2011 NBA Draft Combine: Day 2 Athletic Tests, Measurement Notes and Analysis
With yesterday's NBA Draft Day 1 combine focusing on player workouts, the emphasis today shifted to individual measurements and athletic tests. The physical traits taken in measurements included height (with and without shoes on), weight, wingspan, standing reach, Body Mass Index (Body Fat percentage) and hand size.
For the athletic workouts, players were run through tests of three-quarter court sprints (40-yard dash), shuttle, vertical leap (standing and three-step), bench press (not shown) and a new lane reaction test (2.5-5-2.5).
However, the official combine results for these tests have not yet been released. We tuned in for ESPNU’s four-hour coverage of the workouts to see what progression we noticed in players.
From ATTACK Athletics in Chicago, IL, the NBA’s official player pre-draft workouts and measurements are being conducted with personnel from all 30 teams in attendance.
There are about 8-12 invited players per position (54 total) who worked out with their respective position groups, and roughly 90 percent of the participants will be taken in this June’s upcoming Draft.
There are no scrimmages or live five-on-five play, which makes it tough to evaluate and leaves a lot of teams to rely on older game film. However, teams can get a great look at the majority of the NCAA players in person by seeing them workout live and get the chance to interview them.
That said, SwishScout.com presents some recap and notes of some good points and stats made by the broadcast, observations we noticed watching the prospects, and how they look relative to other players at their position.
Note: On every player, you can click their name or country to take you to a more detailed profile for an extensive scouting report and highlights on the respective prospect.
Player Observations and Notes:
Enes Kanter, the international man of mystery and the headliner of the combine, was measured at 6’11”, 260 lbs. His wingspan was 7’1” and had a standing reach of 9’1”.
Turns 19 years old today, just to put into perspective how young he really is. Was impressed by his movement for his size, as he actually looked pretty good in the shuttle moving laterally.
Was of interesting note that he blew off his interviews with Milwaukee, Utah and Toronto, as he is on record as saying he would prefer to go with Cleveland, Minnesota, or Washington.
Jeremy Tyler reportedly impressed NBA scouts yesterday with his athleticism and jumper, and also during interviews. His wingspan was measured at a remarkable 7’5”, the biggest recorded for any player in the draft class.
While he is the heaviest player there at 262 lbs officially, he managed to clear the rung on his vertical leap test, which was set at 12 feet (which was then moved up.)
Looks like Tyler has matured in terms of character and casting doubt his maturity issues. Would not be surprised to see him sneak into the late first round on talent and potential alone.
Jimmer Fredette had his game picked apart a big by scouts because he didn’t seem to be going at full speed through drills or taking it seriously. Looked very average going through drills, especially on the shuttle, which is where the big questions laterally are.
Kyrie Irving was the only player who did not participate in the athletic tests. Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, and Kawhi Leonard did. Irving also had the fourth highest body fat percentage at 10.2 percent.
Derrick Williams measured better than originally thought at a little over 6’8" with a 7’1” wingspan. The concerns about size for position should likely be less of an issue from here on out, but it will be a focus if he plays at the SF, PF, or both.
Kawhi Leonard recorded the biggest set of hands in the Draft with 9.8” in length and a width of 11.3”. Thought to be a possible hindrance to his shooting, apparently he looked very good in a pre-combine shoot around and has clearly put in a lot of work on his jumper. However, looked very tense and uncomfortable in drills.
Nikola Vucevic’s wingspan measured in at 7’4.5” and he’s officially the tallest NCAA player in the draft at 6’11” with the biggest standing reach at 9’4.5”.
Jereme Richmond looked very athletic, but very raw in the pre-test workouts. While he may be drafted in the late first round, it looks like he will probably have to put some time in at the D-League level to prove he belongs.
Trey Thompkins has the highest BMI (body fat percent) in the draft at 15.5 percent. While Thompkins isn’t the most mobile big man, 10 percent or less is the more ideal number for NBA players.
Jordan Williams was officially measured at 6’9”, 247 lbs with 12.1 percent BMI. Looks small among the center prospects and will probably be a player who gets a lot of his shots blocked in the NBA until that post game improves.
Keith Benson came in at an impressive 6’11” with a 7’3” wingspan. However, at 217 lbs he has a lot of work to do on building strength and muscle to his frame. Also cleared the 12’ rung as well before it was moved up for him and Jeremy Tyler.
Kenneth Faried and Tobias Harris were both measured at 6’7.5”. However, there is a huge difference in standing reach was 9’ for Faried and 8’7.5” for Harris.
Jon Leuer was measured at an impressive height of 6’11.5”, taller than was thought.
Isaiah Thomas is officially the shortest player (no surprise) at 5’10”, and Kemba Walker was the second smallest at 6’1”.
Charles Jenkins is an intriguing guard at 6’3”, 216 lbs with his compact build and natural strength. Been some buzz that the Knicks could be interested in him in the late first.
Iman Shumpert and Malcolm Lee both had a record height of 6’5.5”, the tallest of any point guard prospects, and are reportedly impressing some teams.
Norris Cole looked impressively quick in the shuttle and three-quarter court sprint. Came in at just a shade under 6’2”.
General Thoughts and Interesting Tidbits:
- ESPN’s Tom Penn put the combine athletic tests into perspective by saying “Data verifies what you know…agility drills are least important in decision making, but are a good baseline for improvement.”
- Boston Celtic’s GM Danny Ainge commented, “only two guys in the Draft have the ability to make impact” (Irving and Williams).
- Jonas Valanciunas' contract issues appear to be turning some teams off from the prospect of taking him early in the draft. He comes in as SwishScout.com’s most risky player in terms of red flags.
- Jan Vesely is getting high praise for his freak athleticism, size, length and the high level of competition he faces in the Adriatic League for Partizan Belgrade.
- Interesting point was raised that Cleveland should take a serious look at taking Derrick Williams first overall and then use the fourth pick on a PG like Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight.
This concludes our coverage of the NBA Draft Combine measurements, workouts and athletic tests. Stay tuned though as 2011 NBA Draft developments break and for the latest player rankings and movement on the ‘SwishScout.com 2011 NBA Draft Prospect Big Board.’
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