Eastern Draft Notes: Culver, Wizards, King, Sixers
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers, who hold the No. 5 overall pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft, conducted a private workout with top prospect Jarrett Culver on Monday before hosting him for dinner with general manager Koby Altman, assistant GM Mike Gansey, head coach John Beilein, and assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
As Fedor details, the Cavaliers have been keeping tabs on Culver throughout the entire season, watching him in person multiple times. In addition, both Altman and Gansey were in attendance for Culver’s 22-point game against Michigan in the Sweet 16. Beilein, of course, coached the Wolverines in that game.
The Cavaliers are still hoping to conduct a workout with De’Andre Hunter as well, but it reportedly hasn’t happened yet. Culver is currently the No. 6 ranked prospect in ESPN’s top 100, while Hunter is No. 5, so both are obviously in consideration for the fifth pick.
The No. 7 overall prospect, forward Cam Reddish, won’t work out with the Cavaliers due to recent surgery on a core muscle, but the Cavs would like to meet with him in person again prior to draft night.
There’s more draft notes tonight from around the Eastern Conference.
- In other Culver news, his previously-reported workout with the Bulls (link) happened this afternoon, per the team’s official account on Twitter.
- The Wizards will host swingman Keldon Johnson (Kentucky) and forward Cameron Lard (Iowa State) for a draft workout tomorrow, per a report from the team. Johnson is the No. 19 ranked prospect by ESPN, and Washington has the ninth overall pick in the draft.
- Oregon forward Louis King, ESPN’s No. 50 overall prospect, has met/interviewed with the Bucks again, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. King previously interviewed with Milwaukee brass at the pre-draft camp in Chicago.
- The Sixers will host the following prospects for a workout tomorrow, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic: Jon Davis (UNC Charlotte), Dewan Hernandez (Miami), Ahmed Hill (Virginia Tech), Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), Marcquise Reed (Clemson), and Luka Samanic (Croatia).
Eastern Draft Notes: Hawks, Barrett, Knicks, Pistons
With six of the top 44 picks in the 2019 NBA draft, the Hawks have been understandably busy when it comes to bringing in prospects for pre-draft workouts. While Atlanta is unlikely to keep all six of its selections, the club is doing its due diligence on players who might be available at each spot — or as undrafted free agents.
On Sunday, the Hawks worked out Darius Bazley (Princeton HS), Robert Franks (Washington State), Matur Maker (Zlatorog Lasko), William McDowell-White (Baunach), Miye Oni (Yale), and Trayvon Reed (Texas Southern), according to the team.
The Hawks conducted another workout on Monday, bringing in Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Brian Bowen (Sydney), Dewan Hernandez (Miami), Jordan Poole (Michigan), Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech), and Dean Wade (Kansas State) in for a look.
On Tuesday, the Hawks will host yet another workout, with Charlie Brown Jr. (St. Joe’s), Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State), Keldon Johnson (Kentucky), Nassir Little (UNC), KZ Okpala (Stanford), and Kevin Porter Jr. (USC) set to participate.
Here are a few more updates on pre-draft workouts from around the Eastern Conference:
- R.J. Barrett doesn’t have many team visits on his schedule this month. According to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter), Barrett’s individual workout and meeting with the Knicks today represents his first and only session of the pre-draft process. “This is the place I want to be. So I hope they draft me,” the Duke forward said today (Twitter link via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic). Barrett is widely viewed as the favorite to be selected with the No. 3 overall pick.
- Croatian forward Luka Samanic, an early entrant who will keep his name in the 2019 NBA draft pool, will have an individual workout on Tuesday with the Pacers, the team announced in a press release.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech), KeVaughn Allen (Florida), Robert Franks (Washington State), Tyler Herro (Kentucky), Christ Koumadje (Florida State), and Greg Malinowski (Georgetown) worked out for the Magic on Monday, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
- The Pistons worked out Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech), Luguentz Dort (Arizona State), Amir Hinton (Shaw), Talen Horton-Tucker (Iowa State), Nassir Little (UNC), and Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s) on Friday, then auditioned Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Barry Brown Jr. (Kansas State), Digue Diawara (France), Nikola Miskovic (Serbia), Zach Jackson (Omaha), and Josh Perkins (Gonzaga) on Monday, per Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).
