Kaleb Tarczewski

Wheat Hotchkiss

The Pacers hosted their second pre-draft workout in as many days on Wednesday morning, welcoming six more prospects to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After bringing in a veteran crew of projected second-round picks on Tuesday, Wednesday's workout featured two players that have a solid chance of hearing their name called in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft next month.

Vanderbilt point guard Wade Baldwin IV is considered a consensus first-round pick in all of the major mock drafts, with most projections having him go in the top 20 (the Pacers own the 20th overall selection in this year's draft, scheduled to take place on June 23 at the Barclays Center).

UNLV combo guard Patrick McCaw is considered a borderline first-round pick at this stage, but his stock appears to be on the rise. National outlets like USA Today and ESPN.com moved McCaw into the first round of their latest mock drafts after a strong performance at the NBA Draft Combine last week in Chicago.

Both Baldwin and McCaw elected to turn pro after their sophomore seasons, a surprising turn considering neither was considered a serious NBA prospect coming out of high school. ESPN.com ranked Baldwin as the 22nd-best point guard and McCaw as the 38th-best shooting guard in the Class of 2014. Rivals ranked Baldwin as the 100th-best player in their overall class rankings, while McCaw didn't crack the top 150.

Yet there they were on an NBA practice court on Wednesday morning, auditioning for new head coach Nate McMillan, team president Larry Bird, and the rest of the Pacers' brass.

It's hard not to see what scouts love about Baldwin. At 6-foot-4, he has great size for a point guard, especially when you factor in his massive wingspan, which measured at a jaw-dropping 6-11 1/4 at the Combine. To put that into perspective, Pacers players have dubbed point guard George Hill "The Creature" for his own freakish length which has helped him develop into one of the NBA's best defensive point guards (just ask Kyle Lowry). Hill, who is 6-foot-3, has a 6-9 wingspan. Baldwin's wingspan is actually the exact same length as 6-9 Pacers All-Star Paul George's measurement at the 2010 Combine.

That wingspan figures to serve him well in the NBA, especially on the defensive end. He has the potential to guard bigger shooting guards and small forwards and showed promise with his ability to close out on shooters at times at Vanderbilt.

Offensively, Baldwin put up solid numbers in college, increasing his scoring average from 9.4 points per game as a freshman to 14.1 as a sophomore. He is a good playmaker, dishing out 326 assists in just two seasons, and an excellent shooter, converting 44 percent of his 3-point attempts in his first year on campus and 41 percent in his second year with the Commodores.

Though he's just 20 years old, Baldwin has a lot of positive influences in his life. His mother works for the FBI while his father is a retired DEA agent. He was also high school teammates and close friends with Karl-Anthony Towns, the reigning Rookie of the Year, at Saint Joseph High School in New Jersey.

Baldwin said he walked away from Wednesday's workout with a favorable impression of McMillan and the Pacers' coaching staff. For what it's worth, McMillan spent the entire portion of the workout open to the media watching Baldwin go through shooting drills with Villanova guard Ryan Arcidiacono and Michigan State center Matt Costello, occasionally offering instruction.

"I didn't come in here expecting there to be a lot of teaching, but these guys were doing a hell of a job just teaching us coming in," Baldwin said.

"I just want to be a sponge to everything that the coaching staff and players have for me."

Baldwin is aware that the Pacers could be in the market for a point guard this summer. He believes his skillset will allow him to fit in wherever he ends up, regardless of system or style of play.

"I have full confidence that I'll be somewhere that believes in me and builds me to be a great player," Baldwin said.

While Baldwin has the tools to be an excellent NBA defender, McCaw could be even better. The 6-7 guard was a menace on that end at UNLV. He has a real knack for seeing the floor and using his athleticism to jump passing lanes. His 2.5 steals per game as a sophomore tied him with Providence All-American and projected lottery pick Kris Dunn for fourth in the nation. His 6-10 wingspan isn't as eye-popping as Baldwin's, but is still very solid for a guard.

