Christian James

Wheat Hotchkiss

The last 11 weeks have been a whirlwind for the 19-year-old guard from Milwaukee.

Since his freshman season at Kentucky came to a heartbreaking end when the Wildcats fell in overtime to Auburn in the Elite Eight in Kansas City on March 31, Herro has bounced across the country as he prepares for the NBA Draft, working out for and interviewing with a number of teams with draft selections in the middle of the first round.

Herro auditioned for the Pacers on Friday morning at the St. Vincent Center and will visit Minnesota on Saturday. After that, he can exhale and have a few days to rest before heading to Brooklyn for the draft on Thursday night.

"It's a long process, traveling city to city, staying by yourself, and things like that," Herro said. "It's an enjoyable process but I'm happy it's going to come to an end.

"I'm ready to just know what city I'm going to, really."

There is seemingly a good possibility that Herro will be looking into real estate in Indianapolis in a week's time, at least if you believe what you read on the internet. A number of the latest mock drafts have the 6-6 guard headed to the Pacers with the 18th overall pick.

2019 DRAFT CENTRAL: Complete Coverage at Pacers.com/Draft »

Herro fits a definite need for the Pacers with his ability to stretch the floor. Indiana ranked fifth in the NBA a year ago in 3-point percentage but was 29th in 3-point attempts, a number that will have to improve in a league that increasingly values outside shooting.

The Pacers also could be looking to re-stock their backcourt. All-Star guard Victor Oladipo is coming off of major surgery to repair a ruptured quad tendon and it is uncertain if he will be ready for the start of the season. Fellow guards Darren Collison, Cory Joseph, and Wesley Matthews are all entering free agency, as is small forward Bojan Bogdanovic, Indiana's best outside shooter and go-to offensive option after Oladipo's injury.

Herro was the second-leading scorer on a loaded Kentucky team that featured three probable first-round picks in this year's draft. He led the Wildcats in minutes played, averaging 14 points per game while primarily playing off the ball, providing spacing with his ability to stretch the floor.

He posted a respectable .355 3-point percentage but is a much better shooter than that number indicates. After an early-season slump, he converted 37.3 percent of his 3-point attempts in SEC play and led the NCAA in free throw percentage at .935.

Herro shot well in shooting drills in front of the Pacers' coaching staff and executives at the end of Friday's workout, displaying a quick release and smooth stroke.

Herro shoots at Friday's pre-draft workout at St. Vincent Center. (Photo Credit: @Pacers)

While some prospects want to be drafted as high as possible and others want to go to the organization they think is the best "fit" for their skillset, Herro isn't that picky. He said he has tried to "meet with every team possible" during the pre-draft process and isn't too picky about where he ends up. He is seemingly a lock to go in the first round, with a range from the late lottery to the early 20s.

"I watch a lot of NBA basketball," Herro said. "Everybody's really going in the same direction, spacing the floor, shooting threes, and playing defense. So I'm coming in here open minded. I don't care what team I'm drafted to. Just happy to have an opportunity to play in the NBA and make a name for myself."

While Herro played primarily off the ball in college, he does possess the ability to handle the ball as well. He shot better off the dribble than off the catch in college and also displayed a nice array of finishing moves inside the 3-point arc.

While Herro raved about his time at Kentucky and the influence coach John Calipari had on his career, he also realizes that he wasn't able to display his full arsenal of abilities during his year in Lexington.

"At Kentucky, you've just got to make sacrifices for the team," Herro said. "There's usually 10 top-10 guys going there. Everyone brings something special and at Kentucky I brought my shooting.

"I can do more than just shoot. I can play with the ball in my hands (and) come off the pick-and-roll."

While Herro is a good athlete and has plenty of size at 6-6 to play either guard position in the NBA, his wingspan measured at just over 6-3 at the NBA Draft Combine. That lack of length and questionable lateral quickness mean that he could struggle defensively at the next level.

But when you're picking 18th in the draft, you won't find a player without some hole in his game. The gamble with Herro is that his offensive firepower outweighs any potential defensive shortcomings.

The NBA invited Herro to sit in the green room at the draft next week. He plans to be there and will undoubtedly be joined by Calipari, who is becoming a fixture at the draft as Kentucky has had at least two players selected in the first round in each of the past nine seasons.

"He helped me in so many ways," Herro said of Calipari's influence. "He pretty much changed my whole game as far as just being a pro and looking at things as a professional. The first day I stepped on campus, he treated me like a pro.

"It was a good experience to go there and I was happy I made that decision."

Guards Devin Cannady (left), Christian James (center), and Lamar Peters (right) all worked out for the Pacers on Friday. (Photo Credit: @Pacers)

Trio of Guards Hoping to Earn Scouts' Attention

Herro was joined at Friday's workout by three other guards, Princeton's Devin Cannady, Oklahoma's Christian James, and Mississippi State's Lamar Peters. All three are candidates for the second round of the draft and are looking to impress a team enough to at least earn a Summer League invitation if they go undrafted.

