the 20th pick. Fewer than 10 of them came in for group workouts in recent weeks, but not for lack of trying on the part of scouting director Ryan Carr. Agents for some of the no-shows refused to send in their clients, believing they'll be selected before the 20th pick.

"It happens every year to a certain degree," Carr said. "You're trying to get as many guys as you think could get to you in the draft, and agents are trying to not send them to workouts where they feel they won't be picked. There's always back and forth."

Ideally, Carr would be able to bring in every player projected to go above the Pacers' pick, to have as much information as possible. But team president Larry Bird and his staff won't eliminate someone because they didn't come.

"We work really hard to have as much information as we can," Carr said. "We've been watching these guys since when they were freshmen."

Carr flew to Treviso, Italy two weeks ago to attend the three-day adidas Euro Camp to watch prospects for this and future drafts. The Pacers' choice could come from that group as well.

While the 20th pick doesn't offer much hope for landing a future All-Star, the Pacers have made some of their most successful selections in the mid- to lower region of the first round. Former general manager and team president Donnie Walsh, who directed the Pacers' draft from 1986 through 2003, often felt more comfortable drafting in that region.

"You can't make a mistake when you're in the top 10," he said. "If you do, you've really lost an opportunity. You've got to approach it the same way from 10 to 20. There are guys who will be left out of the top 10 who should be in the top 10. It's so much easier to take those guys when you're (drafting) 11 or 12, and that's where I had my best picks."

Walsh had four top-10 picks in his era. Chuck Person went fourth in 1986 and was voted Rookie of the Year. Rik Smits went second in 1988 and became the franchise's second all-time leading scorer. But George McCloud, who was seventh in 1989, was set back by the death of both parents early in his career and wound up having his best years for other teams. Erick Dampier, taken 10th in 1996, was traded for Chris Mullin after his rookie season.

It could be argued Walsh and Bird have fared better overall outside the top 10, with picks such as:

A fundamental of later first-round picks, Walsh said, is to draft for talent rather than need. Bird was famously given an F by one draft analyst after drafting George because it didn't appear the Pacers needed a player at that position. Obviously, it has worked out all right. The Pacers passed on future All-Star Kawhi Leonard in 2015, though, because they already had Granger and George at that position. They selected him at San Antonio's request and traded him for George Hill, who has started the past 4 1/2 seasons.

"I think you make a mistake if you're in the top 20 drafting for need," Walsh said. "The minute you do that, you make a major mistake."

So there you have it. The best indications are that the Pacers will draft a player at any position, from any country and who might or might not have been in for a pre-draft workout. Assuming, of course, they don't trade the pick.

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This Year's Pacers Draft as Unpredictable as Ever

Wheat Hotchkiss

On Friday morning, the Pacers held what is believed to be their final pre-draft workout before the 2016 NBA Draft next Thursday. Indiana welcomed six more prospects to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday for drills and interviews. The Pacers, who have the 20th and 50th overall picks in this year's draft, have officially held seven workouts with a total of 42 players over the last month.

For the local media, the obvious headliner in attendance on Friday was Park Tudor and Indiana University alum Yogi Ferrell, who Mark Montieth wrote about for this site. But aside from Ferrell and fellow point guard Kyle Collinsworth, the workout featured four big men, making it the most interior-focused collection of players from any of the seven workout sessions open to the media.

Those big men can be divided into two clear camps. On the one hand, you had a pair of four-year college stars in North Carolina forward Brice Johnson and Iowa State star Georges Niang. On the other hand, you had a pair of 19-year-old prospects with rawer skill sets but greater upside in Cheick Diallo, who played sparingly in one season at Kansas, and Ante Žižić, a 7-footer from Croatia.

In many ways, the collection of talent on the TCU Practice Court on Friday was perfect metaphor for one of the biggest questions scouts and general managers face every June: Do you put more value in a draft prospect's potential or in their proven track record?

On the whole, draft analysts tend to value potential over production. ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks Žižić as the 21st-best prospect in this year's draft class and has Diallo 27th. Ford ranks Johnson 37th and Niang 67th. DraftExpress.com has similar rankings, with Žižić (23rd) and Diallo (25th) again ranking ahead of both Johnson (30th) and Niang (70th).