"I take a lot of pride in my defense," McCaw said. "I think that's going to take me a very long way...I feel like as long as my NBA career lasts, I'm going to be one of those known guys like Tony Allen, Kawhi Leonard, those defensive (standouts)."

Offensively, McCaw has shown promise as a scoring guard. He improved his field goal percentage from .402 as a freshman to .465 as a sophomore while also increasing his scoring average from 9.6 to 14.7. He is a decent outside shooter, making 37 percent of his 3-pointers in each of his two seasons in Vegas.

McCaw played mostly off the ball in college and projects primarily as a two guard at the next level, but he's also gotten some looks at point guard. He acquitted himself well at that position at the Combine, dishing out four assists with no turnovers in 22 minutes at the point in 5-on-5 action. McCaw said on Wednesday that he wants to prove he can play and defend both guard positions at the next level and envisions himself playing a role similar to that of Shaun Livingston or Michael Carter-Williams, bigger guards who can also handle the ball.

One of his mentors is Stacey Augmon, a 15-year NBA veteran and an assistant coach during McCaw's two years at UNLV. Augmon traveled to Chicago to support McCaw at the Combine and has been a source of support as the 20-year-old navigates unfamiliar waters.

"He's had a huge influence on me just growing into a young man and a basketball player," McCaw said. "He's helped me understand the game better on and off the floor because he's been through so much. It's good to have somebody like that in your corner."

Wednesday's workout was just the latest stop in a whirlwind week for McCaw, who stayed in Chicago after the Combine to work out with the Bulls on Monday before traveling to Indianapolis. That's a lot of attention for a player who barely registered on the high school recruiting radar just two seasons ago.

"It's been quite an experience for me," McCaw said. "Just being a less-heralded kid from St. Louis who really hasn't had any pub behind to now people are talking about my name as an NBA prospect, it's crazy."

National Title Game Hero Arcidiacono Ready to Move on to the Next Level

The name Ryan Arcidiacono won't soon be forgotten by college basketball fans. Arcidiacono lived out every sports fan's fantasy, leading his hometown school of Villanova to a national title as a senior.

He was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 Final Four, but he will forever be best remembered for his pass to Kris Jenkins to set up a buzzer-beating shot that is sure to become a staple of NCAA Tournament montages for decades still to come.

After that dramatic finish, Arcidiacono returned to school for a whirlwind final few weeks on campus. While he enjoyed his newfound celebrity status, the 22-year-old admitted he was a little relieved to be able to turn his attention to the pre-draft process rather than just rest on his laurels.

"It's always great to go out that way, to win a national championship," Arcidiacono said. "But you just have to move on with your life. That's a moment that's not going to define me as a person. That's going to define one portion of my life."

Arcidiacono's trademark is his hustle. He is a gritty point guard who has good size and strength and isn't afraid to dive for loose balls. He said on Wednesday that he likes to play "with a football mentality," a mindset he picked up from his father, who was teammates with Howie Long on the Villanova football team.

Despite his many accolades in college, the 2015 Big East Player of the Year's name doesn't appear in many mock drafts, but that doesn't deter his drive in pre-draft workouts. Wednesday's workout was the first of many for Arcidiacono, who has visits scheduled with the Jazz, Lakers, and Sixers in the next week.

"All it takes is for one person to like you to make it in this league," Arcidiacono said. "That's how I try to think every single day when I work out."

Local Kid Landis Gets to Live Out His Dream

When Indianapolis native Max Landis was playing at Perry Meridian, he never could have imagined getting a call from his hometown Pacers asking him to work out for the team.

But that's exactly what he did on Wednesday morning, making the 10-minute drive from his house to The Fieldhouse before suiting up for Bird and Co.

"I didn't think this would ever be possible," Landis admitted after the workout.

