2011 NBA Draft Combine Results: Kawhi Leonard and 10 Players Whose Stock Rose
It's tough to do too much during the NBA draft combine because the measurements and preliminary workouts only mean so much, but some players still managed to improve their draft stock over the course of Thursday and Friday's activities.Ā
Kawhi Leonard was just one of the headliners that chose to participate in everything and he's going to get quite a few benefits from that.Ā
But who are the others that saw their stock improve?
Read on to find out. Ā
Marshon Brooks
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An absolutely prolific scorer from the shooting guard position, Marshon Brooks went from early second-round pick to late first-round pick during the first two days of the NBA draft combine.Ā
The former Providence star had a 7'1" wingspan when measured and he showed off his great scoring and playmaking abilities during the drills and simulations.Ā
Brooks is one of the more underrated prospects in this year's draft class, but he's slowly losing that underrated title.Ā
Norris Cole
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Much like Marshon Brooks, Norris Cole is another great scorer from the shooting guard position that plays for a smaller school.Ā
This time, instead of Providence, Cleveland State is the school that gets to call this prospect a former player.Ā
Although he was just barely under 6'2", Cole looked as fast as any other player in the draft, especially during the shuttle drill and the three-quarter court sprint. With his blazing speed, Cole ran past quite a few players on his way into the first round of many draft boards.Ā
Kenneth Faried
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I have to admit that I was one of the many Kenneth Faried doubters before watching him at this combine. Even though it's tough to gauge prospects just from these two days, Faried left a huge impression on me.Ā
His shot looks absolutely awful, but that's what we expected. His motor, on the other hand, is even better than advertised.Ā
On days where other players seemed to take it easy, Faried was dripping in sweat. He also impressed me with his interviewing skills, where he was content and actually excited to be compared to rebounding specialist Ben Wallace and didn't push for a more glamorous comparison.Ā
Enes Kanter
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Enes Kanter did everything right during the first few days of the combine.Ā
Many players in his position would have sat out of the workouts after missing a full year of competitive play, but not Kanter. Instead, he played and he played well.Ā
The interviews and measurements both went swimmingly and Kanter may actually be moving up into that same "sure thing" status that Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving are both enjoying.Ā
Malcolm Lee
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Malcolm Lee was barely being projected in the top 40 by many mock drafts going into the combine, but he's going to be put a little higher than that once the post-combine mocks start flowing out.Ā
Lee measured in at 6'5.5", tying him with Iman Shumpert as the tallest point guard in this year's class. In addition to his size, Lee's basketball skills reportedly impressed quite a few teams and made him a much more tantalizing prospect.Ā
He won't surpass Tyler Honeycutt as the top UCLA player, but Lee is working his way up.Ā
Kawhi Leonard
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Is it possible that Kawhi Leonard could actually move up into the top five? The guys reporting on ESPNU's coverage of the combine seemed to think so after watching him show off during the festivities.Ā
Leonard had the second-biggest hands of the draft behind only Fresno State's Greg Smith, but he also displayed ridiculous athleticism.Ā
The San Diego State do-everything forward also heard the criticisms of his shot and decided to put on a little show for scouts by draining a few jumpers in front of them.Ā
Demetri McCamey
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If it's possible to have a perfect day at the NBA draft combine, Demetri McCamey had it.Ā
The Illinois guard literally did everything right. He made the shots he took. He played defense as well as a player possibly can during drills.Ā
Most importantly, though, he showed that he was very coachable and seemed to listen intently to everything that was told to him.Ā
Isaiah Thomas
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Everyone knows that Isaiah Thomas is pretty short, and it showed when he measured in at just 5'10" with shoes on, tying him for shortest overall with Xavier's Tu Holloway.Ā
But then he jumped. And boy, did he jump.Ā
While his no step vertical was "just" 29 inches, his maximum vertical jump of 38.5 inches was second only to Gary Flowers. Hey, if you're going to be short, you have to have some ups.Ā
Thomas is fighting for his draft life right now, but this display of athleticism should keep him from going undrafted.Ā
Jeremy Tyler
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Jeremy Tyler measured in pretty well, standing 6'10.5" with a wingspan of 7'5", which by the way was tops in this year's draft class.Ā
Tyler impressed everyone with his athleticism, his rare shooting ability for a player his size and his stellar interviewing.Ā
The biggest knocks on Tyler are his supposed lack of maturity and his lack of experience against elite competition thanks to his decision to forgo college for the professional leagues of Israel, where he didn't exactly take over the game.Ā
But Tyler is dispelling those criticisms day by day and should end up drafted in the first round thanks to his high ceiling.Ā
Nikola Vucevic
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Enes Kanter is projected to go in the top five picks of the draft.Ā
Nikola Vucevic is currently projected as a fringe first-rounder who might slip into the middle of the second round.Ā
Some people said that Vucevic looked better than Kanter.Ā
Enough said.