While draft analysts' rankings are a good gauge for a general range in which a player might be drafted, NBA teams' evaluations and player rankings can vary widely based on what each particular front office values most. The Pacers' recent draft history is mixed, for example, with Indiana using its last two lottery picks on early entrants (Paul George in 2010 and Myles Turner in 2015) but taking four-year college players with their last two picks in the latter half of the first round (Miles Plumlee in 2012 and Solomon Hill in 2013).

DRAFT CENTRAL: Stories and Videos on 42 Draft Prospects at Pacers.com/Draft »

Of the four big men at Friday's workout, Diallo quite possibly has the most potential, but he's also the greatest unknown. Diallo grew up playing soccer in Mali and only picked up basketball after a growth spurt in his early teenage years.

Shortly thereafter, Diallo traveled to the United States, his departure hastened by the outbreak of a civil war in his native land in early 2012. He enrolled at Our Savior New American School in Centereach, New York, where he took ESL classes and played basketball.

"When I came here in 2012, it was so hard for me," Diallo said. "...I wasn't speaking English, just French...Even basketball-wise, it was really, really tough because you've got to know how to speak English so you can communicate with your teammates."

As Diallo's English improved, so, too, did his play on the court. His athleticism and all-out effort earned him numerous accolades and a scholarship to Kansas. He was named MVP of the 2015 McDonald's All-American Game after an 18-point, 10-rebound performance. He also drew rave reviews for his play at the Nike Hoop Summit last April, where he teamed with players like Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray, and Skal Labisserie to lead the World team to a win over the USA Junior National Select Team.

But eligibility concerns stalled the start of Diallo's career. The NCAA conducted a lengthy investigation into his high school transcript and initially barred Diallo from all team activities before clearing him to practice with the team on Oct. 1. They ultimately suspended him for the first five games of the regular season.

All of that turmoil put a hamper on Diallo's development. He found himself buried behind talented upperclassmen like All-American Perry Ellis on the Jayhawks' depth chart and struggled to grasp all the nuances of head coach Bill Self's offensive schemes. As a result, he played sparingly, averaging just 3.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 7.5 minutes per game. He didn't even appear in a handful of contests, including two of three games in the Big 12 Tournament and three of four games in the NCAA Tournament.

Still, Diallo was efficient in his limited time on the floor. His field goal percentage was .569 and his averages on a per-40-minute basis were solid: 15 points, 13 rebounds, 4.5 blocks per game.

Diallo really helped himself at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in early May. He measured out at 6-9 with an exceptional 7-4 1/2 wingspan and a 35-inch vertical. But he was most impressive in 5-on-5 scrimmages, where he held his own against more seasoned players. Diallo posted 18 points (on 7-of-10 shooting), four rebounds, and four blocks in his first scrimmage and nine points (on 4-of-8 shooting), 10 boards, and two blocks in his second.

"I didn't get a lot of opportunity to play in college the way I wanted to play," Diallo said. "So in the Combine, I just came (to) show everybody what I can do best. That's why in the Combine I was going 120 percent."

Diallo's calling card is his effort, which he attributes to his days playing as a defender on the soccer fields in Mali, where he developed good footwork and the ability to, in his words, "run all day." His relentless hustle, combined with his length, should allow him to make an impact at the next level as a shot-blocker and rebounder, but his offensive game is still very raw.

Nonetheless, Diallo is confident that he can grow into a valuable contender at both ends. He said his biggest focus during the pre-draft process has been on improving his jump shot and he did knock down a high percentage of mid-range shots during shooting drills at the end of Friday's workout. Media members weren't allowed to watch early portions of the workout, but Diallo said he thought it was his best workout to-date just because of how well he competed in the trenches against bigger players like Johnson and Žižić.

Friday's workout was the first for Žižic, a 19-year-old Croatian center coming off a stellar European campaign.

While many younger players don't see a lot of playing time in the European professional ranks, Žižic saw plenty of minutes for Cibona Zagreb in the Adriatic League. The 7-footer averaged 13.4 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 63.9 percent from the field in 21 games last season.