Draft Notes: Magic, K. Johnson, Bazley, Fall, Mann
The Magic had a full day of pre-draft workouts today, bringing in two separate groups featuring six prospects apiece. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic details (via Twitter), Orlando’s first group this morning was made up of Darius Bazley (Princeton HS), Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest), Keldon Johnson (Kentucky), Terance Mann (Florida State), KZ Okpala (Stanford), and Miye Oni (Yale).
Later in the day, the Magic auditioned Barry Brown (Kansas State), Tacko Fall (UCF), Kyle Guy (Virginia), Kaleb Johnson (Georgetown), John Konchar (IPFW), and Cameron Lard (Iowa State), according to Robbins (via Twitter).
Several of the prospects who worked out today for Orlando shared additional details on their respective workout schedules, so we’ll round up some of those updates…
- Keldon Johnson, the No. 19 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, said he has worked out for the Celtics and also has sessions on tap with the Heat, Hornets, and Timberwolves, per Robbins (via Twitter).
- Potential first-round pick Darius Bazley said today that he has worked out for the Spurs and has a workout lined up with the Pistons, tweets Robbins.
- Big man Tacko Fall has workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Hornets, according to Robbins (via Twitter). He may add more teams to that list if his schedule allows for it.
- The Nets, Knicks, Bulls, and Cavaliers will work out FSU’s Terance Mann prior to the draft, tweets Robbins.
Wizards Notes: Beal, Wall, White, Draft
Retaining Bradley Beal in his prime, rather than trading him for assets, might be the best course of action for the Wizards, Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington argues. Beal could be the ideal role model to establish a new identity and culture for the franchise, Standig continues. Beal could be the main locker room leader next season with John Wall recovering from his Achilles injury and he’d embrace that role, Standig notes. Giving Beal that power might deepen his connection to the franchise’s long-term success, Standig adds.
We have more on the Wizards:
- With Wall’s super-max extension kicking in, owner Ted Leonsis wants his star point guard to take all the time necessary to make sure he’s fully ready when he starts playing again, as Leonsis expressed in an NBC Sports podcast and relayed by Chase Hughes. “John understands his commitment will show from this rehab,” Leonsis said. “If it takes the whole season, we don’t care. We are not putting pressure on you on a time. Make sure that you are rehabilitating in the right way so that when you do come back, you don’t have that little voice in your head [saying], ‘Did I do everything the right way to be able to come back and be a great, great player?'”
- North Carolina shooting guard Coby White and Kentucky small forward Keldon Johnson are among the prospects the Wizards are bringing in for workouts, Hughes reports in post written by NBC Sports Washington’s Josh Luckenbaugh. White is currently ranked No. 8 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and the Wizards have the ninth pick. Johnson is ranked at No. 19. The Wizards will also soon bring in Georgetown’s Trey Mourning, Duke’s Marques Bolden and Temple’s Shizz Alston Jr.
- Unless the franchise promotes interim president Tommy Sheppard and ends its long search for a new front office leader to replace Ernie Grunfeld, it’s unknown who will determine Washington’s draft decisions this month, Hughes writes in a separate story.
Draft Notes: Reddish, Pro Days, Early Entrants, Thybulle
Duke’s Cam Reddish made a strong impression at Wednesday’s pro day in Phoenix, writes Mike Schmitz of ESPN. With more than 35 prospects on hand, Reddish put on a shooting display that caught the attention of an estimated 100 scouts and several general managers.
Reddish was projected as a high lottery pick last fall, but his stock slipped during a disappointing freshman season. However, he was in top form at the workout, sinking shot after shot in a variety of situations before stopping his session because of a minor groin injury.
Jarrett Culver, Keldon Johnson, Mfiondu Kabengele and Luguentz Dort were other top prospects at the event, along with a large collection of potential second-rounders.
There’s more draft news to pass along:
- In the same article, Jonathan Givony looks at how pro days sponsored by agencies are gradually replacing individual workouts. These events enable players to show off their strengths and hide their weaknesses, allowing someone like Georgios Papagiannis or Rashad Vaughn to rise dramatically. “We’ve completely lost control of the pre-draft process, and we have no one to blame but ourselves,” an unidentified GM said. “Instead of spending time getting to know the guys we are about to invest millions of dollars in, as well as our job security and having our coaching staffs put players through meaningful workouts, we are sitting in traffic on the 405, shuffling between airports and watching celebrity trainers put players through dog and pony shows, with highly scripted routines against cones that tell us absolutely nothing about how they might perform in an actual game.”
- Givony also takes a look at players who might be on the fence about staying in the draft ahead of Wednesday’s deadline and unveils an updated top-100 list that hasn’t changed much at the top.
- A few more players reached draft decisions this morning. Caleb Daniels, who is transferring from Tulane to Villanova (Twitter link), Al-Wajid Aminu of North Florida (Twitter link) and Troy Baxter Jr. of Florida Gulf Coast (Twitter link) will all pull out of the draft, while Charlie Brown of St. Joseph’s (Twitter link from Goodman) will keep his name in.
- Matisse Thybulle of Washington may have a draft promise from the Celtics, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The small forward is slotted at No. 28 on the new ESPN list, and Boston holds picks No. 14, 20 and 22.
Draft Notes: C. White, Barrett, Culver, G. Williams
A number of draft-eligible prospects who attended this week’s combine decided against participating in today’s scrimmages, with at least one prospect leaving the event altogether.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported (via Twitter) that Jalen Lecque, who performed well during Thursday’s scrimmages, decided not to play anymore based on feedback to his family. Croatian forward Luka Samanic followed suit, as did Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky), Moses Brown (UCLA), and DaQuan Jeffries (Tulsa), according to Jeremy Woo of SI.com (via Twitter), who adds that Brown is believed to have suffered an injury on Thursday.
Meanwhile, projected lottery pick Coby White (UNC) left the combine on Friday after interviewing with several teams, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). White’s departure will likely fuel speculation of a draft promise, and while it’s a possibility, there have been no reports yet suggesting that’s the case.
Here’s more on the draft:
- A source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that Duke forward R.J. Barrett would be just fine being drafted third or fourth overall rather than in the top two, since he prefers to play for the Knicks or Lakers. It appears likely that Barrett will get his wish, since the Pelicans and Grizzlies are believed to be locked in on Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, respectively.
- We passed along word of a handful of Jarrett Culver meetings on Thursday, but Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic provides details on a few more, writing that the Texas Tech swingman has also met with the Cavaliers, Magic, and Suns this week.
- Tennessee junior Grant Williams, a probable first-round pick, tells Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (video link) that he’ll be keeping his name in the 2019 draft.
- KZ Okpala (Stanford), Nassir Little (UNC), Keldon Johnson (Kentucky), Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Jordan Poole (Michigan), and Ty Jerome (Virginia) were among the prospects to meet with the Pistons this week, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports in a Twitter thread. Last week, before the combine, Detroit worked out Armoni Brooks (Houston), Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Javin DeLaurier (Duke), Miye Oni (Yale), Payton Pritchard (Oregon), and B.J. Taylor (UCF).
Full List Of 2019 NBA Draft Combine Participants
The NBA has revealed its list of 66 players who have been invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago and who are expected to attend. The combine will take place from May 15-19.
While a small handful of top prospects often skip the event, that won’t be the case this year — Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are on the league’s list of 66 names, along with R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Jarrett Culver, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and many more. Of course, those top prospects may not participate fully in all of the workouts and scrimmages at the combine.
A few more names figure to be added to this list, as a select number of the 40 draft-eligible prospects participating in the G League Elite Camp earlier in the week are expected to receive invites to the combine.