For Cannady, Friday's workout was a homecoming of sorts. Cannady grew up in Mishawaka, where he attended Marian High School. In 2015, Cannady had a team-high 17 points leading his home state to victory in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

"It's nice having the Pacers bring me in, being home," Cannady said Friday. "I saw my family yesterday. I appreciate them bringing me in. It was a great workout."

Cannady was a prolific scorer in the Ivy League, averaging 11.6 points per game as a freshman and increasing his scoring average every season, up to 18.2 as a senior. Cannady relied heavily on his jump shot, shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range and 89.6 percent from the free throw line over his college career.

While he played primarily off the ball in college, the 6-1 Cannady will likely need to slide over to point guard at the next level.

"I'm competitive, I love the game," Cannady said. "I can shoot with the best of them, so if teams need shooting, need guys who are tough and smart, I can bring that."

James is a 6-4 shooting guard who averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds as a senior at Oklahoma. Since he finished his college career, James has actually been training a couple hours up I-69 in Fort Wayne with his agency, Potter Sports Group, founded by Mad Ants founder Jeff Potter.

James credited a lot of his development over his four years with the Sooners to legendary coach Lon Kruger. Kruger has compiled over 600 wins at the collegiate level, including a pair of Final Four appearances, and also has experience coaching in the NBA from 2003-04.

"Coach Kruger has really helped me with my game, just learning the game of basketball," James said. "He's really helped me with my IQ, making plays for (teammates), and being a team leader."

Peters burst onto the scene in his first year at Mississippi State in 2016-17, when he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting 36.6 percent from 3-point range.

Those numbers dipped his sophomore season, but he bounced back his junior year, setting career highs for points (11.9 per game), assists (5.2), steals (1.7), and 3-point percentage (.386). Peters elected to forgo his senior season and enter the draft.

Being a smaller guard at just 6 feet tall hurts Peters' draft stock, but he does have experience running the point in college under coach Ben Howland.

"My coaches put in my head that I've got to be a point guard first and make plays for others," Peters said. "Coming out of high school, I was more of a scorer. But coaches instilled in me (that) you've got to get other guys involved."

Big men JaKeenan Gant (left) and Cameron Jackson (right) rounded out Friday's pre-draft workout. (Photo Credit: @Pacers)

Gant, Jackson Hope Effort and Energy Impress NBA Teams

The final two prospects at Friday's workout were a pair of power forwards: Louisiana-Lafayette's JaKeenan Gant and Wofford's Cameron Jackson.

Gant began his college career at Missouri but transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette after two years. He was extremely productive in his two seasons with the Ragin' Cajuns, including a monster senior year, when he averaged 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from 3-point range.

The 6-8 forward has some intriguing qualities between his athleticism and his ability to stretch the floor (he attempted 113 3-pointers his senior season).

"I bring a lot of energy," Gant said Friday. "I like dunking the ball, I can shoot. I do a little bit of everything."

Gant was an elite rim protector in college, swatting 156 shots over his two seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette and winning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors as both a junior and a senior. The question scouts will want answered in pre-draft workouts is how well that skillset carries over against higher-level competition.

Jackson is a 6-8, 258-pound forward who was a bruising presence on a Wofford team that earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in March. Jackson came up big in that victory over Seton Hall, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.

On the season, the fifth-year senior (an injury forced him to redshirt his sophomore season) averaged 14.5 points on 57.3 percent shooting, 7.6 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals.

Like James, Jackson has also been training for the draft in Fort Wayne. He hopes his all-out effort in pre-draft workouts turns some heads.

"I see myself being a junkyard dog, just going in, getting after loose balls, playing defense, getting rebounds, finishing putbacks...just doing the dirty work," Jackson said.

He certainly embodied that mentality on Friday, when he sustained a cut on his left eye during the workout. Jackson received stitches and returned to finish the workout.

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Herro's Shooting Could be Welcome in Indiana

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2019 Draft Workouts: Christian James

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Height: 6-4
Weight: 213
Position: SG
College: Oklahoma
Age: 22

