Yante Maten

Wheat Hotchkiss

Two weeks before the 2018 NBA Draft, the Pacers hosted their first pre-draft workout at the St. Vincent Center, welcoming six prospects to Indianapolis for drills and testing.

In years past, the team would have already held several workouts by this time, but the pre-draft process has changed somewhat this year, with many agencies holding pro days for players in the weeks following the NBA Draft Combine. For that reason, Pacers scouts and executives spent time traveling around the country to those events before hosting their own pre-draft workouts in Indiana.

As usual, Pacers head coach Nate McMillan and his staff conducted Thursday's workout, which featured Wichita State point guard Landry Shamet, UNLV center Brandon McCoy, St. Bonaventure guard Jaylen Adams, Creighton guard Marcus Foster, Middle Tennessee State forward Nick King, and Georgia forward Yante Maten.

Of the six, Shamet is the most likely first-round pick and could be a candidate for the Pacers to take with the 23rd overall selection on June 21. Pacers.com's Mark Montieth wrote on what makes Shamet an intriguing option, but here are some notes on the other five prospects from Thursday's workout.

Big men Brandon McCoy (left) and Yante Maten (right) hoped to make an impact at Thursday's pre-draft workout.

McCoy, Maten Make Their Case to Add Depth in Post

Both of the two big men in Thursday's workout were invited to the combine last month (as was Shamet), but they've taken very different routes to the pros.

Aside from Shamet, McCoy seems to be the most likely player from Thursday's group to hear his name called early on draft night. On paper, it's easy to see why.

McCoy has the size (he measured at 7 feet and one-half inch in shoes with a 7-2 wingspan at the combine) and the youth (he turns 20 on Monday) to make him an intriguing commodity. He was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school and did not disappoint in his one year in college, averaging 16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 54.5 percent from the field at UNLV, where he was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.

For the best evidence of McCoy's potential, look no further than his performance against possible number-one pick DeAndre Ayton and Arizona on Dec. 2. McCoy more than held his own, putting together his best performance of the season on his way to 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting and 10 rebounds in a narrow overtime loss (Ayton finished with 28 points on 12-of-23 shooting and 10 boards).

Though he's still raw in some areas, McCoy felt that he could only hurt his draft stock by spending another year in school, so he opted to declare after just one season with the Runnin' Rebels.

"I want to be in the NBA and I feel like (staying) in college, you're getting further and further away from your dreams," McCoy said. "I think I had a really decent season at UNLV and it was time for me to take the next step."

McCoy believes he has the tools to make an immediate impact as a rebounder and energy player off the bench. He is working on extending his shooting range (he attempted just nine 3-pointers last season at UNLV) to make him a better fit in the modern NBA.

The 7-footer also believes his best attribute is something that will draw scouts' attention in workouts, where players compete in testing, shooting drills, and 3-on-3 scrimmages.

"I love to win," McCoy said. "I've got a drive and I do whatever it takes to win."

Maten, on the other hand, is a more polished product. He was a productive player throughout his four-year career in Georgia (the Detroit native chose the Bulldogs over Indiana and Michigan State) and averaged 19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a senior, when he was named SEC Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

The 6-8 forward actually declared for the draft a year ago, but did not hire an agent and decided to return to school at the NCAA's early entry deadline.

"I was able to test the waters, see if I was able to be potentially drafted or not, and get a feel for what a workout is," Maten said. "...That definitely prepared me a lot for this year to get mentally prepared."

While he was a proven scorer in college, the aspect of Maten's game that will most easily translate to the next level is his strength. Weighing in at a robust 246 pounds, Maten outclassed all other players in the bench press at the combine, doing 18 reps at 185 pounds.

While his strength is unquestionable, Maten also believes he has the athleticism necessary to fit in on an NBA roster.

"I think I'd be able to grab rebounds and defend not just my position (power forward) but other positions," Maten said. "I know that's going to be critical. You see in the Finals, everybody's switching everything."