"I'm an energy guy, I'm always 100 percent," Žižic said. "I try to catch every rebound and finish with strong dunks."

Žižic had the unique opportunity to spend the past season playing alongside his brother, Andrija, who has enjoyed a long professional career in Europe and with the Croatian national team (where he played alongside former Pacers forward Damjan Rudež). Andrija is 17 years older than Ante and in the last stages of his career, so he signed on with Cibona to backup and mentor his little brother.

"He's my biggest support and I'm thankful because we spent the last season together," Ante Žižic said."(It was a) big experience for me."

Like Diallo, Žižic figures to first make an impact with his effort and energy, but needs to expand his offensive repertoire to earn consistent playing time in the NBA. He said he's working on both his post-up game and his mid-range jumper as he prepares for next week's draft.

Given his status in Europe, Žižic is a potential "draft-and-stash" candidate, meaning that a team could take him with a first-round pick and maintain his draft rights but let him return to Cibona for another season. But if a team wants him to come to the NBA right away, they could do so simply by buying out his contract overseas.

While Diallo and Žižic might not be able to make a significant impact in the NBA next season, Johnson and Niang could contribute right away. Both forwards enjoyed decorated college careers and were among the best players in the country as seniors, earning AP All-American honors (Johnson was on the first team, while Niang was a second-team selection).

Johnson steadily grew into a bigger role in his four years at North Carolina. The 6-11 power forward increased his scoring and rebounding averages in each of his four years on campus and finished his senior season averaging 17.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

He said on Friday that he was initially overwhelmed physically as a 187-pound freshman, but put on over 30 pounds of muscle during his time in Chapel Hill that allowed him to emerge as a go-to player in the post for the Tar Heels. Johnson had several monster games as a senior, including a 39-point, 23-rebound performance at Florida State and a pair of games against Duke in which he averaged 24.5 points and 20 boards.

Most impressively, Johnson's offensive efficiency got better even as he took on a larger workload. His field goal percentage rose from .511 as a freshman to .566 as a sophomore and junior to .614 as a senior. Johnson made a living using his speed and athleticism to score seemingly at will in transition and runs to the rim, but he also has an effective post-up game.

The most glaring weakness on Johnson's résumé is an outside shot. He didn't attempt a single 3-pointer in his four years in college, something that puts him at a disadvantage as he transitions to a league that increasingly
values big men who can stretch the floor. That said, Johnson has solid mechanics on his mid-range jumper and shot over 78 percent from the free throw line as a senior, so he could develop more range over time.

"I have a great touch," Johnson said. "I'm able to shoot the jumper, that just wasn't my role in college. We had guards that were able to go out there and be able to shoot the ball. My job was to play in the post and be able to shoot mid-range jumpers here and there."

Niang, meanwhile, played a major role in each of his four seasons at Iowa State. His numbers as a senior were outstanding, as he averaged 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting extremely efficiently across the board (54.6 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from 3-point range, and 80.7 percent from the free throw line).

"I couldn't have done anything without my teammates," Niang said. "They do a great job of making me look good, putting me in the right spots. All the credit goes to them. They did a lot for me in my four years at Iowa State."

Niang mostly manned the power forward position in college, but he is a little undersized for that spot at the next level. He measured out at slightly under 6-9 at the Combine with a 6-10 wingspan (over half a foot shorter than Diallo's).

Niang's size has some scouts thinking he might be a better fit as a small forward in the NBA. He certainly has the offensive playmaking ability to succeed at that spot, but there are questions about his quickness defending perimeter players.

As a result, Niang finds himself receiving the dreaded "tweener label" from many draft analysts, which is a big reason why he ranks comparatively low in their draft class rankings. But the 23-year-old Massachusetts native insists that not having a natural positional fit is actually a positive in today's NBA.

"That tweener label is great," Niang said. "That means I can guard and play multiple positions. I think that's the unique part of me is that I have a high basketball IQ, I'm versatile, I'm unique, I can guard multiple positions. I think going forward I can be a luxury to the coach where he can put me on multiple spots on the floor."

Collinsworth Hoping Game Translates to Next Level

The final prospect at Friday's workout, Kyle Collinsworth, has one thing no one else to visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse during the pre-draft process can claim: an NCAA career record. Collinsworth registered 12 triple-doubles in his time at BYU, more than any other player in Division 1 history.