But Landis absolutely earned an invite to workout for an NBA team with his play in college at IPFW, especially his senior year. The 6-2 guard spent two seasons at Gardner-Webb before joining the Mastodons as a transfer. He put up solid numbers in his first three seasons, but his production skyrocketed in his final year on campus.

Landis made 121 3-pointers in his senior season, more than any Division 1 player aside from National Player of the Year Buddy Hield. Despite shooting a massive volume of treys, Landis' 3-point percentage actually improved by leaps and bounds, going from .357 in his junior year to a blistering .456 as a senior.

He drew national attention in early February, when he scored 44 points and drilled 11 threes in a win at South Dakota.

His breakout season — Landis averaged 18.8 points and 3.6 assists in 2015-16 — earned him Summit League Player of the Year honors, a distinction he now shares with former IUPUI star George Hill.

His shooting touch was on full display on Wednesday and even drew the attention of his fellow workout participants.

"He can really shoot the lights out," Arcidiacono said after watching Landis play for the first time.

Landis is realistic about his prospects at the next level. He mostly played shooting guard in college, but is small even for a point guard at the NBA level. He does not expect to hear his name called on draft night, but is hoping to earn an invitation to play for an NBA team in Summer League.

But even if he can't earn a spot in the NBA, a shooter of his caliber is sure to draw a lot of offers to play overseas and Landis said he's open to whatever possibilities emerge that will allow him to keep playing the game he loves.

But for one day at least, he got to experience a taste of life in the NBA. It's an experience he won't ever forget.

While Tuesday's workout featured only point guards and wings, there were a pair of experienced big men in Indianapolis for Wednesday's session: Michigan State center Matt Costello and Arizona 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski.

Costello was a little more familiar with his surroundings, as he helped the Spartans win Big Ten tournament titles in the Fieldhouse in both 2014 and 2016. Tarczewski, meanwhile, joked about not being prepared for the unseasonably cold spring weather in Indianapolis after spending the last four years in the Arizona heat.

The two players enjoyed remarkably similar careers, serving as interior anchors for their schools during a stretch of prolonged success. Both players earned second-team all-conference honors in their senior season and Tarczewski actually graduated as the winningest player in Arizona history.

Though they played on opposite ends of the country, Costello and Tarczewski both shared great respect for one another before and after Wednesday's workout.

"He's a strong dude, he's a competitor," Costello said. "It was fun playing with him."

Both players are hopeful that they can fight their way onto an NBA roster and are willing to do the dirty work necessary to be a backup post player.

""To have the opportunity to play in the NBA, I'd do just about anything," Tarczewski said.

Costello concurred: "I see myself being a role player. I'm not going to come out there and be KD or LeBron, nothing like that. But coming in, doing my job, setting screens, rebounding...that's what I see."

While spending four years in college can hurt a player's draft stock, both Costello and Tarczewski are hopeful that their experience in school better prepared them for the transition into the pros.

"Being there for four years, I feel like I kind of went in as a kid and came out a man," Tarczewski said.

Still, there are many examples of four-year college players who have carved out a niche for themselves in the NBA. One of those is Pacers forward Solomon Hill, Tarczewski's teammate during his freshman year at Arizona.

"My freshman year, kind of being one of the younger guys on the team, Solomon really helped me out," Tarczewski said. "He really taught me how to act, how to play out there on the court. I owe a lot of my success at U of A to Solomon."