Like McCoy, Maten needs to show that he can be a threat from the perimeter offensively. He attempted just 16 3-pointers in his first two seasons at Georgia, but took 85 shots from beyond the arc as a senior and converted 34.1 percent. He's working on bringing up his percentage and also expanding his range to stretch out to the NBA 3-point line.

St. Bonaventure's Jaylen Adams (left), Creighton's Marcus Foster (middle), and Middle Tennessee State's Nick King (right) all demonstrated a knack for scoring the ball in college.

Trio of Scorers Hoping Offense Carries Over to NBA

The last three prospects at Thursday's workout might not be considered first-round talents, but each of them possesses plenty of offensive firepower.

Adams, for instance, averaged 17.9, 20.6, and 19.1 points per game over his final three seasons at St. Bonaventure. He was named co-Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10 as a senior, leading the Bonnies to a second-place finish in the league and an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

Adams is one of the best shooters in his draft class, as he proved in college while taking a high volume of shots from beyond the arc. The 6-2 guard posted a .438 3-point percentage as a sophomore, saw that number dip to .356 as a junior, but raised it back up to .436 as a senior. In each of those seasons, Adams attemped more than six threes per game.

While he is known primarily as a scorer, Adams also showed plenty of playmaking ability in college. He averaged at least five assists per game in each of his final three seasons at St. Bonaventure and believes he needs to be comfortable in both a scoring and distributing role to excel as an NBA point guard.

"I think you've got to be able to do both," Adams said. "At this point, you've got to be able to shoot and score the ball at the point guard spot. And passing the ball is something that's expected from the point guard as well."

Adams is a little small at just 6-2 and struggled in the NCAA Tournament against high-major competition (he went 2-for-16 in a First Four win over UCLA, then had four turnovers in a first-round loss to Florida), but has the opportunity in workouts to prove he can hold his own against bigger guards.

Foster looked like he might be on the fast track to the NBA after a standout freshman season at Kansas State, where he averaged 15.5 points per game and shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range. But he struggled as a sophomore, when he admittedly wasn't as committed as he should have been to basketball, and was suspended and then later dismissed from the program.

The 6-3 guard got a second chance at Creighton, where he turned his career back around. After sitting out a season, he averaged 18.2 and 19.8 points over the past two years. He was named to the All-Big East first team in each of his two seasons with the Bluejays and shot 48.3 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range as a senior.

"I just really grew up," Foster said of his time at Creighton. "I changed what my priorities were, got my things in order, and just put basketball and school first."

The biggest question for Foster, who played off the ball in college, is if he can make the transition to point guard, something that is probably necessary for him to earn a place on an NBA roster.

"Nobody's ever seen me play point guard except for these last few workouts that I've been in," Foster said. "So I'm excited to show them what I can do at the point guard spot."

Foster's sojourn pales in comparison to King's tumultuous college career. The 6-7 forward transferred not once, but twice in college, dealing with a serious medical issue in the process.

King began his college career at his hometown school, the University of Memphis, but decided to transfer to Alabama after two years coming off the bench. After sitting out the 2015-16 season, King was poised to play a bigger role for the Crimson Tide, but only appeared in seven games before acquiring a lung infection that sidelined him for the rest of his junior season.

He then decided to leave Alabama and enrolled at Middle Tennessee State as a graduate transfer last season.

King finally enjoyed the level of success he had always dreamed of in his lone season in Murfreesboro, averaging 21 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting and 8.4 rebounds to lead the Blue Raiders to the Conference USA regular season title. He was named conference Player of the Year at the end of the season.

He credits his faith and a strong family support system for helping him through hard times.

"It was just amazing how everything fell into place," King said. "I feel like I've been working hard my whole life. I went through adversity at a young age. It hit kind of hard, so you never know what to expect. But I kept God in my life."

King does have at least one member of the Pacers organization in his corner. Starting power forward Thaddeus Young is also a native of Memphis and has taken on a mentoring role with King and other players who have come out of the city in recent years.

"That's my guy, man," King said. "People say we're kind of similar — you know, left-handed, play multiple positions, bring a lot of energy to the floor.

"He has given me advice in the past. A lot of great advice, great tips just to bring a lot of energy, bring a high motor."

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Plenty of Scoring Punch in First Pre-Draft Workout

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Height: 6-9
Weight: 246
Position: PF/C
College: Georgia
Age: 21

PPG: 19.3
RPG: 8.6
APG: 1.5
BLK: 1.5
STL: 0.5

Kevin Brophy Memorial Scholarship recipient...2018 AP SEC Player of the Year, joining Dominique Wilkins (1981) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2013) to become Georgia’s third SEC Player of the Year honoree...Three-time consensus All-SEC performer, earning first-team status from coaches and the AP as a senior; first-team coaches and second-team AP as a junior; and second-team coaches and third-team AP as a sophomore...Georgia’s first three-time All-SEC honoree in more than 25 years (since Litterial Green from 1990-92) and just the sixth in program history...Among the Bulldogs’ career statistical leaders, finished his career ranked No. 2 in points (1,886), No. 4 in rebounds (889), No. 3 in blocks (198), No. 4 in free throws made (518), No. 4 in free throws attempted (686), No. 5 in field goals attempted (1345), No. 6 in field goals made (655), No. 13 in free throw percentage (.755) and No. 15 in field goal percentage (.483).

2017-18 Season Highlights:
Named first-team All-America by the Senior CLASS Award and earned honorable mention recognition from the Associated Press...Tabbed SEC Player of the Year by the Associated Press and a consensus first-team All-SEC pick by the AP and league coaches...Selected as the District IV Player of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, an honor covering all players in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida...Named to the USBWA and NABC All-District teams for the second consecutive year...Voted as the Most Outstanding Player for the victorious West Team in the NABC’s Reese’s College All-Star Game in San Antonio on the Friday before the Final Four. Scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 19 minutes of action during the 98-94 win at the Alamodome...During the preseason, rated as one of the nation’s top-25 players by CBSSports.com (No. 22), ESPN.com (No. 23) and NBCsports.com (No. 24)...Tabbed preseason All-America by several organizations, including a first-team nod by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas...One of two Bulldogs – along with Turtle Jackson – to start all 33 games...Scored in double figures in 31 games, with 17 20-point performances...Scored 636 points, the most ever by a Georgia senior and fifth-highest overall mark in school history...Among UGA’s season records, also put up efforts that rank No. 12 in rebounds (283), No. 4 in free throws made (193), No. 4 in free throws attempted (241), No. 12 in blocks (49), No. 12 in field goals attempted (446) and No. 19 in field goals made (207)...Grabbed double-digit rebound tallies in 14 contests en route to an SEC-high 14 double-doubles on the season...Led the Bulldogs in scoring 27 times, in rebounds on 22 occasions, in blocks 19 games and in steals eight outings...Grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds against Arkansas, the most in SEC action by any league player during the 2017-18 season...Led the SEC in scoring, both overall (19.3 ppg) and in league action (19.2 ppg)...Became the fifth Bulldog to pace the SEC in scoring, joining Dominique Wilkins in 1980-81 (23.6 ppg), Vern Fleming in 1983-84 (19.8 ppg), Jumaine Jones in 1998-99 (18.8 ppg) and Jarvis Hayes in 2001-02 (18.6 ppg)...Among SEC leaders, also finished No. 3 in rebounds (8.6 rpg), No. 3 in minutes played (34.3), No. 7 in field goal percentage (.464), No. 10 in free throw percentage (.801), No. 10 in blocks (1.5)...Produced Georgia’s single-game highs in nine different categories, most notably points (30 vs. Temple), rebounds (15 vs. Arkansas), blocks (six vs. LSU in Athens) and minutes (46 vs. Arkansas)...Put up 33 points (in 31 MP) in an Oct. 29 exhibition vs. No. 2 Michigan State...The first Bulldog to begin a season with three double-doubles since 1987-88...Named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 26 after averaging 27.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg in wins over Ga. Tech and Temple.