As a senior, the 6-6 point guard averaged 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. His size was a big plus for him at the college level, allowing him to collect plenty of rebounds and then push the break himself, seeing over the defense to find open teammates.

Those are all attributes that make Collinsworth an attractive prospect to NBA teams, but he has one glaring weakness: his jump shot. Collinsworth never shot more than 37 3-pointers in a season and never made more than nine, shooting under 29 percent from beyond the arc in three of his four years in Provo.

As a point guard, Collinsworth knows that he needs to overhaul his shot to have a chance of sticking in an NBA that places such a premium on outside shooting.

"It's a challenge," he said. "It's a little deeper (line). But I think for me it's more of a mindset right now (to just) shoot it. I didn't shoot a lot and then you get used to not shooting a lot. So (I'm) just changing my mindset, tweaking a few little things, and getting a lot of shots up."

Another factor working against Collinsworth is his age. He actually began his college career in 2010, acting as a role player on the BYU team that featured 2011 national player of the Year Jimmer Fredette. Collinsworth then spent two years in Russia on a Mormon mission before returning to Utah for his final three collegiate seasons.

Though he'll turn 25 before the start of his first professional season, Collinsworth feels his maturity would make him a welcome fit in any locker room.

"When things go bad, I know how to handle it well," he said. "I've been away from home, away from everybody, (part of) different cultures."

Note: Watch one-on-one video interviews with all six prospects at Friday's pre-draft workout in the video player below.

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Should the Pacers Go For Potential Star or Proven Commodity?

About 15 years ago, Yogi Ferrell was shooting around at the side baskets on the Bankers Life Fieldhouse practice court. Just another young kid dreaming of playing in the NBA one day.

Friday, he was back on the same court, a draft prospect working out for the Pacers, a young man dreaming of playing in the NBA one day. It nearly qualifies as coming full circle, although the circle really doesn't become complete unless he actually plays in the NBA.

Whether or not that happens for the former Indiana University point guard is difficult to predict. He's regarded as a borderline pick for the end of the second round of next Thursday's draft, but at least he's not going to go unnoticed. Friday's session was his 15th for an NBA team and he'll be in Boston on Saturday for one more. He also drew the largest media contingent of the 42 players the Pacers have brought in for group workouts.

HOTCHKISS: Should Pacers Go For Potential Star or Proven Commodity »

The former high school All-American at Park Tudor could have stayed with his parents and driven over to The Fieldhouse, but he elected to join the five other candidates in a downtown hotel.

"It's a business trip," he said. "I stayed in a hotel everywhere else, I might as well here."

Ferrell can't afford anything but a business-like approach. He's 6-foot tall, for starters. And while he's certainly athletic, he doesn't appear to have the extreme degree of quickness and speed most sub-6-footers in the NBA possess.

He'll need to shoot well, which he did at IU by hitting 42 percent of his 3-pointers last season. He'll also need to prove he can defend on the perimeter, along with displaying intellect and leadership. According to multiple practice observers, he did all those things on Friday, and left a positive impression.

RELEASE: Pacers Announce 50th Season Celebration »

Still, Ferrell is realistic about his place in the draft, which might wing up being just outside of it. DraftExpress, for example, rates him as the 63rd best prospect in the 60-player draft, and his name doesn't appear in most mock drafts.

He knows there are advantages to picking your own team to try out for as a free agent, however, rather than being selected by a team that might not have much of an opportunity for you.

He described himself as "confident enough" but "not over-confident" about being drafted, and believes he has moved his name higher on draft boards with his workouts. Friday's performance seemed to be another indication of that.

DRAFT CENTRAL: Check out Pacers.com/Draft »

"I won't be discouraged by (not being drafted)," he said. "It probably would be better to go undrafted, to pick a team that gives me the best opportunity."

He finds hope in the fact the NBA seems to be growing smaller, with more emphasis on 3-point shooting. Boston's Isaiah Thomas, 5-foot-9, was an All-Star last season. Toronto's Kyle Lowry was an All-Star the past two seasons at 6-foot. Ferrell thanked both of them Friday for "pleading my case for me." Tyler Ulis, 5-9, is regarded as a borderline first-round pick and Kay Felder, also 5-9, is a likely second-round pick.

So, anything could happen for Ferrell on draft night. One thing he knows for sure, though, is that he made the right decision to return to IU for his senior season. He said Friday he was 70 percent leaning toward entering the draft after his junior season, but gradually came around to completing his college career.

"It was one of the best decisions I could have made," he said. "It helped me increase my draft stock."

Whether or not it was enough to get on The Fieldhouse's main court in an NBA game, he'll know next Thursday.

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Ferrell Finds Familiarity on The Fieldhouse Practice Court

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Seventh Pre-Draft Workout Participants (June 17)

After nearly a two-week hiatus, the Pacers held another pre-draft workout on Wednesday morning at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, their sixth such workout in preparation for the 2016 NBA Draft, which will take place on Thursday, June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Wednesday's workout featured six prospects, including a pair of guards with sweet shooting strokes and local ties in Butler's Kellen Dunham and UIndy's Jordan Loyd (Pacers.com's Mark Montieth wrote about their day). But in terms of pro potential, the headliners on Wednesday were Baylor forward Taurean Prince and Maryland center Diamond Stone, both of whom have good chances of going in the first round of the draft and could be potential options for the Pacers with the 20th overall pick.

Both players have been linked to the Pacers in recent mock draft projections, with Comcast Sports Network's A. Sherrod Blakely predicting the Pacers draft Prince while NESN's Nicholas Goss and Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler guessed Indiana will take Stone. DraftExpress.com lists Prince as the 18th-best prospect in this year's draft class and Stone as 33rd, while ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks Stone 32nd and Prince 34th.

In a lot of ways, the two players couldn't be more different from each other. Prince is an athletic wing who spent four years in college, while Stone is a one-and-done big man with more of an old-school style of play. Still, each player could fill a potential void for the Pacers depending on what happens in free agency.

Prince would seemingly be a natural successor to pending free agent Solomon Hill. Like Hill, he is versatile defensive player capable of guarding multiple positions. Standing 6-8 with nearly a 7-foot wingspan, Prince has good size to man the small forward position and could even slide over to power forward in "small ball" lineups, much how the Pacers utilized Hill at crucial junctures during their playoff run last season. Prince isn't afraid of matching up with bigger players, as he played center in high school and manned the power forward position for large swaths of his career at Baylor.

Offensively, Prince is a solid shooter. He hit just under 40 percent of his 3-point shots as a junior at Baylor, when he was named the Big 12's Sixth Man of the Year. His percentage dipped slightly as a senior, but still was a respectable .361. He's got generally good mechanics and a quick release that should translate well to the next level.

Between Prince's defensive abilities and his shooting prowess, many scouts see him as a prototypical "3-and-D" type of player, a role which is ever-increasingly en vogue in the modern NBA. Prince told reporters that he envisioned himself playing a similar role to DeMarre Carroll, another "3-and-D" All-Star who has manned the role for both the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks in their recent runs to the Eastern Conference Finals.

"I definitely feel I can guard 1-4," Prince told Pacers.com. "I can play 2, 3, 4, whatever the team needs...It doesn't matter if it's just playing defense and hitting open shots, or being that third option or fourth option offensively, or just playing defense and just swinging the ball. Whatever needs to be done to win games."

Although he spent four years at Baylor, Prince is very young for his class, which suggests that he still has plenty of room to develop. He won't turn 22 until August 22. To put that into perspective, Goodluck Okonoboh, another participant in Wednesday's workout who turned pro after just two years in college, is only 39 days younger than Prince.

Prince said that he is working hard on his ball-handling in preparation for the faster NBA game. He also is answering a lot of questions about his performance in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

Though Baylor was upset by 12th-seeded Yale in the first round of the tournament, Prince was excellent in the game, scoring 28 points with just one turnover on 12-of-24 shooting (4-for-7 from 3-point range). But a pair of incidents during and after the game put Prince in the national spotlight.

First, he got in a brief shoving match with teammate Rico Gathers during a timeout, an incident that was caught by TV cameras. Then after the loss, a reporter asked Prince a somewhat condescending question at the postgame press conference, saying, "How does Yale outrebound Baylor?"

Prince took the question quite literally and his deadpan response quickly went viral.

"You go up and grab the ball off the rim when it comes off," Prince said. "And then you grab it with two hands and you come down with it and that's considered a rebound. So they got more of those than we did."

Prince said he tells teams when they ask about the incident that his response was indicative of his personality. He's a fierce competitor on the court, but he doesn't take himself too seriously off of it. True to form, he pulled off a joke even when I first met him on Wednesday, refusing to let go of an introductory handshake before cracking a smile and saying, "I'm just playing."

The two incidents from the Yale game notwithstanding, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of concern about Prince's character or his ability to fit in at the next level. He graduated with a degree in communications on May 15 and his on-court abilities are very much in-demand in the NBA right now.

"I see me as a fit pretty much anywhere," Prince said. "Indiana is a great place, a great sports town. Me being here (with) my versatility, I think I'd be a good asset to this team."

While "3-and-D" players like Prince are a hot commodity right now, Stone is more of a throwback-type of player. A stocky 6-10 center who thrives playing with his back to the basket, Stone likely would have been considered a lottery pick five or 10 years ago. But as the NBA continues to get smaller and faster, Stone's fate on draft night is a bit more uncertain.

Make no mistake, there is a place for a player like Stone at the next level. He's one of the youngest players in the entire draft class, having just turned 19 on February 10. In his lone season at Maryland, Stone was a force in the low post, averaging 12.5 points while shooting 56.8 percent from the field.

Offensively, his game is reminiscent of a young Zach Randolph. Stone has soft hands, quick feet, and a wide array of post moves. He's comfortable scoring with either hand, particularly on hook shots, and figures to be a capable low-post scorer in the NBA.

Playing with several other NBA prospects at Maryland (the Pacers have also worked out his college teammates Rasheed Sulaimon, Jake Layman, and Robert Carter in recent weeks), Stone was asked to play a very specific role in college. He believes that experience should serve him well as he transitions to the next level.

"Especially at this level, right away you're not going to be the best player on your team," Stone said. "So you need to understand your role and (do) what they ask of you."

Still, he's eager to prove to teams that he can do more than what he showed in college. Since Carter and Layman were able to stretch the floor, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon's offense didn't ask Stone to hoist many jumpers, particularly in pick-and-pop situations. Still, Stone believes he's a capable shooter, saying he is "real confident" in his jump shot. He knocked down 76.1 percent of his free throw attempts and was hoisting 3-pointers during shooting drills at the end of Wednesday's workout, despite not attempting a single three in his one year in college.

Measuring out at 254 pounds and 12.9 percent body fat at the NBA Draft Combine last month, one of Stone's biggest challenges will be getting himself into better shape so that he can keep up in a league that values speed and pace more and more. Though the Pacers have a talented young big man in Myles Turner, they don't have a ton of depth in the post right now with centers Ian Mahinmi and Jordan Hill both about to enter free agency. Stone, for one, thinks that he could even flourish playing alongside Turner in Indiana's frontcourt.

"Myles Turner, he's my boy," Stone said. "So I think me and him (could) be like the twin towers."

With draft night fast approaching, both Stone and Prince are growing increasingly anxious to find out where they're headed. Both players said they plan to attend the draft next week.

"I'm really nervous," Stone said. "It's nerve-wracking just thinking about it."

"I fear the unknown, but I'm also happy for how far I've come and even the guys that are going to get drafted with me in my class," Prince added. "It's just a great opportunity and I'm glad God keeps blessing us."

Better Late Than Never: Poythress Finally Entering Draft Waters

When players accept a basketball scholarship to Kentucky, they don't expect to spend four years in Lexington. Alex Poythress was no different.

A McDonald's All-American in 2012, Poythress headed to Kentucky planning to follow the familiar formula for Wildcats' recruits in the John Calipari era: spend a year or two in school before entering the draft.

But while Poythress watched many of his teammates follow that formula to a T, his journey was a bit different. Remarkably, Poythress was the first Calipari recruit to stay at Kentucky for four years.

He seemed destined for an early exit after a stellar freshman season, when he averaged 11.2 points on 58.1 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds per game.

His playing time decreased, however, his sophomore year after Calipari brought in another loaded recruiting class that featured Julius Randle, James Young, and the Harrison twins. So Poythress came back for his junior year, but appeared in just eight games for the Wildcats before tearing the ACL in his left knee.

So, Poythress returned to Lexington for his senior season, where he was again a key player for Calipari. His numbers as a senior were remarkably similar to his stats from his freshman year. The 6-8 forward averaged 10.2 points on 60.1 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds per game in his fourth and final year on campus.

Like most players coming back from an ACL tear, Poythress wasn't entirely himself last season, but he said that he's feeling healthier now than he did during the season.

"My body feels great," Poythress said on Wednesday. "I did a little bit more rehab after the season and my body feels the best that it's felt (since before the injury)."

Once considered a lock for an eventual lottery pick, Poythress' name now rarely pops up in any mock drafts. He admitted that he feels overlooked by draft analysts, but he tries not to pay too much attention to all the noise as he prepares for the next level.

"I can't control how people see me," Poythress said. "I just come in and prepare to work each and every day. I've been through a lot of adversity. A lot of this stuff doesn't faze me no more, so I've just got to come in and work hard."

With a strong frame, Poythress thinks his calling card will be his defensive intensity at the next level. Offensively, however, he will need to show improvement on his outside shot (he never took more than 33 3-pointers in a season in college and shot 30 percent or worse from beyond the arc in each of his final three seasons).

No longer a hot commodity, Poythress finds himself in unusual territory for a Kentucky player heading into the draft. Still, he believes that four years of practicing against a slew of future NBA players (his college teammates included Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin, Randle, Young, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, and Devin Booker) has prepared him well for the NBA.

"I'm a way different player than I was coming from high school," Poythress said. "I matured a lot more and just really got better all around.

"...Going against the best each and every day, practicing against the best and getting coached by the best, it prepares you for the next level."

Okonoboh Taking Unconventional Path to the NBA

In addition to possessing far and away the best name in this year's draft class, Goodluck Okonoboh is also one of its biggest mysteries.

The 6-10 big man played just one real season of college basketball. He was a valuable role player in his freshman season at UNLV in 2014-15, averaging 5.7 points on 52.1 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game.

But Okonoboh's role decreased in the early part of his sophomore season. The addition of McDonald's All-American Stephen Zimmerman (who himself worked out for the Pacers on June 1) pushed him into a reserve role. After just eight games, Okonoboh elected to leave UNLV, but he never transferred to another school.

Instead, Okonoboh made a somewhat surprising choice to enter the draft. Asked why he decided to make the move, Okonoboh said simply, "I knew I was ready."

Even though he hasn't played competitive games in nearly a year, Okonoboh believes he is a smarter player now than he was as a freshman.

"When you sit out a year, you actually see the game a lot differently," Okonoboh said. "You get to see things watching film, what you do on film, and what other people do. The game comes a lot slower...I picked up a better IQ for the game. I understand the game more."

If he is able to earn a spot on an NBA team, Okonoboh's biggest impact figures to come on the defensive end. His shot-blocking alone is a coveted skill set and he believes it will be a smooth transition to the NBA game.

"I take a lot of pride in my defense and I feel like that's the best part of my game," Okonoboh said.

But to stick on an NBA roster, Okonoboh will likely need to show an expanded offensive arsenal. His biggest red flag is his free throw shooting: he made just 26-of-77 attempts from the charity stripe (33.8 percent) as a freshman with the Runnin' Rebels.

While it is unlikely he hears his name called on draft night, Okonoboh's size and defensive abilities could be enough to earn him an invite to play on an NBA team's Summer League roster. With some development in the D-League, it is certainly conceivable that he grows into an NBA player.

Note: See below for one-on-one video interviews with all six prospects at Wednesday's pre-draft workout.

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Pacers Groom Prince, Examine Diamond at Pre-Draft Workout

The local kids passed through Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday, trying to prove their skills and athleticism lives up to their hopes and ambitions.

