Draft Notes: Simmons, Ferrell, Murray
While it’s not unanimous, the consensus around the league is that the Sixers will take Ben Simmons with the No.1 overall pick, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Everyone wants it to be a mystery and intrigue,” one scout told Pompey “It’s simple: Ben Simmons is the best player in college basketball. He’s one of maybe a handful of guys that can transition from college to the NBA this year. So what’s the problem?” We detailed Simmons’ strengths and weaknesses in our our Prospect Profile of the 19-year-old.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- No team has made a promise to draft Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, but scouts are constantly checking up on him through his agent and his former coaches, Chris Dortch of NBA.com writes in a piece that chronicles Ferrell’s path from being the nation’s top-ranked fourth grader to becoming a hopeful NBA prospect. “[The teams that reached out about Ferrell] think he’s going to make it in the NBA,” Indiana’s associate head coach Tim Buckley said.
- Jamal Murray is confident he can play point guard in the NBA, Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes. “I did what I had to do at Kentucky. I’ve played point guard my whole life. But we had Tyler [Ulis] there,” Murray said of playing shooting guard in college. “I was just doing whatever we [needed] to win.” Ford doesn’t believe Murray will fall past the Pelicans at No. 6 overall.
- The Jazz will work out Ferrell, Tyler Dorsey, Nigel Hayes, Jalen Reynolds, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gavin Ware on Sunday, per the team’s Twitter feed.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Maker, Workouts
Timing will be crucial for the Blazers this offseason, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Meyers Leonard Allen Crabbe and Maurice Harkless are all restricted free agents and leading up to free agency, it will be critical for GM Neil Olshey to understand the market for the trio in order to project how Portland operates this summer, Marks argues. The Blazers have a chance to add other pieces using their cap space and then circle back and sign their restricted free agents. However, if another team swoops in and signs one of them, there’s a good chance they won’t be able to use the cap space they’ve created.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Wolves interviewed Thon Maker last week in Chicago, reports Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Jazz have worked out Anthony Beane, Ethan Telfair, Quincy Ford, Jarrod Uthoff, DyShawn Pierre and David Walker, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Nuggets will work out Anthony Barber, Isaiah Cousins, Nikola Jovanovic, Alec Peters, Josh Scott and Pascal Siakam on Friday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Nuggets also have workouts planned for Saturday. They will work out Ron Baker, Dillon Brooks, Robert Carter, Tyler Dorsey, Marcus Georges-Hunt and Shawn Long on Saturday, Kennedy tweets.
Oregon SG Tyler Dorsey To Test Draft Waters
Oregon freshman shooting guard Tyler Dorsey will enter this year’s draft but will not hire an agent, reports Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com. That gives him the option of withdrawing by May 25th and staying in school.
“My family and I just thought that was the best decision to make going further,” the 6’4″ Dorsey said, “giving me the option to come back to Oregon as well.”
Dorsey is not included in the DraftExpress list of top 100 prospects, but he is ranked 37th among NCAA freshmen. He is the 60th-ranked prospect on Chad Ford’s ESPN.com ratings.
Dorsey averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as he helped the Ducks post a 31-7 record and secure a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. Teammate Dillon Brooks announced Thursday that he was also entering the draft and not hiring an agent, while Chris Boucher doesn’t plan to enter the draft.