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--The resemblance between Southern Illinois guard Jamaal Tatum and Southern Illinois alum Troy Hudson is almost eerie. Hudson, a 10-year NBA veteran, is listed at 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds. Tatum is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. Both have dreadlocks of nearly identical length, and both maneuver around the floor with the same herky-jerky style. Hey, I guess if it worked for Hudson coming out of a small school like Southern Illinois, there's no reason to believe it can't work out in a similar fashion for Tatum. Speaking of Tatum... multiple sources in Orlando on Tuesday indicated that the Philadelphia 76ers have a definite interest in drafting Tatum with one of the many picks they own in this June's draft...
Lots more on Jamaal Tatum
--- One player predicted by many to be a late first round pick or early second rounder is Pittsburgh 7-footer Aaron Gray. On Tuesday, Gray didn't look like a player who fit the aforementioned criteria. He had trouble catching the ball in traffic and often looked clumsy in transition. He was at least competing on the defensive end which left a number of GM's with hope for the big man heading into play Wednesday...
Aaron Gray had a pretty poor showing to finish off his college career, scoring only 10 points in Pittsburgh???¬??s Sweet Sixteen loss to UCLA. Gray exhibited many of his limitations that have some of his doubters believe will keep him from ever getting past Rafael Araujo status in the NBA. Gray has some very obvious and beneficial strengths, notably his size, his arsenal of fundamental post moves, and his excellent passing ability out of the post. The problem for Gray is that some of his weaknesses, such as his lack of athleticism, his inconsistent touch around the basket, his inconsistent motor, and his lack of physicality, may render his excellent post arsenal useless, because his size alone isn???¬??t going to be enough to overcome these weaknesses at the next level, as it has many times for him in the NCAA.
Gray had some good plays on the offensive end in this game, though some of them were easy lay-ups around the basket that didn???¬??t require much more than him being in position. He showed off a nice drop-step move and a nice up-and-under on two separate occasions, though he wasn???¬??t able to convert on the drop-step. The rest of Gray???¬??s offensive highlights came in the passing game, where he kicked the ball out of the post very well and also did a good job passing from the high to low post and hitting cutters out of the low post. He made a good handful of impressive passes in the game, but only one was converted to credit him for the assist.
Gray didn???¬??t have a stellar game on the defensive end, often getting picked on in pick-and-roll and high screen scenarios, which he should expect a lot more of in the NBA. His post defense wasn???¬??t much better, as he doesn???¬??t seem to try to use his size to his advantage, often just letting defenders back him down at will. Gray gets in good position and keeps his hands up in the post, but with a player of his size, you???¬??d like to see some more physicality, as opposed to being pushed around by Lorenzo Mata. Gray had two blocks in the game, one in man-to-man defense on the perimeter and the other against a cutter under the basket. Gray???¬??s not much of a shot-blocker, though, as evidenced by his 1.7 per game on the season. Oftentimes he???¬??s slow to rotate over and the team seems to lack any intimidation factor in the middle on defense. On the boards, Gray occasionally seems to stand back and watch, when he should be putting his monster, seven-foot body to work right amidst all the action.
Gray currently projects as a potential first rounder in the upcoming draft, and he???¬??s not the type of player you???¬??d expect to be a workout warrior. There are many doubts surrounding the style of Gray???¬??s game and how it will translate to the NBA, though he could do himself well to continue working on his touch around the basket, and to start playing with a more relentless motor and with more physicality around the basket on both ends of the court. Gray may have to attend the Orlando pre-draft camp at the end of May, which would be a good opportunity for him to put to rest some of the doubts surrounding his game.
Lots more on Aaron Gray
--(DePaul's) Sammy Mejia had a very good showing. The 6-foot-6 swingman from DePaul was getting to the basket almost at will. He showed a very quick first step and the ability to finish at the rim. Expect to see his stock rise if he continues to play this way the rest of the week. More than a few NBA scouts in the house were raising an eyebrow watching his performance..
--Russell Carter, a 6-foot-4 guard from Notre Dame, struggled mightily. He looked like he was trying to force his game offensively, and a number of scouts commented on his selfishness...
--One of Bradley's recruiting targets last year Roy Bright is working out to see if he will stay in the draft.