Butler's Kellen Dunham and the University of Indianapolis' Jordan Loyd were among the players to work out for the Pacers' scouting department and executive branch, joining four others with varying prospects. Taurean Prince (Baylor) and Diamond Stone (Maryland) are rated as potential choices for the Pacers' 20th pick in the first round, while Alex Poythress (Kentucky) and Goodluck Okonoboh (UNLV) should realistically be expecting second-round calls.

RELATED: Pacers Groom Prince, Examine Diamond in Pre-Draft Workout »

Dunham was regarded by some draft analysts as a second-round candidate heading into his senior season at Butler, but appears to be off the radar now. You won't find Loyd's name on any mock drafts, but that doesn't curtail his confidence. This time of year is great for NBA dreamers. They're getting the opportunity to work out for teams, and have yet to meet with rejection.

It's not strictly an act of charity on the part of the Pacers. They enjoy providing opportunity and evaluation for state programs, and it allows coaches to tell recruits their players got a look by an NBA team. But they're also looking for players for their Development League team in Fort Wayne.

For Dunham, being on the inside of the windows overlooking the Bankers Life practice court was a bit surreal. About 10 years ago, he was one of the young kids standing on the outside of them, watching with awe as real-life Pacers warmed up for games.

Now he's hoping to land a job that would keep him on the inside looking out.

"Twenty-two years of basketball comes down to this, so you're hoping for the best," he said. "It's an amazing feeling."

Dunham has a legitimate hope of being drafted. He's worked out for Boston, where he reunited with the coach who recruited him to Butler, Brad Stevens, as well as San Antonio and Memphis. He'll work out for Chicago on Monday.

He was a first-team all-Big East selection as a junior, which led analysts to project him as a draft prospect for right about where the Pacers have a second-round pick this year (50th overall). His shooting percentages improved across the board his senior season despite a horrific December slump, but his name rarely pops up on mock drafts this time around.

He has adequate size (6-6) for a shooting guard in the NBA. He has adequate accuracy, too, hitting 43 percent of his 3-pointers on his way to a 16.2 scoring average. His timing is good in that 3-point shooters have never been more popular in the NBA. They're a necessity for any team hoping to contend for a title, so a 40-percent shooter will always get a serious look.

Plenty of great shooters have come out of Indiana who didn't have enough of what it takes to play in the NBA, though. Dunham's challenge in the workouts is to show teams he's quick enough to get off his shot, stay in front of the man he's guarding and deal with pick-and-rolls both offensively and defensively. In other words, athleticism. He's been training to get stronger, but realizes some elements are out of his control.

"A lot of it is God-given, so you just trust that you have enough to get to the next level," he said.

While Dunham is a lock to at least get an invitation to try out for a Summer League team as a free agent, Loyd's situation is more precarious. He was invited to participate in Wednesday's session only because someone had canceled on Tuesday. Pacers scouting director Ryan Carr made a quick call to Loyd's agent, who relayed the message to him as he was doing laundry.

"I got excited and went straight to the gym and got some shots up," he said.

It will surely be his only workout for an NBA team, but not necessarily the end of his road to professional basketball. He reportedly shot well and looked as though he belonged in Wednesday's workout, and hopes to get an invitation to try out for a Summer League team. If not, there's always the D-League or an international team.

His eyes are wide open, and his head is clear.

"A lot of people don't know who I am," he said. "There's a lot question marks with me, but I play with that edge. I just want to show everybody that I belong here, and I belong in the NBA as well.

"It's a blessing to be here, and I just hope to learn; be a sponge," he added.

Loyd, who played his freshman season at Furman before transferring to Indianapolis, averaged 20.9 points on 50 percent shooting last season, including 41 percent of his 3-point shots. He draw his greatest confidence, though, from playing pickup games at the university with Pacers such as Paul George, Lance Stephenson and Chris Copeland a few years ago.

"It was awesome," he said. "Just having those guys (in the gym), and then me coming from where I come from … it was about trying to learn and also compete. Not give them anything, and show them I can play as well.

"It showed me I can compete. That was the biggest thing. It showed me I can play with them."

Showing that to NBA scouts is another matter entirely. But he believes he can.

"I do," he said. "I do. That's my goal. I've had that dream and that goal all my life. That won't change."