The Pacers will hold their sixth pre-draft workout on Tuesday
A crucially important part of a team’s draft evaluation process is the pre-draft workout. The Pacers have held five workouts so far, with their sixth just announced and scheduled for Tuesday.
A pre-draft workout is an NBA team’s only chance to be completely in control during the entire draft process. Although they still must adhere to a few regulations from the league office (no five-on-five is allowed, for instance), they can customize the drills and workouts exactly how they prefer. The jury is out on how much these workouts actually help a team, as Ben Falk of Cleaning The Glass expertly explains here.
On Tuesday, The Pacers will hold their sixth pre-draft workout of the season.
We’re holding our sixth pre-draft workout tomorrow afternoon. Here are the six prospects scheduled to participate: https://t.co/jwkLeOc7Jk
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 5, 2017
The six prospects are Antonio Blakeney of LSU, Naz Long of Iowa State, Johnathan Motley of Baylor, Zak Irvin of Michigan, Isaac Hamilton of UCLA and Rashawn Thomas of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Unlike Monday’s workout, this group of prospects is lacking in much buzz among draft nerds. Motley looks to be a surefire second-rounder, but beyond him, I would be very shocked if any of these guys end up being drafted. Antonio Blakeney is the only prospect besides Motley that made the DraftExpress Top 100 list.
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Motley, a 6-foot-9 big man out of Baylor, has the potential to become a double-double machine someday. His outrageous 7-foot-4 wingspan gives him an edge right off the bat, and he was one of the best offensive rebounders in the NCAA last season.
However, there’s a reason he’s slated for the second round and not the first. His explosiveness is sub-par, and his feel for the game isn’t ideal either.
The prospects in Tuesday’s workout are almost all from major programs, with Rashawn Thomas being the only arguable exception. Through six workouts, Indiana has looked at only one player from a non-Division I program, the player being Terrance Ferguson of the Adelaide 36ers.
Next: Mock Draft: Should the Pacers opt for upside?
This will very likely not be the final pre-draft workout before draft night, and we’ll have all the coverage you need all the way until the final pick has been made.