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Potential First-Round Picks Baldwin and McCaw Headline Second Draft Workout

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Height: 7-0
Weight: 243
Position: C
College: Arizona
Age: 23

PPG: 9.4
RPG: 9.3
APG: 0.7
BLK: 1.4
STL: 0.3

CAREER NOTES (SENIOR SEASON)
Pac-12 All-Conference 2nd Team… Pac-12 All-Defensive Team … Ended his career tied with Matt Muehlebach for the most wins by an Arizona player in program history with 110 … Wrapped up his four years at Arizona ranking in the top seven all-time in games played, games started, rebounds and blocks … His averages of 9.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this season were all career highs while nearly doubling his rebounding output from his junior season … Set and reset his career high in rebounds in a three-game span in Pac-12 play with 14 rebounds vs. UCLA (2-12-16) and 15 rebounds against Arizona State (2-17-16) … Tallied 20 blocks in his last eight collegiate games … Matched his career high of five blocks at Colorado (2-24-16) … Blocked 27 shots during Pac-12 games, which was nearly double his previous conference season mark of 14 blocks in 2013-14 … Achieved impressive season feats despite missing the final eight games of non-conference play with a foot injury.

2014-15 (JUNIOR)
Finished the season with 107-career starts, the 10th-most in program history … Played in all 38 games, making 37 starts … Averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 26.0 minutes per game … In overall games, ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.572) … In Pac-12 games only, ranked third in the conference in field goal percentage (.568) and 15th in offensive rebounds (1.8) … Led the Wildcats in blocks 11 times, rebounds 10 times and scoring on four occasions … Recorded 20 double-figure scoring games and posted three double-doubles … Took a team-high 10 charges and ranked second on the team with 41 dunks on the season.

2013-14 (SOPHOMORE)
Honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic … Played in 36 games, making 35 starts and averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 28.3 minutes … In overall games, ranked second in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.584), 11th in offensive rebounds (2.1), 12th in blocks (1.0) and 15th in both total rebounds (6.3) and defensive rebounds (4.2) … Led the Pac-12 with a .581 field goal percentage in league games only, while also ranking 12th in offensive rebounds (2.2) and 13th in total rebounds (6.6) … Scored in double figures 21 times, recorded four double-figure rebound games and posted a pair of double-doubles … Led UA in blocks 13 times, rebounds 11 times and scoring on two occasions … Scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot against Wisconsin in the Elite Eight … Battled foul trouble to finish with seven points and two rebounds in the Sweet 16 win over San Diego State … Had six points, five boards and two steals in the win over Gonzaga in the third round of the NCAA Tournament … Scored 10 points, grabbed four boards and blocked a career-high five shots in the win over Weber State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament … Put up 12 points and seven rebounds against UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament finals … Had five points and seven boards in the win over Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament semis … Scored nine points and corralled five boards in the win over Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament quarters … Had 12 points and five rebounds at Oregon … Scored 12 points and reeled in a team-high nine rebounds in the win at Oregon State … Battled foul trouble to score 10 points and grab six rebounds in the home win over Stanford as UA clinched the Pac-12 regular-season title … Poured in 16 points in the home win over California … Put up 13 points and six rebounds in the win at Colorado … Scored eight points and posted game highs of 10 rebounds and three blocks in the win at Utah … Recorded his second double-double of the season at Arizona State, scoring 13 points and tying his career high with 13 rebounds … Finished with eight points and seven rebounds in the home win over Oregon State … Put up 12 points and seven rebounds in the home win over Oregon … Scored a career-high 18 points, tying a school record with a 12-of-12 performance from the free throw line, and grabbed six rebounds at Cal … Scored seven points and corralled a team-high eight rebounds in the home win over Colorado … Narrowly missed a double-double in the home win over Arizona State, finishing with 12 points and eight boards to go along with a pair of blocks … Reeled off 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting and brought down eight rebounds in the win at UCLA … Chipped in with seven points and eight rebounds in the home win over Washington … Scored a game-high 11 points in the home win over Washington State … Nearly put up a double-double in the win at No. 25 Michigan, scoring 14 points and corralling nine rebounds … Had 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor and grabbed five rebounds in the home win over New Mexico State … Scored 12 points and shared team-high honors with eight boards in the home win over UNLV … Put up 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over No. 6/5/ Duke in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game … Posted his first-career double-double in the win over Drexel in the NIT semis, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds … Tallied eight points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks in the NIT win over Rhode Island … Had 10 points, eight boards and three blocks in the NIT win over Fairleigh Dickinson … Filled his stat line with six points, six boards, three assists and two blocks in the win at San Diego State … Just missed a double-double in the home win over Long Beach State, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds … Came off the bench to score 11 points in the home win over Cal Poly.

