Andre Jackson Jr., one of the key players in UConn’s national championship run, has worked out for the Celtics and Nets, Tony East of SI.com tweets. Those workouts came prior to the combo guard’s workout with the Pacers on Friday. Currently at the NBA Combine, Jackson is ranked as the 30th-best prospect on ESPN’s Best Available list
We have more draft-related news:
- Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski, Texas forward Dillon Mitchell and G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller are some of the players with the most at stake at this week’s draft combine, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo. The ESPN duo examines a number of storylines that will play out in Chicago this week.
- Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates had an impressive shooting performance in the first day of the combine, according to Mike Curtis of the Detroit News. Bates tied for first in the shooting-off-the-dribble drill and was second in the 3-point star drill, making 19-of-25 (76%) attempts from beyond the arc. The Memphis transfer and former five-star recruit is ranked No. 56 by ESPN.
- Another fringe second-round prospect, Baylor’s Adam Flagler, sat down with Draft Digest’s Bryce Simon and says he has the leadership skills to be an NBA point guard. “The point guard role was easier than expected because of who I am as a person, caring, compassionate,” Flagler said. “My voice is something I used to get my point across and doing what I can to help you. As a point guard you spend time off the court to know who they [teammates] are and how to push their buttons so you can demand those things on the court.” Flagler is ranked No. 68 by ESPN.
Bates is either gonna be the steal of the century or a permanent G leaguer.
Yeah, at one point in time he was hyped as the next big thing, being the only two time HS player of the year Award winner or the youngest or something like that..
If Bates is truly motivated, works out well, and if I’m at the beginning of the 2nd Round I’d gladly take a chance on him.
Now, it’s certainly possible you could get a grinder who can immediately be a part of your rotation, especially as a 3&D wing, or an undersized sparkplug that’s capable of scoring off the bench, but odds are you’re simply getting a G-League type of player, or maybe someone that’s able to take over one of your final bench spots.
With that being the case, I’ll take my chances with a talent like Bates. If he’s surrounded by the right veterans, that will mentor him, push him, and show him how to be a professional, then I think a team could unlock Bates potential.
What exactly is his potential? Only time can tell that tale, but he could at least be a very solid 3-level offensive threat that’s capable of making plays for himself and others. Defensively, he’s athletic enough to be a solid defender as well, but you’d likely have to improve some of his bad habits on the court, and keep him engaged defensively for him to really succeed on that end of the floor.
For me, his ceiling is worth the gamble. I’d just have to see his workouts, and interview him to make sure he truly loves the game of basketball. I think with Bates the biggest thing will be whether or not you feel like he’s going to be willing to put in the extra time and effort it takes to truly succeed at the professional level.
Take the 2nd option. He was overrated and failed to live up to the hype. Not his fault he just isn’t any good
It’s very possible that his athleticism was just better than his HS peers, but not great enough for him to separate from his peers in college. He certainly wouldn’t be the first HS phenom to flame out in college
It’s also very likely that he got hit with a dose of reality, and figured out he wasn’t going to be able to just skate by on his athletic traits alone at higher levels.
Maybe he’s grown up in the last couple years, and is ready to truly put in the work he needs now. Idk, I think that’s why there isn’t a single prospect whose draft stock could fluctuate more than Bates’ with either a really good or bad combine and interview process…
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how teams feel about him after the combine, interviews, and individual and group workouts…
Flagner says it’s easier than he thought. He should go back one more year