2016-17 Season Highlights:
One of 10 players named to the final Watch List for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center...One of 25 players on the preseason Watch List for the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s top power forward...The only player in the nation who switched from one honor to another among the national position player of the year awards administered by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame...A consensus All-SEC selection for the second-straight season, earning first-team honors in balloting of league coaches and second-team recognition from the AP...Named All-District by the NABC and the USBWA...Named to the preseason Watch List for the Lute Olson Award as the nation’s top player with two or more seasons of college experience...A starter for 28 of 29 games played. Started the first 27 games of the season before suffering a sprained knee 95 seconds into Feb. 18 date with Kentucky...Ranked among the SEC’s top-10 individual leaders in four stats – No. 2 in field goal percentage (.519), No. 4 in scoring (18.2 ppg), No. 9 in rebounding (6.8 rpg), No. 9 in blocked shots (1.5 bpg)...In stats for SEC games only, ranked No. 3 in field goal percentage (.484) and No. 5 in scoring (17.6 ppg)...Among UGA’s best single-season records, posted the No. 9 marks for free throws made (149) and attempted (208), as well as the No. 20 tally for blocked shots (43)...Reached double figures in 26 of 29 games played, with 10 20-point and three 30-point outings...Became the first Bulldog to record three 30-point performances in a single season since Jumaine Jones did so in 1998-99...Exploded for 30 points against No. 5 Kansas, the most points by a Bulldog vs. a top-10 team since Jarvis Hayes scored 30 against Kentucky Jan. 9, 2002...Named SEC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 2, after scoring 31 points and grabbing eight rebounds in an SEC-opening win at Auburn...Became Georgia Basketball’s 48th 1,000-point scorer with a made free throw of the 9:51 mark of the second half against South Carolina on Jan. 4...After missing the final four regular-season outings, returned to action to score 12 points in back-to-back outings against Tennessee and Kentucky in the SEC Tournament...Did not play in the Bulldogs’ final game of the season against Belmont in the NIT after an unexpected setback in his rehab following the SEC Tournament...Announced on April 11 that he planned to submit his name for the NBA Draft but removed his name from consideration on May 23.

2015-16 Season Highlights:
Named second-team All-SEC by league coaches, as well as third team by the Associated Press...One of two Bulldogs – along with Charles Mann – to start all 34 outings...Finished as the only player ranked among the SEC’s top-10 statistical leaders in scoring (No. 9), rebounding (No. 6), field goal percentage (No. 5) and free throw percentage (No. 10)...Also No. 4 in the SEC in blocked shots...Collected 61 blocks, sixth-most in school history...Produced team-high double-digit outputs in scoring (30) and rebounding (11), as well as double-doubles (11)...Predicted during the summer of 2015 to be one of the nation’s “breakout” players…certainly did his best to validate such expectations by more than tripling his scoring and nearly doubling his rebounding numbers from 2014-15...Improved his career-high scoring output five times during the season, including thrice in the first seven games. Upped his tally of 13 points entering the season, to 17, to 21, to 24, to 25 and lastly to 33 vs. Belmont on March 16...Grabbed a season- and career-high 13 rebounds against Chattanooga in the season opener, a tally that held up as the most by a Bulldog in a game during the season (along with Derek Ogbeide’s 13 boards at Mississippi State)...Enjoyed a massively productive 10-game stretch from Nov. 28-Jan. 9, averaging 18.6 ppg (with seven 20-point outings) while converting 60.2 percent (68-of-113) of his shots from the field and 79.0 (49-of-62) of his trips to the line...Upped his rebounding contributions considerably from the 2015 calendar (7.5 rpg) to that versus SEC competition (8.3 rpg)...Blocked six shots at Missouri, a career high and the most by any Bulldog during the season...His career-high 33 points against Belmont on March 16 represented the highest output ever by a Georgia player in NIT action...Produced the No. 2 highlight on ESPN’s “Top 10 plays” during the victory over Belmont, a steal he drove the length of the floor before a thunderous, one-hand dunk over a Bruin defender...Connected on 88.9 percent of his free throw attempts (32-of-36) over the final seven games, including a streak of 21 consecutive makes covering six games from Feb. 20-March 10.

