Draft Notes: Wolves, Kings, Pistons
We’re continuing to pass along workout schedules for NBA teams in advance of the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20. See below for some additional workout notes from Minneapolis, Sacramento, and Detroit.
- French standout Sekou Doumbouya spent a day with the Timberwolves earlier this week, undergoing some medical testing and a workout, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Doumbouya is the No. 9 ranked prospect by ESPN. Minnesota owns the No. 11 pick in this month’s draft.
- Wolfson adds that Kentucky’s PJ Washington worked out for the Timberwolves today alongside some other prospects. ESPN ranks Washington as the No. 16 overall prospect.
- The Kings hosted six prospects for a workout on Tuesday. Per an official release, the list of players that worked out is guard Marcquise Reed (Clemson), guard Shaq Buchanan (Murray State), guard Bryce Brown (Auburn), guard Frank Howard (Syracuse), forward Juwan Morgan (Indiana), and forward Aric Holman (Mississippi State).
- Tomorrow, the Kings will host six more prospects for their 15th pre-draft workout. Per an official release, the workout participants are guard Rickey McGill (Iona), guard Jeremiah Martin (Memphis), guard Ar’Mond Davis (UC Santa Barbara), forward Jalen McDaniels (San Diego State), forward Simisola Shittu (Vanderbilt), and big man Christ Koumadje (Florida State).
- The Pistons held a workout today as well, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. They hosted Brian Bowen, Jalen Adams (UConn), Jarrell Brantley (Charleston), Robert Franks (Washington State), Khalil Iverson (Wisconsin), and Terance Mann (Florida State).
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 Notes: Leonard, Pistons, VanVleet, Hornets, Wizards
Despite a report from last week that Kawhi Leonard bought a house in Toronto, Leonard denied the story on Saturday in front of reporters, according to a Canadian Press report (via The Toronto Star).
Raptors fans were optimistic that this could be a clue of Leonard’s upcoming free agency decision, with the 2014 Finals MVP scheduled to become a free agent on June 30, one day after his 28th birthday. He’ll likely register interest from several suitors outside of Toronto, including his hometown teams in Los Angeles.
“No, it didn’t. It didn’t happen yet, no,” Leonard said of the report.
Leonard has guided the Raptors through the Eastern Conference and out to a 3-1 series lead over the Warriors, averaging a playoff career-high 31.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 22 postseason games.
The Raptors have a chance to win their first ever NBA championship on Monday night, a pivotal game for a franchise hoping to persuade Leonard to re-sign on a lucrative free-agent contract this summer.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference tonight:
- The Pistons could be focused on a wing player with their first-round pick, as noted by Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Detroit was awarded the No. 15 overall selection in the draft, coming off a season where the team finished 41-41 with the eighth seed.
- Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said he has no symptoms and no concussion after being elbowed in Game 4, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets. VanVleet exited the game early to receive seven stitches for the wound, later returning courtside for his team.
- The Hornets are hosting a pre-draft workout on Monday, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Charlotte will work out Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan), Moses Brown (UCLA), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), DJ Laster (Gardner-Webb), Makai Mason (Baylor) and Marcquise Reed (Clemson).
- The Wizards also have a pre-draft workout set for Monday, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The team will work out Brandon Better (Southern Utah), Joe Cremo (Villanova), Jon Davis (Charlotte), Malik Dunbar (Auburn), Paul Eboua (Africa) and Kaleb Johnson (Georgetown).
Southeast Notes: Wizards Workouts, Hornets, Hawks Offseason
The Wizards brought in three guards and three forwards during a pre-draft workout on Monday, according to the team’s website. They took a look at backcourt candidates Shannon Bogues (Stephen F. Austin), Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple) and Jamall Gregory (Jacksonville State) and forwards Trey Mourning (Georgetown), Ed Polite Jr. (Radford) and Trey Porter (Nevada).
The Wizards will be looking at six more prospects on Tuesday, including four guards — Matt Morgan (Cornell), Marcquise Reed (Clemson), Garrison Mathews (Lipscomb) and B.J. Stith (Old Dominion), according to another website post. They’ll also work out big men James Thompson IV (Eastern Michigan) and Raasean Davis (N.C. Central).
