Taurean Prince

Wheat Hotchkiss

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.

pacers-groom-prince-examine-diamond-at-pre-draft-workout

Pacers Groom Prince, Examine Diamond at Pre-Draft Workout

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Height: 6-8
Weight: 220
Position: SF
College: Baylor
Age: 21

PPG: 15.9
RPG: 6.1
APG: 2.3
BLK: 0.7
STL: 1.3

AS A SENIOR(2015-16): Started all 34 games, averaging team-best 15.9 points in 30.6 minutes per game ... Named All-Big 12 First Team, becoming fifth player in program history to be named to first team by league's coaches ... Selected to media's All-Big 12 Second Team for second consecutive season ... Only player to rank among Big 12's top 15 in points, rebounds, steals and blocks ... Finished fourth in league in scoring (15.9), ninth in rebounding (6.1), 13th in blocks (0.7) and 15th in steals (1.3) ... Also ranked 11th in Big 12 in free throw percentage (.774), 10th in 3-point percentage (.361) and eighth in offensive rebounding (2.4) ... Posted in double-digit points in 28 of 34 games, including 16 of 18 games in Big 12 play ... Scored 20-plus points in seven games, including two 30-point games ... Played at least 22 minutes in all 34 games ... Had 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in just 25 minutes against Savannah State (11/23) ... Posted 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes vs. Arkansas State (11/27) ... Earned career-first Big 12 Player of the Week honor after scoring then-career-high 30 points, adding five rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes of win over No. 13 Vanderbilt (12/6) ... Posted back-to-back double-doubles with 11 points and 13 boards against Northwestern State (12/8) and 11 points and 10 rebounds against Hardin-Simmons (12/16) ... Scored career-high 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting, tying Ferrell Center record for field goals made in a game, added six rebounds and three steals in 31 minutes vs. New Mexico State (12/23) ... Made 12-of-12 free throws at Kansas (1/2), setting program record for most made free throws without a miss in a Big 12 game ... Led Baylor to win at No. 13 Iowa State (1/9) by posting third double-double of season with 18 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes ... Played career-high 46 minutes and recorded fourth double-double of season with 19 points and 13 boards in double-overtime win vs. Kansas State (1/20) ... That game started streak of 15 consecutive games scoring in double-figures, averaging 16.8 points per game during the streak ... Had 22 points and eight boards in 31 minutes of win at TCU (2/27) ... Recorded fifth double-double of season with 19 points and 10 boards in 33 minutes vs. West Virginia (3/5) ... Led Baylor to win over No. 22 Texas (3/10) in Big 12 Championship quarterfinals with sixth double-double of season, recording 24 points and 13 rebounds in 37 minutes ...Set Baylor record for points in an NCAA Tournament game with 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting against Yale (3/17).

AS A JUNIOR (2014-15): Played 33 games with six starts during breakout season, averaging team-high 13.9 points in 26.3 minutes per game ... Named national Sixth Man of the Year, earned Big 12's Sixth Man Award and was chosen second-team All-Big 12 ... Averaged 16.6 points during a 16-game streak of scoring in double-figures, despite coming off bench in the 15 games against Big 12 opponents during the streak ... Scored in double-figures in 27 of 33 games played, made at least one 3-pointer in 30 games ... Finished season ranked sixth in Big 12 in points per game (13.9), fourth in field goal percentage (.472), third in 3-point percentage (.395), sixth in 3-pointers made per game (1.8), seventh in steals per game (1.5) and 15th in rebounds per game (5.6) ... Improved to 15.6 points per game in conference play, good for third-best in league ... Ranked second nationally in points per game (13.9) by players with fewer than 10 starts ... Led team with 27 double-digit scoring games after posting only 12 double-figure games in first two seasons at Baylor combined ... Posted 15-plus points 16 times and had seven 20-point games ... Made first start of season vs. Memphis (11/27), scoring 20 points in 30 minutes ... Had career-first double-double in Big 12 play with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes off bench in overtime win at TCU (1/10) ... Scored 20 points, added five rebounds and four steals in 29 minutes off bench at Kansas State (1/17), starting streak of 16 consecutive games scoring in double figures ... Posted 20 points in 28 minutes off bench vs. Oklahoma State (2/9) ... Recorded 22 points in 32 minutes off bench in win at Texas Tech (2/17) ... Posted 14 points with then-career-highs of five assists and five steals in win vs. Kansas State (2/21) ... Scored 20 points in consecutive games, leading Bears to wins at Iowa State (2/25) and vs. West Virginia (2/28) ... Put team on his back, scoring 20 of his 24 points over final 13 minutes in three-point win vs. Texas Tech (3/6) ... Played then-career-high 38 minutes off bench, never leaving game after entering off the bench two minutes in vs. Tech ... Posted third career double-double with team-highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds in NCAA Tournament game vs. Georgia State (3/19).