Here’s the full list of 66 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G, Virginia Tech (sophomore)
- R.J. Barrett, G/F, Duke (freshman)
- Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (freshman)
- Darius Bazley, F, Princeton HS (OH) (N/A)
- Bol Bol, C, Oregon (freshman)
- Jordan Bone, G, Tennessee (junior)
- Brian Bowen, F, USA (born 1998)
- Ky Bowman, G, Boston College (junior)
- Ignas Brazdeikis, F, Michigan (freshman)
- Moses Brown, C, UCLA (freshman)
- Brandon Clarke, F, Gonzaga (junior)
- Nicolas Claxton, F, Georgia (sophomore)
- Jarrett Culver, G/F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Luguentz Dort, G, Arizona State (freshman)
- Devon Dotson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Carsen Edwards, G, Purdue (junior)
- Bruno Fernando, F, Maryland (sophomore)
- Daniel Gafford, F/C, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Darius Garland, G, Vanderbilt (freshman)
- Quentin Grimes, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Kyle Guy, G, Virginia (junior)
- Jaylen Hands, G, UCLA (sophomore)
- Jaxson Hayes, F/C, Texas (freshman)
- Tyler Herro, G, Kentucky (freshman)
- Jaylen Hoard, F, Wake Forest (freshman)
- Talen Horton-Tucker, G, Iowa State (freshman)
- De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia (sophomore)
- Ty Jerome, G, Virginia (junior)
- Cameron Johnson, G, UNC (senior)
- Keldon Johnson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
- Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Florida State (sophomore)
- Louis King, F, Oregon (freshman)
- Romeo Langford, G, Indiana (freshman)
- Dedric Lawson, F, Kansas (junior)
- Jalen Lecque, G, Brewster Academy (NH) (N/A)
- Nassir Little, F, UNC (freshman)
- Charles Matthews, G, Michigan (junior)
- Jalen McDaniels, F, San Diego State (sophomore)
- Ja Morant, G, Murray State (sophomore)
- Zach Norvell Jr., G, Gonzaga (sophomore)
- Jaylen Nowell, G, Washington (sophomore)
- Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville (sophomore)
- Chuma Okeke, F, Auburn (sophomore)
- Update: Okeke has elected to skip the combine.
- KZ Okpala, F, Stanford (sophomore)
- Miye Oni, G/F, Yale (junior)
- Eric Paschall, F, Villanova (senior)
- Shamorie Ponds, G, St. John’s (junior)
- Jordan Poole, G, Michigan (sophomore)
- Jontay Porter, F, Missouri (sophomore)
- Kevin Porter Jr, G, USC (freshman)
- Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (freshman)
- Cam Reddish, F, Duke (freshman)
- Naz Reid, C, LSU (freshman)
- Isaiah Roby, F, Nebraska (junior)
- Luka Samanic, F, Croatia (born 2000)
- Admiral Schofield, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Simisola Shittu, F, Vanderbilt (freshman)
- Killian Tillie, F, Gonzaga (junior)
- PJ Washington, F, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tremont Waters, G, LSU (sophomore)
- Quinndary Weatherspoon, G, Missippi State (senior)
- Coby White, G, UNC (freshman)
- Kris Wilkes, G, UCLA (sophomore)
- Grant Williams, F, Tennessee (junior)
- Zion Williamson, F, Duke (freshman)
- Dylan Windler, G, Belmont (senior)
Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) and Matisse Thybulle (Washington) are among the potential first-round picks who aren’t on the NBA’s list of combine participants, as noted by Jeremy Woo of SI.com and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links).
Draft Updates: K. Johnson, Silva, Lawson, Toppin, More
Like Kentucky teammates PJ Washington and Tyler Herro, freshman guard Keldon Johnson has decided that he’ll keep his name in the 2019 NBA draft pool rather than leaving the door open to return to the Wildcats, the school announced in a press release.
Johnson’s decision to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility doesn’t come as a real surprise. Like Washington and Herro, Johnson is projected to be a first-round pick, coming in as the No. 20 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.