2012-13 (FRESHMAN)
Honorable mention Pac-12 All-Freshman Team … Averaged 7.7 points and 6.0 rebounds to go with a .727 FG percentage in NCAA Tournament action … Averaged 9.0 rebounds per game at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas … Grabbed eight boards in a season-high 31 minutes vs. Harvard on 3/23 … Hit all five FG attempts to finish with 12 points, eight boards and a block on 3/21 vs. Belmont in NCAA Tournament debut … Tallied six points and a season-high 13 rebounds vs. UCLA on 3/15 in Pac-12 Tournament semifinal … Collected four points and five boards vs. Colorado on 3/14 … Recorded nine points, eight rebounds and an assist on 3/9 vs. Arizona State … Grabbed 10 rebounds on 3/2 at UCLA … Collected eight points and eight rebounds on 2/27 at USC … Registered season-high totals of 12 points and two assists to go with six rebounds on 2/23 vs. Washington State … Posted 10 points and eight rebounds on 2/20 vs. Washington … Hit 4-of-5 FGs to finish with nine points and four rebounds at Utah … Collected six points and six rebounds on 2/14 at Colorado … Tallied six points and two blocks on 2/10 vs. California … Registered 10 points and four boards on 2/2 at Washington State … Posted back-to-back double-figure scoring games for the first time on 1/31 at Washington, where he knocked down 6-of-7 FTs in a season-best 29 minutes … Notched his second double-figure scoring game (10 pts.) on 1/26 vs. USC to go with seven boards … Collected five points and a game-high eight rebounds on 1/19 at Arizona State … Pulled down a season-high seven offensive rebounds vs. Utah on 1/5 … Finished in double figures for the first time on 1/3 vs. Colorado with 10 points on 4-of-7 FG … Grabbed 13 rebounds vs. Miami on 12/23 to go with eight points … Posted eight points, seven rebounds a block and an assist on 12/22 vs. ETSU … Hit all four FGs vs. Oral Roberts on 12/18 … Collected four points and three rebounds vs. Florida on 12/15 … Tallied six points and six rebounds on 12/8 vs. Clemson … Posted seven points and seven rebounds on 12/4 vs. Southern Miss … Grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds on 12/1 at Texas Tech to go with six points and two assists … Posted six points and six rebounds vs. Northern Arizona on 11/28 … Registered seven points, five rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of steals on 11/19 vs. Long Beach State … Tallied eight points and six boards vs. UTEP on 11/15 … Collected four points, four rebounds and a block on 11/11 vs. Charleston Southern.

HIGH SCHOOL
Ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in the country and the No. 3 center with a scout grade of 97 by ESPN.com … Participated in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoops Summit … Led St. Mark’s to a 28-2 record as a senior  … Named MVP of the Independent School League … Averaged 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game as a senior and shot 63 percent from the floor … Tallied 14 points (6-of-8 FGs) and 10 rebounds in the Jordan Brand Classic … Averaged 17.0 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior … Helped the Lions to four consecutive NEPSAC championship games, including a victory in the 2012 Class AA title game … A first-team all-NEPSAC Class AA selection as a junior and senior … Participated in the adidas Nations Top-50 Camp, the adidas Super 64, the Double Pump Best of the Summer event and the Peach Jam tournament prior to his senior season … Coached by Dave Lubick.

Kaleb Tarczewski

Potential First-Round Picks Baldwin and McCaw Headline Second Draft Workout

Kaleb Tarczewski : 2016 Draft Prospect

Second 2016 Pre-Draft Workout Participants