Indiana Pacers schedule sixth pre-draft workout for Tuesday

The Indiana Pacers have six more draft prospects coming in for a workout just two days before the draft. Let’s take a look at the participants.

The NBA draft draws near, and the Indiana Pacers continue to prepare for the draft and offseason with prospect workouts.

On Tuesday, six more guys will be in Indy to show the Pacers brass what they’ve got. The group consists of Kelan Martin from Butler, Theo Pinson from North Carolina, Arnoldas Kulboka from Lithuania, Elie Okobo from France, Rawle Alkins from Arizona, and Marcus Derrickson from Georgetown.

These guys have a massive dichotomy in skill levels and could all be working out for different reasons. Enough chatter. Let’s take a closer look at all of them.

Marcus Derrickson

Derrickson comes from Georgetown, where he was a usual starter for the Hoyas; he tallied 73 starts in three seasons. His upside comes from his shooting. He canned 46.5 percent of his three-pointers this past season and had a terrific 64 percent true shooting percentage.

He was just okay on defense, and he’s mostly an off-ball guy on offense, but if you can shoot it as well as Derrickson and you can play both forward spots, you have a chance in the NBA. He could be a nice flyer for the Indiana Pacers summer league team.

Arnoldas Kulboka

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Kulboka is a 6’10 lanky wing who plays for a club team in Italy. He can shoot and can get by his matchup thanks to some crafty ball-handling.

Unfortunately, he is fairly skinny and can’t defend for a lick. His lack of defense and touch around the basket makes his other skills very specific and means he has a lot of work to do to be an NBA player. He is raw and has a chance, but he has more summer league vibes than NBA vibes to him.

Rawle Alkins

Rawle Alkins is my personal favorite player of the group.

The wing from Arizona showed that he could play in his years as a Wildcat. He isn’t great at anything, but the important part is that he isn’t bad at anything, as showcased by his 13/5/2.5 stat line while shooting well enough from the outside.

Unfortunately, Alkins broke his foot last season and he stayed in school just a little too long. He would be a solid selection for the Pacers at the 50th pick if he is still there.

Elie Okobo

Okobo has a chance to be on of the best French players in recent history. He averaged 13 points and five assists in the French league this past season, and he showed signs of being a good player both off the ball and on.

At 6’2, he will likely be developed more as a point guard than shooting guard in the pros. He is raw, but he has shown he can score and get by defenders in a variety of ways. Add in that he is young at just age 20, and Okobo has the makings of a potential first-round pick. The question is does he fit the Pacers?

Theo Pinson

Theo Pinson can be described as a one-sided player, but unlike most prospects, he excels more on the defensive end of the court. He can shut down down his matchup thanks to his 6’6 frame, massive size for a point guard.

Unfortunately, his offensive game needs a ton of work. He shot just 43 percent at UNC including a dismal 25.7 percent from three-point range. His lack of offense would make him at best a second-round pick, and likely not even that. But his defensive upside makes him worth a look.

Kelan Martin

Local flare makes Martin a fun story as he comes from Butler University. But he is more than just an Indy resident. Martin can play.

This past season at Butler, Martin poured in 21.2 points per game and led the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament. He is excellent at knocking down shots and getting to the line, and he could be an excellent scorer at the professional level. Martin could be a solid pick at 50, and he could even be a good guy to grab as an undrafted free agent.

Next: Will Myles Turner show no mercy on the children again at his basketball camp?

Will this be the last pre-draft workout for the Indiana Pacers? or will some other guys sneak in at the stroke of midnight? Who knows, but the front office is looking at everybody. They are going to be ready come Thursday.

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