2014-15 Season Highlights:
Logged action in 32 of 33 games, with starts against Seton Hall and at South Carolina...Notched four double-figure scoring outputs and a season-best 10 boards versus South Carolina in the SEC Tourney...Blocked 45 shots, equaling Terry Fair (1982-83) and Marcus Thornton (2013-14) at No. 15 among UGA’s all-time single-season leaders...Ranked No. 4 in the SEC in blocks (1.4 bpg)...Posted first double-digit output (11 points) against Stony Brook in the season’s second outing...Garnered first career start against Seton Hall when regular Nemanja Djurisic was limited due to a bout with the flu...Logged all but 30 seconds of the three overtime periods that Georgia played at LSU and at Alabama during the SEC schedule...Missed the Vanderbilt game on Jan. 14 after suffering a concussion, the result of a pedestrian/auto accident on campus on Jan. 11. Was struck by a car while using a pedestrian crosswalk...Played the final 4:30 of overtime at Alabama and registered a key block with two seconds remaining that preserved Georgia’s victory...His two best SEC games came vs. No. 1 Kentucky: 13 points and nine rebounds on Feb. 3 in Lexington; and eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks on March 3 in Athens...Posted his first collegiate double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) in an SEC  Tournament quarterfinal win over South Carolina.

Prep Highlights:
Coached by Duane Graves at Bloomfield Hills as a senior after playing for Duane Graves as Lahser High as a freshman, sophomore and junior...Lahser and Andover High Schools combined to form Bloomfield prior to Maten’s senior year...Tabbed 2014 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and named to the All-State ‘’Dream Team’’ by both the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News after a standout senior season...Two-time All-State pick of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan – for Class A in 2013 and “Best of the Best” (all classes) in 2014...As a senior, averaged 19.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, 6.6 blocks and 4.8 assists at Bloomfield Hills, which went 24-4 and reached the Michigan Class A state championship game in 2014...As a junior, averaged 15.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 5.2 block per game as Lahser finished 18-7.

Personal:
Full Name: Yante Khaaliq Daiyann Maten...Birthdate/Birthplace: August 14, 1996 / Pontiac, Mich...Academic Major: Fisheries & Wildlife

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Yante Maten: 2018 Draft Prospect

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Meet the Participants of the First Pre-Draft Workout

The Pacers will hold their first pre-draft workout in preparation for the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday, June 7 at the St. Vincent Center.

The six players scheduled to participate in workouts are Jaylen Adams (St. Bonaventure), Marcus Foster (Creighton), Nick King (Middle Tennessee State), Yante Maten (Georgia), Brandon McCoy (UNLV), and Landry Shamet (Wichita State).

PHOTOS: Learn More About Thursday's Prospects »

The 2018 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Pacers own two picks in this year's draft, one pick in both the first and second rounds, the 23rd and 50th overall selections.

PROSPECT BIOS: Adams »   Foster »   King »   Maten »   McCoy »   Shamet »

Yante Maten

Plenty of Scoring Punch in First Pre-Draft Workout

Yante Maten: 2018 Draft Prospect

Meet the Participants of the First Pre-Draft Workout

Pacers to Hold First Pre-Draft Workout on Thursday, June 7