Roy Bright, 6???¬??6, SF, Junior, Delaware State
Roy Bright decided to test the waters this year, applying for early entry to the draft, but after not receiving an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp, there???¬??s a good chance he???¬??ll be returning to school this season, where he will try to repeat or even improve upon the 15.5 point per game he scored this season. On first glance, Bright looks like he???¬??s built better for the power forward position, with a very well filled-out frame, but his skillset is definitely more perimeter-oriented, and at 6???¬??6, he???¬??s making a wise decision playing a perimeter-oriented game. After the workout, Bright mentioned that he???¬??d lost some weight this summer, and he???¬??s certainly in solid playing shape, but he should continue to trim down over the course of the next year, as he could use all the agility he could get to play the wing at the next level, especially being able to defend it.
Bright struggled a bit at the start of the workout, not consistently converting on his mid-range shots, hitting for just 17-28, though his efficiency actually improved as he stepped back to the college and NBA three-point lines, hitting for 16-25 from college range and 17-25 from NBA range. What really jumped out as he moved back was the amount of strength he possesses, as he put up shots from NBA range effortlessly. He seemed to push forward a bit more on his shot as he stepped back, but it wasn???¬??t anything drastic, and it???¬??s hard to argue with the efficiency. Bright shot just .328 from three-point range this past season, to go along with .440 overall.
After shooting drills, Bright moved onto lots of dribble-drive drills, practicing crossovers, ball-fakes, stepback jumpers, pull-up jumpers, spin moves, and more. Bright looked very fluid for a man his size going through all the moves, selling them well and not making many mistakes, picking all the series???¬?? up quickly and effortlessly. He didn???¬??t have much trouble hitting on the pull-up and step-back shots from mid-range, and despite not being incredibly quick, looked effective with all the moves. The biggest question mark for Bright will be if he can continue to do all the things he does at Delaware State against stronger competition, something he???¬??ll have a chance to show at the pre-draft camps next year. Even if not, he should go on to have a productive career overseas.
--Some on Anthony Tolliver
"Tolliver probably isn???¬??t an NBA player, at least not now, but he should be invited to the Orlando pre-draft camp, and with his well-rounded and smart style of play, he should make a nice complementary player in Europe."
--
--The resemblance between Southern Illinois guard Jamaal Tatum and Southern Illinois alum Troy Hudson is almost eerie. Hudson, a 10-year NBA veteran, is listed at 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds. Tatum is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. Both have dreadlocks of nearly identical length, and both maneuver around the floor with the same herky-jerky style. Hey, I guess if it worked for Hudson coming out of a small school like Southern Illinois, there's no reason to believe it can't work out in a similar fashion for Tatum. Speaking of Tatum... multiple sources in Orlando on Tuesday indicated that the Philadelphia 76ers have a definite interest in drafting Tatum with one of the many picks they own in this June's draft...
Lots more on Jamaal Tatum
--- One player predicted by many to be a late first round pick or early second rounder is Pittsburgh 7-footer Aaron Gray. On Tuesday, Gray didn't look like a player who fit the aforementioned criteria. He had trouble catching the ball in traffic and often looked clumsy in transition. He was at least competing on the defensive end which left a number of GM's with hope for the big man heading into play Wednesday...
Aaron Gray had a pretty poor showing to finish off his college career, scoring only 10 points in Pittsburgh???¬??s Sweet Sixteen loss to UCLA. Gray exhibited many of his limitations that have some of his doubters believe will keep him from ever getting past Rafael Araujo status in the NBA. Gray has some very obvious and beneficial strengths, notably his size, his arsenal of fundamental post moves, and his excellent passing ability out of the post. The problem for Gray is that some of his weaknesses, such as his lack of athleticism, his inconsistent touch around the basket, his inconsistent motor, and his lack of physicality, may render his excellent post arsenal useless, because his size alone isn???¬??t going to be enough to overcome these weaknesses at the next level, as it has many times for him in the NCAA.
Gray had some good plays on the offensive end in this game, though some of them were easy lay-ups around the basket that didn???¬??t require much more than him being in position. He showed off a nice drop-step move and a nice up-and-under on two separate occasions, though he wasn???¬??t able to convert on the drop-step. The rest of Gray???¬??s offensive highlights came in the passing game, where he kicked the ball out of the post very well and also did a good job passing from the high to low post and hitting cutters out of the low post. He made a good handful of impressive passes in the game, but only one was converted to credit him for the assist.
