2011 NBA Draft Combine: Final Notes and Updates on Jimmer Fredette, Kemba, Etc.

DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars handles the ball against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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The 2011 NBA Draft Combine is in full swing today from Chicago, IL, and it’s been an exciting couple of days of drills and player interviews.

Notable names like UConn’s Kemba Walker and San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard didn’t work out yesterday, but are participating in drills today. Kyrie Irving went one step further and didn’t participate in any of the available activities yesterday, and won’t today either. He will undergo the standard medical tests and interviews though.

While it’s nothing new to have projected top picks sit out some of the drills, ESPN’s Chad Ford speculated that Irving may have something to hide by not participating.

But while most of the top picks sat out, there were some notable players improving their draft stock with effective workouts.

Enes Kanter ran the floor extremely well, and showed great strength in the post. Marshon Brooks caught several eyes with his play, and he may be headed into the first round as a result.

Jimmer Fredette did participate in drills, knocking down every shot he took in transition, but wasn’t able to shake any of the defensive concerns that are carrying over from his BYU days.

Players can hurt their stock by not performing well at the combine, but no one can improve their stock by sitting out, which is why guys like Fredette were participating at full capacity.

2:04 PM ET

Kyrie Irving 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Kyrie Irving 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Kyrie is still holding steady as the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft on June 26^th, but there wasn’t much praise being tossed his way.

Irving registered on of the worst body fat percentages (10.2 BMI) at the combine. He can blame it on the foot injury he had while at Duke, but anything north of an 8.0 BMI for guards raises some red flags for NBA scouts.

He was also wearing a splint inside his shoe, which was said to be precautionary, but precautions or none, wanting or needing to wear a splint indicates that there is some risk in it becoming an issue.

But it’s hard to fault Irving for anything more than him skipping both the agility session and the player drills. When you’re perceived as the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, your stock can only drop.

1:02 PM ET

Marshon Brooks 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Marshon Brooks 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Marshon Brooks is definitely headed to the first-round after he wrapped up and solid showing at the NBA draft combine.

Brooks’ measurements were very impressive to say the least. The No. 2 scorer in the nation last year, out of Providence, measured a height 6’5.25”, a great number for a two-guard, and Brooks also registered a staggering 7’1” wingspan.

To put the wingspan in perspective, it’s on par with Chris Singleton of Florida State, and was just below the spans of big men Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter and Keith Benson. Standing reach is a more effective measurement for defense (rebounds, hands up while defending a player with the ball), but wingspan is useful for measuring offensive abilities, since it can influence ball handling abilities and the ability to get shots off while driving the lane.

Brooks was able to turn some heads with his great physical tools, and coupled with his college scoring history, teams will be salivating over him come draft day.

12:49 PM ET

Kemba Walker 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Kemba Walker 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

After all of the drills, agility tests and measurements, UConn’s Kemba Walker’s stock remains unchanged. Walker didn’t wind up participating in drills, from eye-balling his agility tests there wasn’t anything that stood out one way or another and his measurements were on par with what was to be expected.

Walker was actually the second smallest player (6’1”) at the draft combine. Only Isaiah Thomas of Washington measured a shorter height (5’10.25”). But measurements aside, everyone already knows what Walker can do on the court.

Sam Amick of SI.com reports that Walker expects to go “anywhere from three to eight”. Amick also speculated that Walker could slip because of his height, but I would ask what has changed from when he won a national title to now?

Everyone knew Walker was around 6’1”, so this isn’t news, and no teams should be dissuaded based solely off of Walker’s height.

12:37 PM ET

Kenneth Faried 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Kenneth Faried 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Kenneth Faried continued to impress scouts at the NBA draft combine with his energy and work ethic. With so many power forwards or large small forwards in this year’s draft, it’s hard to gauge where they will all go in the draft, but Faried’s rebounding work and ability to keep his motor running are being seen as a major boost to his stock.

As far as measurements go, Faried posted excellent numbers. He had the sixth longest standing reach at 9’0”, proving that players with alligator arms aren’t going to be snatching any rebounds from him.

He also only had a a 6.3 BMI, so while that number was in the middle of pack, it suggests that Faried is in excellent shape for a man of his size. Players like Trey Thompkins (15.5 BMI), Markieff Morris (10.2 BMI) and Tobias Harris (8.4 BMI) all were a ways behind Faried in condition.

4:21 PM ET

Derrick Williams 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Derrick Williams 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Derrick Williams didn’t participate in drills, but did participate in the agility portion of the NBA draft combine. His stock will be unaffected by skipping the drills, so it won’t be an issue for him, that’s why teams hold private workouts.