Speaking of that big board, another prospect in that top 100 has declared for the 2019 NBA draft, according to Givony, who reports that Brazilian wing Marcos Lousada Silva has submitted the necessary paperwork.
Silva, the 61st overall prospect on ESPN’s board, impressed scouts and executives at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, and has had a productive season in the Brazilian league. NBA scouts have taken notice of the youngster’s high energy level and defensive versatility, Givony adds.
The following prospects are also testing the 2019 NBA draft waters as early entrants, joining the ever-growing list:
- Vrenz Bleijenbergh, F, Belgium (born 2000) (link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando)
- Kellan Grady, G, Davidson (sophomore) (link via David Scott of The Charlotte Observer)
- A.J. Lawson, G, South Carolina (freshman) (Twitter link via Lawson)
- Jeremiah Tilmon, F, Missouri (junior) (press release via school)
- Obi Toppin, F, Dayton (freshman) (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of Sports Illustrated)
Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson Enters 2019 NBA Draft
Kentucky guard Keldon Johnson will enter his name in the 2019 NBA draft pool, he announced on Wednesday, per a press release from the school.
Jeff Goodman of Stadium tweets that he’d be “very, very surprised” if Johnson returns to the Wildcats for his sophomore season. However, the announcement from the program notes that the youngster will be able to hire an agent without having to make a final decision on his status until May 29.
“I’ve spent a lot of time over the last week thinking about what’s best for me and my future,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’ve sat down with my family and Coach Cal (John Calipari) and determined that testing the waters and getting information back from the NBA is the best thing for me at this time. My hope is to be a lottery pick. If I am, I plan on pursuing my dreams and staying in the draft, but I want to go through the process first and get the correct information.”
Johnson currently ranks as the No. 20 prospect on ESPN’s big board, with Jonathan Givony praising the 6’6″ forward’s physical tools, versatility, rebounding ability, and defense. Johnson is not yet a dynamic shooter and has had some conditioning issues, Givony notes.
Johnson will join fellow top-20 prospect P.J. Washington in this year’s draft pool. Kentucky’s third notable prospect, Tyler Herro, has yet to announce a decision regarding the draft.
And-Ones: 2019 Draft, Age Minimum, Team USA
After attending a handful of summer events involving top prospects, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (Insider link) have updated their 2019 NBA mock draft. While Duke freshman R.J. Barrett continues to be viewed as 2019’s top pick, he’s joined in the top three this time around by a fast-rising teammate — Givony and Schmitz have Duke forward Zion Williamson at No. 3 in their latest mock.
Other new names in ESPN’s top 10 include Kentucky freshman wing Keldon Johnson and Oregon freshman center Bol Bol. Johnson excelled in the Wildcats’ exhibition games in the Bahamas, though the ESPN duo was also impressed by Johnson’s teammate PJ Washington, who “looks to be in much better shape” than he was last season. As for Bol, he had a strong showing at the Nike Basketball Academy, as Givony detailed earlier in the month.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Although the NBA’s draft eligibility rule related to a player’s minimum age won’t change within the next couple years, it seems highly likely to be altered or eliminated at some point. Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explores a few possible alternatives to the current rule.
- In a step toward the elimination of the one-and-done rule, the NBA, NCAA, and NBPA reached an agreement with USA Basketball, announcing today that Team USA will expand its Men’s Junior National Team program to include additional training camps and year-round player development programming. The program will include approximately 80 top high school prospects, or about 20 per high school class. Here’s the official announcement from USA Basketball, along with more details from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
- Players on two-way contracts who spend the maximum allowable number of days with their NBA clubs in 2018/19 will be able to earn up to $385,612 this season, tweets cap expert Albert Nahmad. That’s still well short of the NBA rookie minimum ($838,464), but greatly exceeds the standard $35K G League salary.
- Shane Rhodes of Basketball Insiders examines some potential surprise teams for the 2018/19 season, suggesting that the Bulls, Mavericks, Pistons, Clippers, and Suns are candidates to exceed expectations.