AS A SOPHOMORE (2013-14): Saw action in all 38 games and made first two career starts ... Playing time doubled from freshman season, as he averaged 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game ... Played double-digit minutes in all but five contests ... Scored in double figures nine times ... Opened season with 10 points and eight boards in 18 minutes off bench vs. Colorado (11/8) ... Had season-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points in win over South Carolina (11/12) ... Scored 16 points in 23 minutes vs. Oral Roberts (12/30), starting five-game stretch when he scored in double figures four times and averaged 15.2 points per game ... Had 15 points and five boards in 24 minutes off bench vs. Savannah State (1/3) ... Posted nine points and four boards in 20 minutes at Iowa State (1/7) ... Notched career-high 23 points and 20 minutes off bench vs. TCU (1/11) ... Had 13 points in 22 minutes off bench at Texas Tech (1/15) ... Earned first career start at Kansas (1/20), but battled early foul trouble and was limited to 11 scoreless minutes ... Made second career start and played then-career-high 26 minutes vs. Texas (1/25), posting 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals ... Moved back to reserve role for remainder of season, beginning with 11 points in 19 minutes off bench vs. West Virginia (1/28) ... Had 12 points in 14 minutes of double overtime win vs. Kansas State (2/15) ... Averaged 5.0 points in 11.8 minutes per game during Bears' four-game run at Big 12 Championship ... Came off bench in all three games of NCAA Tournament play, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 boards in 10.0 minutes per contest ... Only attempted two field goals over three NCAA Tournament games, but went to free throw line six times, converting on five attempts.

AS A FRESHMAN (2012-13): Played in 24 games off bench, averaging 6.4 minutes per game during debut season ... Averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest ... Scored in double figures in three of four games in which he played at least 12 minutes ... One of teams' most efficient players, averaging 22.9 points and 13.5 rebounds per 40 minutes ... Played 11 minutes in season opener vs. Lehigh (11/9) and had eight points and six rebounds ... Scored 13 points and grabbed six boards in 16 minutes of win vs. Jackson State (11/11) ... Recorded 27th 20-15 game in program history with 21 points, 15 rebounds (seven offensive), three assists, two blocks and one steal in 26 minutes vs. Hardin-Simmons (1/19) ... Most action in Big 12 play came when he scored six points in 10 minutes of win vs. West Virginia (2/13) ... Had 14 points and seven rebounds in just 12 minutes of NIT opening round win vs. Long Beach State (3/20) ... Played 15 minutes in NIT second round game vs. Arizona State (3/22), posting four points, three rebounds and two steals.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played three seasons for coach Jim Weaver at Earl Warren High School in San Antonio, Texas ... Led Warriors to 35-6 record and trip to state semifinals in 2011-12 senior season ... Averaged 21.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 2.3 steals per game as senior, earning TABC All-State and unanimous All-District 27-5A honors ... Named San Antonio Express News 2011-12 All-Area Player of the Year ... Selected to Class 5A All-Tournament team ... Led team to 26-10 record and earned All-Area honors after averaging 16.4 points and 11.6 rebounds as junior in 2010-11 ... Played in Texas High School Coaches Association 2012 All-Star Game ... Ranked No. 7 recruit in Texas by TexasHoops.com ... Ranked as No. 24 recruit in Texas by ESPN.

PERSONAL: Full name is Taurean Waller-Prince ... Born March 22, 1994, in San Marcos, Texas ... Son of Anthony and Tamiyko Prince ... Originally signed NLI with Long Island-Brooklyn prior to senior season of high school, but was released after school made coaching change.

Taurean Prince

Pacers Groom Prince, Examine Diamond at Pre-Draft Workout

Taurean Prince: 2016 Draft Prospect

Sixth Pre-Draft Workout Participants (June 15)

Updated Mock Draft Projections (June 14)