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Meet the Team: Troy Williams

Jim Eichenhofer

Notes from Monday’s New Orleans Pelicans draft workouts, which featured a total of 12 draft prospects, many of whom are projected to be second-round picks on June 23. The following seven players bolded below met with the media (the five players who did not interview with local reporters were Indiana’s Troy Williams and Yogi Ferrell, Maryland’s Jake Layman, Arizona’s Kaleb Tarczewski and Texas’ Prince Ibeh):

The NBA seems to be skewing younger and younger in recent years, making one aspect of Monday’s Pelicans draft workout an extreme rarity: Of the 12 players who attended, five have already turned at least 23. Based on a combination of transfer years and injury-redshirt seasons, a handful of invitees were older than you’d probably expect for a draft prospect. That NCAA veteran group was topped age-wise by Syracuse guard Michael Gbinije, who celebrated his 24th birthday June 5.

Gbinije – roughly nine months older than Anthony Davis – is projected by NBADraft.net to be picked 38th, one spot before the Pelicans’ pair of choices at 39 and 40. He began his college career at Duke, but had to sit out the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules, later spearheading the Orange to a Final Four berth this year. He said he’d enjoy playing for New Orleans.

“I was just joking around with one of the guys earlier, (they have) great food spots here,” he said of the Crescent City. “(The Pelicans) want to get up and down (the floor). Transition fits my style. I’m not a guy who’s a demanding player, so I think I’ll be able to adjust right away. I’m pretty versatile.”

Of the presence of three-time All-Star Davis, Gbinije said, “that’s huge, having a big like that who can score, takes a lot of pressure off you and makes your job a whole lot easier.” ...

Bryce Harper look-alike Thomas Walkup, 23, mentioned an interesting comparison when he was asked what NBA player he resembles: Cleveland point guard Matthew Dellavedova. “I’m a combo guard with the ability to guard a lot of different positions, (and have) toughness,” the Stephen F. Austin product said. Monday was Walkup’s 10th different workout for an NBA team. Not listed on NBADraft.net’s current mock draft, he noted that if he goes undrafted, “I have to have a chip on my shoulder. Get in somewhere for summer league, tear it up there and try to get on a roster.” ...

Often the butt of good-natured jokes about how old he appears, Kansas forward Perry Ellis is actually only 22. “I’ve been hearing it so long, I just have fun with it,” he said. “If anything, it makes me play better.” One popular and humorous tweet photo-shopped Ellis’ head onto the body of former Kansas star Danny Manning, making it appear as though Ellis played for the Jayhawks all the way back in the 1980s. In terms of what he’s trying to show NBA teams, Ellis said, “handling the ball in different situations and shooting the ball. Mostly be who I am and be the player I was at Kansas. That’s what everyone tells me to do.” ...

Ellis’ teammate at Kansas, guard Wayne Selden, said he views draft workouts as another opportunity to prove what he can do. Selden is projected to be the No. 56 pick by NBADraft.net, as well as No. 47 by DraftExpress.com. “I feel like it’s been this way forever,” the 21-year-old said. “In AAU, you try to prove yourself to college coaches. In college, you try to prove yourself to NBA guys. It’s something you’ve got to go through. I’m enjoying it.” ...

Oregon State guard Gary Payton II can’t escape comparisons to – or at least questions about – his famous father, Gary Payton, a Hall of Famer who starred primarily in Seattle and won an NBA title with Miami. However, Dad was a No. 2 overall pick in 1990, while the younger Payton will likely need to scratch and claw his way into prominence. “There is not one place I go where I’m not asked about it,” Gary II said of his father. “It’s difficult (growing up). I didn’t really know how to handle the pressure, the critics, everyone saying you’re never going to be as good as your father. As you get older, you get more comfortable being your own person. As I got older, it got easier.” ...

French forward Guerschon Yabusele is a unique package, a skilled player with a formidable frame listed at 6-foot-8, 260 pounds. “I’m comfortable playing both ways,” he said of being comfortable on the perimeter or in the paint. “Most of the time I play facing the basket, but I’m comfortable posting up, using my body.” Yabusele, 20, is projected by some as a late-first-rounder, but said, “(whether) it’s first or second round, I just want to get drafted.” ...

Another native of France, guard Isaia Cordinier said he tries to model himself on the court after the likes of Orlando guard Victor Oladipo and Toronto center Bismack Biyombo, as well as Euroleague MVP Nanda DeColo, a former San Antonio reserve. “I like guys that bring a lot of energy,” Cordinier said. He said he’s relished his eight NBA draft workouts so far: “Coming from France, being in the U.S. working out for NBA teams, I take a lot of pleasure from this experience and am learning a lot.”

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High number of NCAA veterans highlight Pelicans draft workout

When an NBA team holds a pre-draft workout for projected second-round picks, the invitees are often unfamiliar names, or small-school players far from the spotlight of national TV. That definitely wasn’t the case at Monday morning’s New Orleans Pelicans draft workout, however. A virtual who’s who of NCAA men’s basketball programs were represented, including two players from Kansas, two from Indiana, as well as one each from Syracuse and Arizona.

Part of the attraction of visiting the Pelicans for possible second-rounders is somewhat obvious: New Orleans currently holds back-to-back picks in the early portion of Round 2, with selections at No. 39 and 40 overall.

“Absolutely,” said Syracuse combo guard Michael Gbinije, when asked if that was part of his motivation to work out for the Pelicans. “Hopefully I play well enough for them to like what I did today.”

Few NBA draft analysts post mock drafts for the second round, but one of the prominent sites that does – NBADraft.net – projects Gbinije as the 38th pick. There were four other players in Monday’s workout currently tabbed by NBADraft.net to go in Round 2, including Oregon State’s Gary Payton II (No. 47 pick), Indiana’s Troy Williams (54), as well as the Kansas duo of Perry Ellis (49) and Wayne Selden (56).

Several workout attendees also noted that New Orleans is an intriguing potential destination due to the presence of three-time All-Star Anthony Davis, as well as Alvin Gentry’s up-tempo style of play. The Pelicans finished 11th in pace in 2015-16 despite an array of injuries to key players, at 98.91 possessions per 48 minutes, via NBA.com.

“They get up and down the floor and (play) fast-paced,” said Ellis, a 6-foot-8 forward. “That’s something I like doing. At Kansas, we got up the floor a lot. I’m just trying to make an impact in whatever way I can.”

“It’s a good team. They’ve got a superstar in Anthony Davis,” Selden said. “They’ve got great guard play. They’re good in transition. I think that’s where I can fit.”

Coming off a 30-52 season, New Orleans qualified for the draft lottery and will also be picking sixth in the first round. Some first-year pros may see the Pelicans’ current circumstances as a chance to be part of short- and long-term progress, particularly for a team that showed promise with a 45-37 record and playoff berth in 2014-15.

“They’ve been in the mix lately the last few years,” Payton said. “I see myself coming here helping, being a backup for whoever.”

“It’s a young team; I think they’re up-and-coming,” Gbinije said. “They had a couple rough stretches, but you like those type of situations going in where you can be a part of something (improving).”

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Pelicans draft workout draws numerous possibilities for picks 39 and 40

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