Bates-Diop, DiVincenzo, and Milton headline Pacers pre-draft workouts

Another batch of players are coming through Indianapolis today for pre-draft workouts, but this group had more options for the No.23 pick for the Indiana Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers brought in six more players on Friday for pre-draft workouts but these guys have more name recognition among fans than Thursday’s group had.

While the first batch of players were more likely to go No. 50 in the draft, save Landry Shamet, the second batch has guys like Keita Bates-Diop, Donte DiVincenzo, and Shake Milton that could go in the first round.

But guys like Alize Johnson are all but bound to go in the second while Gary Clark and A.J. Davis might well end up signing somewhere as free agents.

Let’s work our way through these guys from a very loose ranking of best to worst prospects.

Keita Bates-Diop — Ohio State

As a 6’7 forward out of Ohio State, Keita Bates-Diop averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game as the Big Ten Player of the Year. He shot 48 percent from the floor and was passable as a 3-point shooter at 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. Led the Buckeyes to a 25-9 record before getting bounced out of the NCAA tournament by Gonzaga.

Despite it falling out of fashion, Bates-Diop is above average playing out of the post both as a scorer and a passer. Impressively, he lowered his turnover rate this season while playing more minutes than ever.

His athleticism allows him to play guards as well as bigs, but obviously, there are limits to that. However, he is a very offensive-minded player that arguably puts too much of his effort on that end of the floor.

But overall his 7’4 wingspan(!) and skills on the court could make him into a 3-and-D player in the NBA if developed right.

For more, check out Lucas Parrish’s longer breakdown of Keita Bates-Diop.

Donte DiVincenzo — Villanova

Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo is a 6’5 guard that can flex to either backcourt position, and he certainly can score. His 13.4 points don’t express that as he isn’t hesitant to share the ball, but shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 40.1% from deep (on 5.3 attempts a game) help DiVincenzo make the most of his 9.8 attempts a game.

But let’s not overplay that, either. DiVincenzo came up with 31 points in the National Championship game last season. He knows when to step up.

That may not be such a bad thing — not being overly ball-dependent — as Villanova won their second title in three seasons last season, though DiVincenzo wasn’t a factor in the first one. But that unselfish nature could help him fit in with these Indiana Pacers.

His pick and roll game should translate well to the NBA, but he needs to improve his shooting off of screens, which surprisingly was an issue for him.

His lack of length and overall size could hamper his defense in the NBA, but his offensive abilities might be enough to make up for it.

Shake Milton — SMU

The 6’5 guard from Southern Methodist University put up a solid 18 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists a game last season. The Mustangs, however, missed out on postseason play with their 17-16 record.

But who cares about them now? Let’s talk about Shake.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

He’s arguably the most versatile guard of the bunch. He isn’t going to set the world ablaze with his passing, but he gets the job done. He’s a better pick and roll player than DiVincenzo and while his overall field goal percentage is lower (44.9) his 43.4 percent mark from deep is better.

A 7-foot wing-span will help him on defense and his athleticism is an asset on both ends of the floor. However, he isn’t always the best on defense when he isn’t defending the ball-handler.

Shake’s a perfect example of what you look for in the draft: Less about what they are now, and more about what they can become. There are several liabilities to his game, but his overall versatility makes him a very intriguing prospect. Can he become a Victor Oladipo-like shooting guard who can defend and score? Can you make him at least a 3-and-D player?

Whatever team draft him hopes to mold him into something more than his late first-round draft position.

Alize Johnson — Missouri State

The Missouri State product averaged a double-double through two years in college with 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. While the MVC produced good basketball teams, it’s worth keeping what conference he played in when checking out those numbers.

No matter what the exact numbers are, he clearly is a strong rebounder at 6’9″ and plays physically. While he wasn’t exactly physically dominant in the post, he doesn’t mind a bruising style of play. However, he’ll need to either add quickness of more size as he doesn’t fit into a traditional NBA role.

One thing that’s been noted by many is that he doesn’t pick up many blocks and steals, which at the college level often are an indicator of future success. It’s a red flag, but not exactly the worst thing if he is playing defense well enough.

Gary Clark — Cincinnati

Another forward that the Pacers are eyeing for their pick at No. 50. The 6’7, 250-pound senior from Cincinnati has a limited offensive game and isn’t a fan of taking 3-pointers, but knows how to make himself valuable on the court. If he can set screens and hit shots and run around the court hounding opponents on defense, then he’s got a shot even if his 6’10 wingspan is unimpressive.

He doesn’t stretch the floor, but he does hit 52.3 percent of his shots. He may not like taking 3-pointers, but he did make 43.5 percent of his 1.7 attempts a game last season. His 12.9 points and 8.7 rebounds aren’t shabby, either.

With rebounding being an issue for the Pacers, grabbing one late in the second round doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

A.J. Davis — Central Florida

The son of Antonio Davis averaged 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds last season for the Golden Knights, but the 6’9 wing isn’t showing up in mock drafts. The Indy Star did a great write-up on him as he’s got NBA pedigree in his family, as well as WNBA.

With that said, he can rebound and defend well. His shooting is rather average at 43.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep.

That’s not to say he shouldn’t get any attention, but he is more likely to be a free agent signing than a draft pick.

Next: Will the Pacers extend Nate McMillan's contract?

Indiana already announced that Monday will see another six players come to Indiana for predraft workouts. The announced players are Bruce Brown Jr. (Miami), Melvin Frazier (Tulane), Devon Hall (Virginia), Džanan Musa (Bosnia), Thomas Welsh (UCLA), Tyler Wideman (Butler) according to a Pacers press release.

Home/Pacers Draft

Bates-Diop, DiVincenzo, and Milton headline Pacers pre-draft workouts on Friday

By Ben Gibson | Jun 10, 2018