We have more Southeast Division news:
- The Wizards have a workout scheduled with USC shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr., Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. They’ll also bring in forward Jordan Caroline (Nevada) in the near future, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets. Porter ranks No. 20 overall on ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s draft board.
- Arkansas big man Daniel Gafford heads the list of six prospects the Hornets will bring in on Tuesday, according to a team press release. Gafford sits at No. 41 on Givony’s board. They’ll also take a look at guards Ky Bowman (Boston College), Amir Coffey (Minnesota), Miye Oni (Yale) and forwards Cody Martin (Nevada) and Chris Silva (South Carolina).
- Should the Hawks dive into free agency? Should they deal their two lottery picks to move up in the draft? These are some of the questions that ESPN’s Bobby Marks tackles in Atlanta’s offseason preview.
Draft Decisions: Azubuike, Hands, Bowman, Reed
Kansas big man Udoka Azubuike is the latest early entrant to pull out the 2018 NBA draft, a source tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Azubuike, the No. 77 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, had entered the draft without hiring an agent, but now appears poised to rejoin the Jayhawks for his junior year.
As a sophomore, Azubuike enjoyed a breakout season in 2017/18, averaging 13.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in just 23.6 minutes per contest for Kansas. The seven-footer will have another opportunity to declare as an early entrant in 2019.
Here are more of the latest draft decisions from early entrants in advance of today’s deadline:
- Jaylen Hands, who ranks one spot behind Azubuike on Givony’s top-100 list, is also headed back to school, a source tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The UCLA guard will be a sophomore in 2018/19.
- Boston College sophomore guard Ky Bowman will return to school for his junior year after testing the draft waters, according to Rothstein. Bowman had a big sophomore season for the Eagles, putting up 17.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 4.7 APG, but wasn’t considered likely to be drafted.
- The Clemson basketball program got some good news today, according to Rothstein, who tweets that Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell are both withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters. Reed and Mitchell were the Tigers’ first- and fourth-leading scorers in 2017/18.
- DePaul’s top scorer Max Strus will return to school for his senior year, the program announced today in a press release. “I’m glad I was able to go through the process and receive feedback from NBA teams,” Strus said in a statement. “Now we can look forward to my senior season at DePaul and we’re already working and getting better this spring as a team.”
- Junior guard Tyler Hall is withdrawing from the draft and returning to Montana State, per ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Hall averaged 17.5 PPG on .407/.372/.907 shooting in 2017/18.
Draft Updates: Carr, Mitchell, Reed, Taylor, Rose
Penn State guard Tony Carr announced today that he has decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft and will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, as Tyler King of The Daily Collegian details.
Carr, a 6’5″ point guard, posted big numbers for the Nittany Lions in his sophomore year, averaging 19.6 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.9 RPG with a .408/.433/.799 shooting line. He also helped lead Penn State to the NIT title last week.
Ranked 44th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Carr is viewed as a possible first-round pick by some draft experts, but at this point he seems more likely to be picked in the second round or even to go undrafted.
Here are more draft-related notes from around the basketball world:
- Clemson guards Shelton Mitchell and Marcquise Reed are declaring for the 2018 NBA draft without hiring representation, per a press release (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports). Both Mitchell and Reed just finished their junior seasons for the Tigers, with Mitchell posting 12.2 PPG and 3.6 APG, while Reed contributed 15.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG.
- Cornell junior guard Matt Morgan is testing the draft waters without hiring an agent, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. The Ivy League’s leading scorer, Morgan averaged 22.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 2017/18. He tested the draft waters last spring, but ultimately returned to school.
- Temple sophomore guard Quinton Rose is declaring for the 2018 draft, but won’t hire an agent yet, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’m confident in my abilities going forward and think that I have a good chance of being drafted,” Rose told Givony. “In order to stay in I would have to move into projected mid-first round.” In other words, Rose is a good bet to return to Temple for his junior year.
- Fresno State guard Deshon Taylor is testing the 2018 NBA draft waters without an agent, he announced (via Twitter). Taylor enjoyed a big junior year for the Bulldogs, averaging 17.8 PPG on .439/.386/.833 shooting.