2018-2019 Season Stats
PPG: 14.6
RPG: 6.2
APG: 1.9
BLK: 0.2
STL: 1.2

2018-19 (SENIOR)
Finishes his career ranked 30th on the all-time OU scoring list with 1,209 career points...With 519 career rebounds, he is just the seventh guard in OU history to produce 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career...His 176 3-pointers are tied for the eighth most in an OU career...Played in 131 career games - the ninth most in program history...Leaves OU with career averages of 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists...Played in eight NCAA Tournament games, including the 2016 Final Four...A 2019 All-Big 12 Third Team selection...Named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team...In 34 games (all starts) this season, averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists...Ranked eighth in the Big 12 in scoring and ninth in rebounding...His 2.0 3-pointers per game rank eighth in the league...Finished third in the Big 12 with six double-doubles...Reached double figures in scoring in all but six games his senior season...Scored a team-high 20 points in an NCAA Tournament First Round win over Ole Miss (March 22)...His 19 points and eight rebounds fueled a Sooner victory over Texas (Feb. 23)...Coming off his worst scoring performance of the season (five points vs. OSU), responded with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting against Vanderbilt (Jan. 26)...Joined OU’s 1,000-point club on Jan. 16, becoming the 45th Sooner to score over 1,000 career points...Scored 20 points vs. Kansas State (Jan. 16)...Swiped a career-high four steals against TCU (Jan. 12) to go with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals...Totaled 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against USC (Dec. 15) in just the second game since 1996 that an OU guard has produced 15 points and 15 boards...Named the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week (for week ending Dec. 9) after averaging 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a pair of off-campus wins over Notre Dame and Wichita State...Scored 14 points with 13 boards in a win over Wichita State (Dec. 8)...Produced his first career double-double by scoring 25 points and pulling down 10 boards against Notre Dame (Dec. 4) at Madison Square Garden...In the Notre Dame game, scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half, including OU’s final nine points of the night...Named to the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team after averaging 19.0 points (shooting .500), 4.7 rebounds and going 11-of-23 (.478) from 3-point range during the three-game event...His 57 total points at Battle 4 Atlantis were the second most among participating players...Scored 21 points with five rebounds and a career-high-tying four assists in a win over Dayton (Nov. 23)...Secured 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting (3-of-5 from 3-point range) in a road win at UTSA (Nov. 12)...Opened the season with a career-high 29 points at UTRGV (Nov. 9) – the most points in a season opener by a Sooner since Buddy Hield scored 30 at Memphis in 2015...Sunk at least three 3-pointers on 11 occasions...Twenty-eight games of double-digit scoring...Eight games of 20-plus points...Six games of double-digit rebounds...Six double-doubles.

2017-18 (JUNIOR)
In 31 games (31 starts), averaged 11.9 points (25th in Big 12), 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 30.2 minutes...Shot .458 from the field and .365 from 3-point range...During Big 12 play (18 games), averaged 12.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31.4 minutes...His 1.9 made 3-pointers per game ranked 10th in the Big 12...Enters his senior season with a team-high 714 career points...After not reaching 20 points in a game for the first 88 games of his career, he scored back-to-back career highs with 22 points at Iowa State (Feb. 10) followed by 23 points at Texas Tech (Feb. 13)...Pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds on Jan. 20 against Oklahoma State...Tallied 19 points (all in the first half) against Northwestern on Dec. 22, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range...Shot 5-of-6 from 3-point range (started 5-of-5) en route to 19 points against USC on Dec. 8...Sunk multiple 3-pointers in 18 games, including eight games of three-or-more...Twenty-one games of double digit scoring...Two games of 20-plus points.

2016-17 (SOPHOMORE)
In 31 games (14 starts), averaged 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.0 minutes…His scoring average was five points higher than his freshman season (2.9 points) and marked the second-highest improvement among returners on the 2016-17 OU squad…Finished conference play averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds against Big 12 foes…Averaged 11.1 points and shot 21-of-45 (.467) from 3-point range during non-conference games…Tied a career-high 17 points against Oral Roberts (Dec. 7) while picking off a career-best four steals...Notched 14 points and seven rebounds against Northern Colorado (Nov. 29)...Scored 14 second-half points on 5-of-7 shooting and finished with a career-best 17 points and 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range vs. Clemson (Nov. 20)…First Sooner to shoot 100 percent from 3-point range on at least five attempts since Buddy Hield went 7-for-7 in Nov., 2014...Scored double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career by tallying 12 points against both Northwestern State (Nov. 13) and Tulane (Nov. 17).

2015-16 (FRESHMAN)
Played in 35 games off the bench as a true freshman … The 35 games played marked the fourth-highest total for a frosh in school history … Averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per contest … Shot .426 (29-68) from the floor, .500 (17-34) from beyond the arc and .771 (27-35) from the free throw line … In five NCAA Tournament games, averaged 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.0 minutes … Pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in West Regional Final versus Oregon on March 26 … Scored in double figures on four occasions: Dec. 3 vs. Central Arkansas (11), Feb. 2 vs. TCU (12), March 11 vs. West Virginia (Big 12 Championship, 13) and March 24 vs Texas A&M (NCAA Tournament, 12) … Connected on a career-high four 3-pointers on two occasions: Feb. 2 vs. TCU and March 24 vs. Texas A&M (NCAA Tournament) … His 28 minutes played against the Aggies on March 28 marked a career high.

HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Bellaire High School in Houston … Was rated as the No. 138 high school senior by Rivals.com and was ranked as the 17th top recruit in Texas by 247Sports … Saw his recruiting take off over the summer of 2014 (was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN) but suffered a setback when he broke the tibia in his left leg in an AAU game that August  ... Only played final two games of his senior season due to injury … Averaged 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a junior … Was named District MVP that season … Coached by Bruce Glover.

MISCELLANEOUS
Born in Houston, Texas … Product of same high school that produced NBA players Emeka Okafor and John Lucas III … Son of Ronnie and Sharon James … Has one older brother (Ronnie James II) … Major is undecided.

Christian James

Herro's Shooting Could be Welcome in Indiana

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