Gray didn???¬??t have a stellar game on the defensive end, often getting picked on in pick-and-roll and high screen scenarios, which he should expect a lot more of in the NBA. His post defense wasn???¬??t much better, as he doesn???¬??t seem to try to use his size to his advantage, often just letting defenders back him down at will. Gray gets in good position and keeps his hands up in the post, but with a player of his size, you???¬??d like to see some more physicality, as opposed to being pushed around by Lorenzo Mata. Gray had two blocks in the game, one in man-to-man defense on the perimeter and the other against a cutter under the basket. Gray???¬??s not much of a shot-blocker, though, as evidenced by his 1.7 per game on the season. Oftentimes he???¬??s slow to rotate over and the team seems to lack any intimidation factor in the middle on defense. On the boards, Gray occasionally seems to stand back and watch, when he should be putting his monster, seven-foot body to work right amidst all the action.
Gray currently projects as a potential first rounder in the upcoming draft, and he???¬??s not the type of player you???¬??d expect to be a workout warrior. There are many doubts surrounding the style of Gray???¬??s game and how it will translate to the NBA, though he could do himself well to continue working on his touch around the basket, and to start playing with a more relentless motor and with more physicality around the basket on both ends of the court. Gray may have to attend the Orlando pre-draft camp at the end of May, which would be a good opportunity for him to put to rest some of the doubts surrounding his game.
Lots more on Aaron Gray
--(DePaul's) Sammy Mejia had a very good showing. The 6-foot-6 swingman from DePaul was getting to the basket almost at will. He showed a very quick first step and the ability to finish at the rim. Expect to see his stock rise if he continues to play this way the rest of the week. More than a few NBA scouts in the house were raising an eyebrow watching his performance..
--Russell Carter, a 6-foot-4 guard from Notre Dame, struggled mightily. He looked like he was trying to force his game offensively, and a number of scouts commented on his selfishness...
--One of Bradley's recruiting targets last year Roy Bright is working out to see if he will stay in the draft.
Roy Bright, 6???¬??6, SF, Junior, Delaware State
Roy Bright decided to test the waters this year, applying for early entry to the draft, but after not receiving an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp, there???¬??s a good chance he???¬??ll be returning to school this season, where he will try to repeat or even improve upon the 15.5 point per game he scored this season. On first glance, Bright looks like he???¬??s built better for the power forward position, with a very well filled-out frame, but his skillset is definitely more perimeter-oriented, and at 6???¬??6, he???¬??s making a wise decision playing a perimeter-oriented game. After the workout, Bright mentioned that he???¬??d lost some weight this summer, and he???¬??s certainly in solid playing shape, but he should continue to trim down over the course of the next year, as he could use all the agility he could get to play the wing at the next level, especially being able to defend it.
Bright struggled a bit at the start of the workout, not consistently converting on his mid-range shots, hitting for just 17-28, though his efficiency actually improved as he stepped back to the college and NBA three-point lines, hitting for 16-25 from college range and 17-25 from NBA range. What really jumped out as he moved back was the amount of strength he possesses, as he put up shots from NBA range effortlessly. He seemed to push forward a bit more on his shot as he stepped back, but it wasn???¬??t anything drastic, and it???¬??s hard to argue with the efficiency. Bright shot just .328 from three-point range this past season, to go along with .440 overall.
After shooting drills, Bright moved onto lots of dribble-drive drills, practicing crossovers, ball-fakes, stepback jumpers, pull-up jumpers, spin moves, and more. Bright looked very fluid for a man his size going through all the moves, selling them well and not making many mistakes, picking all the series???¬?? up quickly and effortlessly. He didn???¬??t have much trouble hitting on the pull-up and step-back shots from mid-range, and despite not being incredibly quick, looked effective with all the moves. The biggest question mark for Bright will be if he can continue to do all the things he does at Delaware State against stronger competition, something he???¬??ll have a chance to show at the pre-draft camps next year. Even if not, he should go on to have a productive career overseas.
--Some on Anthony Tolliver
"Tolliver probably isn???¬??t an NBA player, at least not now, but he should be invited to the Orlando pre-draft camp, and with his well-rounded and smart style of play, he should make a nice complementary player in Europe."
--
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