Looking at his draft measurements, there is one interesting stat that pops out about Williams. He registered the fourth-highest body fat (10.8 BMI) out of all of the players attending the combine.

What that says is, is if Williams can improve his conditioning, and if/when he does he’ll be that much better in the NBA.

It’s hard to suggest he’s out of shape, but if he was in better shape, Williams would be taking the combine by storm.

Williams did make up for the negative body fat measurement with one of the better standing reaches. “Length” is a popular term in the NBA these days, and Williams has great “length”, so it’s a slight advantage over those that measured up with him height-wise.

3:58 PM ET

Jeremy Tyler and the Other Centers 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Jeremy Tyler and the Other Centers 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Jeremy Tyler is supposedly climbing up draft charts after having a strong round of interviews. His on-court play was streaky though, showing he still has a ways to go before entering the first-round. Measurement were great.

Jordan Williams of Maryland looked to be in solid shape. He also showed a lot of polish during shooting drills. Williams is all over draft boards anywhere from late-first to mid-second.

USC’s Nikola Vucevic is bigger than I thought. Chad Ford lists him as the player with the second biggest wingspan. He also only has 6.1 percent body fat. Vucevic looked good around the rim too.

Keith Benson is starting to look a bit more like a second-rounder. He’s got a nice touch, but he’s questionable for holding his ground on the blocks. He’ll be able to defend shots though. His measurements were solid with a 7’3.75” wingspan and 9’1.5” standing reach.

3:24 PM ET

Enes Kanter 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Enes Kanter 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

All eyes have been on international big man Enes Kanter both days of the NBA draft combine thus far. The Turkish Center didn’t disappoint either, running the floor extremely well and backing down would-be defenders for easy dunks.

One facet of his game that has been overlooked was his ability to put the ball on the floor and face-up against defenders. There’s no doubt that his offensive game is ready for the NBA level.

Defense wasn’t as sound for Kanter however. He did get beat when defending out high, but showed off his shot-blocking skills.

Kanter still has some work to do, but he’s moving up the draft boards. There is a chance he could move up in the draft to the No. 2 spot after the way he played and interviewed, but if nothing else, he’s one of the top picks in the draft.

2:49 PM ET

Marcus Morris and the Other Small Forwards 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Marcus Morris and the Other Small Forwards 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Marcus Morris practiced with the small forwards for a second straight day. While Morris appears to be headed to the draft as a small forward, he’ll have to improve his perimeter defense to remain competitive.

Morris also had some issues getting open on offense, as he didn’t exhibit a lot of strength during shooting drills, sometimes appearing to have difficulty generating separation.

Kyle Singler was fluid in drills and showed off his soft shooting touch, but look undersized compared to the rest of the group.

Jereme Richmond of Illinois really showed off his shooting range, knocking down every shot he took.

Tobias Harris still has a ways to go in terms of being effective in the NBA. Harris, like Morris had trouble getting separation in drills, and did not fare well during defensive sets.

Chandler Parsons stock could rise, as he showed off his quickness and shot selection.

2:28 PM ET

Chris Singleton 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Chris Singleton 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Chris Singleton of Florida State had one of the more impressive workouts yesterday. There is talk that he could be creeping into top-10 territory with the way he performed.

Singleton is the opposite of BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. All defense, questionable offense.

The Seminole did little to improve questions about offense, as he didn’t always look fluid in shooting drills, but he did knock down a couple of jumpers on day two. Decision making and passing were also questionable at best.

Singleton did shine on the defensive side, stopping two consecutive 1-on-2 scoring attempts from Tobias Harris and Chandler Parsons before a third shot went in.

And it wasn’t just that one instance, Singleton was altering shots and preventing baskets on most defensive possessions, so he held true to the existing perceptions of his play.

While it’s still too early to tell where exactly he’ll go in the draft, Singleton made the most of his workouts, by performing very well on defense. Interviews reportedly went well too.

2:01 PM ET

Jimmer Fredette 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

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Jimmer Fredette 2011 NBA Draft Combine:

Jimmer Fredette’s stock held steady during yesterday’s workout at the NBA draft combine. He looked strong shooting the basketball and drew praise for his quickness and work away from the ball, skills that will help his stock, since they always aren’t apparent.

Defense will be the question that surrounds him however, since everyone knows what he can do (offensively), but it’s what he cannot do that garners the attention.

Fredette did look out of place on 1-on-2 drills, offering little defensive resistance to stop the plays. Not that most guys will prevent a fast break, but Fredette lacked the initiative, which is just another reason for him to maintain his status as a late lottery pick.

Luckily for Jimmer, Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that one NBA GM said that Jimmer gave a great interview, another plus the guard has going for him: