Jarnell Stokes Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, McDaniels, Mavs

June 9th, 2014 at 9:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Pelicans can kickstart a major culture change this summer, writes Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans has a strong, young leader in big man Anthony Davis. Now, they must make the right moves, surround him with talent, and build a winner. More from the Southwest Division..

Clemson small forward K.J. McDaniels impressed in today’s workout with the Grizzlies, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. ”He’s a very solid defender. His shot isn’t broken but it can be improved,” Griz coach Dave Joerger said. ”He presented himself well. He has a nice game about him and is certainly a guy we’ll keep investigating.’‘ McDaniels could be a consideration at No. 22 but he also might not be available at that point.
The Grizzlies coach also spoke highly of Tennesee forward Jarnell Stokes, writes Jason Smith of the Commercial Appeal. Stokes spoke with Hoops Rumors back in April about what he can bring to an NBA team.
The Mavs pick at No. 34 and No. 51 in this month’s draft and history shows that they won’t come away with much, writes Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs have shown a willingness to mortgage their future in order to build a winner in the present, and that paid off in 2008 when they reacquired Jason Kidd from the Nets. Since then, however, they’ve been let down in varying degrees by the likes of Shan Foster, Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones, and Jared Cunningham.

Draft Notes: Hood, Stokes, Jackson, Anderson

June 6th, 2014 at 9:42pm CST by Zachary Links

This morning, Hoops Rumors learned (Twitter link) that Duke sharpshooter Rodney Hood will audition for the Celtics, Kings, Hawks, and Hornets in the next few weeks. As previously reported, his future workout schedule will also include the Sixers and he has already worked out for the Bulls, Magic, Nuggets, and Suns. Back in May, Hood told Hoops Rumors that he could go as high as No. 6-12 and it sounds increasingly plausible as he has worked out for most of the top half teams. Here’s the latest draft news..

Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders explains why he thinks Noah Vonleh would have limited upside as a lottery pick. Duncan thinks Vonleh’s leaping ability has become overrated, and cites poor instincts on both ends of the floor as reason to temper expectations.
Robby Kalland of Hawks.com checked in with Brian Schroeder of Hardwood Paroxysm to get the goods on first round draft prospect Jusuf Nurkic. Schroeder raves about his size, relative mobility, rebounding, and scoring touch. Currently, the big man is slated to go No. 11 to the Nuggets in DraftExpress‘ mock draft.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders runs down some common mistakes teams make in the draft, highlighting players from this year’s pool that could produce similar letdowns.

Earlier updates:

Jabari Parker would have no issue with being drafted by the Bucks, his father Sonny and Duke teammate Hood tell Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
The Suns were expected to work out Adreian Payne, Jordan Adams, Markel Brown, Sean Kilpatrick, Daniel Miller, and C.J. Wilcox today, reports azcentral sports.
Shawn Glover worked out for the Jazz today, reports Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune, and both Payne and David Stockton will work out for Utah tomorrow, Falk tweets. Payne is projected near Utah’s No. 23 overall pick, but neither Glover or Stockton (son of Jazz legend John Stockton) are projected as either first or second round picks.
A source tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that Clemson small forward K.J. McDaniels will work out for the Thunder tomorrow. McDaniels is projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick and while he figures to be in range, he could be gone by the time OKC picks at No. 21.
Hoops Rumors has also learned (via Twitter) that Stanford forward Josh Huestis auditioned for the Knicks this week and will be playing in front of the Magic today. The source adds that there aren’t enough days before the draft for Huestis to work out for every team that wants to see him (link).
In continuing their trend of working out point guards, the Magic will work out Tyler Ennis and Elfrid Payton over the next few days, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
Hoops Rumors has also learned (via Twitter) that former Tennessee Volunteers big man Jarnell Stokes is one of the 12 players working out for the Jazz today. Stokes is projected to be a first round pick thanks to his tenacious rebounding and high motor.
A source tells Hoops Rumors (via Twitter) that Cincinnati forward Justin Jackson has worked out for the Bulls with the Mavs, Pacers, Hawks, Hornets, and Suns still on the docket. To learn more about Jackson, a second-round prospect, check out the interview we conducted with him last month as a part of our Prospect Profile series.
Former UCLA point guard Kyle Anderson will work out for the Thunder tomorrow and the Sixers on Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.

Southwest Notes: Parsons, Nowitzki, Marion

June 5th, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Other teams have outsized expectations of what the Rockets can achieve in the player acquisition department based on Houston’s recent success, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. The Rockets have been leaning all year toward declining their option on Chandler Parsons, so this week’s news isn’t necessarily an indication that they suddenly have confidence that they’ll land another marquee player this summer, Lowe says. There’s plenty more on the Rockets in Lowe’s piece, and we’ll hit the highlights here amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets asked Charlotte for the equivalent of three first-round picks in return for Omer Asik this season, Lowe also writes in the same piece. It’s unclear exactly what would qualify as the equivalent of a first-rounder, but perhaps Lowe is referring to a rookie fresh off having been a first-round pick, like Cody Zeller.
Parsons has repeatedly asked for a raise the past two years, leading Lowe to wonder if he’s promised to re-sign in exchange for the Rockets declining his option.
A new contract for Parsons this summer would most likely count at 50% of its value for outgoing salary-matching purposes in a sign-and-trade, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains in a piece for Hoop365. It’d count at full value for incoming salary in that scenario, one of the reasons why it will be difficult for the Rockets to pull off such a maneuver, Deeks adds.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban isn’t worried about a report identifying Dirk Nowitzki as a free agent target of the Rockets, telling Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that, “I don’t pay attention to that.”
Reports that Shawn Marion wants to finish his career as a member of the Mavericks misconstrued his meaning, as Marion said Wednesday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that he merely meant to say that he wants to live in Dallas after he retires from playing. Still, he would prefer to re-sign with the Mavs this summer. Vince Marotta of ArizonaSports.com rounds up his comments.
Jarnell Stokes, K.J. McDaniels and Russ Smith will audition for the Grizzlies next week, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports in a subscription-only piece.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Young, Suns

May 28th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA received a letter from one of Donald Sterling’s personal lawyers last week informing the league of his intention to allow his wife to conduct a sale of the Clippers, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reports in the latest version of her story from overnight. That runs counter to the assertion from another of Sterling’s lawyers Tuesday that his client “disavows” any agreement with his wife on the sale of the team. There’s more on the Clippers amid the latest from the Pacific Division:

Shelly Sterling appears to be racing to close on a deal with a bidder for the Clippers in advance of Tuesday’s hearing to oust her and her husband, but the NBA would have to vet any new owner, a process that won’t be done by next week, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. Still, the league has already vetted potential buyers Larry Ellison, Steve Ballmer and Lakers minority owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, Aldridge notes, so perhaps those three have an edge (Twitter link).
A source close to Nick Young tells Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders that the swingman wants to return to the Lakers but will likely opt out of his contract for next season, seconding earlier reports.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com adds the Suns to the list of teams working out Jarnell Stokes (Twitter link).

Draft Rumors: Hood, Stokes, Fair, Hairston

May 26th, 2014 at 10:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The draft takes place one month from tonight, and teams are beginning to ramp up their schedule of workouts with prospects. Busy draft hopefuls include Rodney Hood, who’ll audition for eight lottery teams, and Jarnell Stokes, who’s working out for 11 teams drafting in the back half of the first round, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors has learned (Twitter links). One of those teams is the Magic, as we passed along Sunday, and Hood will also work out for the Sixers and Bulls, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The Wolves are on Hood’s schedule, too, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Stokes will show off for the Heat and Sixers, Goodman also tweets. Here’s more on an evolving draft landscape:

Stokes will also audition for the Hawks and Bulls in addition to Miami and Philadelphia, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
The Bucks will audition Washington’s C.J. Wilcox, Iowa’s Devyn Marble, Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson, Virginia’s Joe Harris, and Missouri’s Jabari Brown on Tuesday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal-Times.
C.J. Fair will work out for the Bulls on Wednesday, the Bucks on Thursday, and the Hornets on Friday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
P.J. Hairston, DeAndre Kane and Markel Brown are also among those auditioning for Minnesota, Wolfson reports in the same tweet in which he passed along the Hood news. Nick Johnson will join that group, and the Wolves are eyeing Melvin Ejim and Chane Behanan for workouts, too, Wolfson adds (on Twitter).
Behanan will audition for the Sixers and Wolves, as well, Goodman reports via Twitter, seconding his earlier dispatch about Behanan’s workout with the Mavs. Russ Smith, Behanan’s former Louisville teammate, is slated to work out for the Heat, Thunder and Suns, Goodman tweets.
Johnson will also work out for the Magic, Goodman notes (via Twitter). He’ll join Smart and Hood in Orlando, as previously reported.
The Lakers are set to work out Marcus Smart and Noah Vonleh, while Vonleh will also audition for the Celtics and Kings, according to Goodman (Twitter links).
Goodman adds the Raptors to the teams working out Kyle Anderson (Twitter link).
The ESPN.com scribe also reports additional workouts for DeAndre Daniels, who’s set to get a look-see from the Hornets and Hawks (Twitter link).
The Bulls, Suns and Grizzlies are on the workout agenda of Scottie Wilbekin, Goodman reports (on Twitter). The Suns, along with the Bucks and Lakers, are also among the trio of teams auditioning Joe Harris, Goodman tweets.
Johnny O’Bryant III will work out for the Hawks, Raptors, Suns and Spurs, according to Goodman (Twitter link).

Chad Ford On NBA Draft

May 21st, 2014 at 6:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the draft order now set, the speculation can truly begin as to what each team will do in June’s NBA Draft. Chad Ford of ESPN.com held his weekly chat and here are some of the highlights:

Though the Cavaliers currently have Jabari Parker at the top of their draft board, Ford believes they will end up selecting Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick.
The only way the Cavs trade the top pick is for a young, star-caliber player like Kevin Love, opines Ford.
The top three players on the Bucks draft board are Joel Embiid, Wiggins, and Dante Exum, per Ford.
The Magic are looking at taking a point guard with the number four overall pick, reports Ford. The team’s top two choices would be Exum and Marcus Smart. Ford also believes that with the 12th pick, the team will focus on acquiring outside shooting.
Ford believes the Jazz are likely to select Noah Vonleh with the fifth selection, unless they attempt to trade up to snag Exum.
Being slotted sixth makes the Celtics more likely to try and trade their pick for established talent, notes Ford. If they keep the pick, he believes that Aaron Gordon would be the choice of GM Danny Ainge.
The Lakers are in a similar position to the Celtics in regard to trading their pick, opines Ford. If they keep the pick, he sees either Julius Randle, Smart, or Dario Saric being their favorites.
Ford’s sleeper picks for the draft are Mitch McGary, Jarnell Stokes, and Elfrid Payton.

Draft Combine Updates: Friday

May 16th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

We gathered a slew of reports connecting draft prospects with teams yesterday on the first full day of the Chicago draft combine, and we’ll do the same today with this post. The latest updates will be on top as we follow the action throughout.

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders adds the Pistons, Kings and Suns to the list of teams interviewing Noah Vonleh (Twitter link).
The Pistons met with Rodney Hood, Ellis tweets, and the Thunder also met with him, Holmes notes (on Twitter).
Thanasis Antetokounmpo sat down with the Nets, Knicks, Pacers, Cavs, Wizards and Pelicans, according to Woelfel (Twitter link).

2:00pm updates:

The Pistons have met with Smart and Zach LaVine, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, respectively (Twitter links).
Smart is also among the players interviewing with the Celtics tonight, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, and the C’s spoke with Aaron Gordon, too, fellow Globe scribe Baxter Holmes notes (Twitter links).
Gordon also met with the Magic, who are set to meet with James Michael McAdoo, as well, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
Tyler Ennis is meeting with the Bucks today after interviewing with the Bulls on Thursday, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com report (Twitter links).
Jarnell Stokes already worked out for the Raptors, according to Wolstat (on Twitter).

12:02pm updates:

Dante Exum‘s interview with the Magic went well, he said, adding that the team would like to bring him to Central Florida for a workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins, in a full piece, added Marcus Smart to the list of top prospects who’ve interviewed with the Magic.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge expressed a fondness for Smart today in an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz on the network’s coverage of the combine, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (on Twitter).
Gary Harris told Katz he met with the Raptors, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Pistons, as Zagoria once more passes along via Twitter.
The Raptors will interview Jordan Adams today, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who says the team also spoke with James Young (Twitter links).
Zagoria adds the Sixers, Spurs, Clippers, Mavs, Nuggets, Warriors and Bulls to the list of teams that Kyle Anderson either met or is slated to meet (Twitter link).
Markel Brown said he’ll talk with the Celtics today, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).

Prospect Profile: Jarnell Stokes

May 2nd, 2014 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

There are plenty of talented big men in this year’s draft, but few can haul in rebounds like Tennessee’s Jarnell Stokes. The 6’9″ forward is coming off of a season in which he averaged 13.7 RPG per 40 minutes and an eye-popping 6.0 offensive boards per 40 minutes. The takeaway from most observers is that Stokes is able to clean the glass thanks to his phenomenal strength. While his ability to push people around definitely helps, the forward says that doesn’t tell the whole story.

“Really, it was one thing that happened to me my sophomore year. I didn’t know that people take stats of how many rebounds you don’t go for. So, my mission my junior year was to go for every rebound and once I started doing that, I got better and hungrier. I have a knack for the ball but I also have somewhat of a defensive end type of skill set at making moves to get rebounds,” Stokes told Hoops Rumors.

Stokes, projected to be a late-first round pick by ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider sub. req’d), put up averages of 15.1 PPG and 10.6 RPG off of 53.1% shooting from the field in 2013/14, helping to lead the Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen. The forward humbly believes that both his numbers and his play should place him higher in the draft and he’s intent on making that a reality through workouts.

“I think my rebounding numbers set me apart and my numbers period this year set me apart. If you look at my numbers and a lot of guys who are considered lottery types, my numbers are right there, if not better,” Stokes said. “I think in college I was somewhat hurt by having to dominate the paint, so sometimes people don’t exactly understand that I was just doing what my coach instructed me to do.”

For the good of the team, coach Cuonzo Martin positioned Stokes in the post on offense and watched him overpower weaker opponents for easy baskets. Some have criticized Stokes’ lack of a mid-range game, but the 20-year-old says his jumper is just fine. The reason why he hasn’t knocked down many mid-range shots isn’t a matter of ability, but rather a matter of opportunity.

“I definitely feel like I’ve got a solid mid-range game. In fact, if you watch my high school highlights, you’ll see that I was projected to be a small forward. Ultimately, my coaches started putting me at the five and that’s kind of where I focused my game. I don’t mind playing like an undersized center again, but I look at guys like David West and Carlos Boozer and I feel like I can do most of the things that they’re doing,” explained Stokes.

There’s no doubt that his aforementioned strength coupled with his 7’1″ wingspan will help make his transition to the NBA easier. While he doesn’t have a tremendous vertical leap, his reach will help him grab loose balls and help him disrupt shots on defense.

Despite his wingspan, scouts may have concern about his size and how that’ll translate to the next level. At 6’9″, critics argue that larger opponents can get the better of him in the post and quicker players will be able to get around him on the perimeter. For all of his hustle and grit, the biggest knock on Stokes is that his lateral quickness leaves a lot to be desired. As he shows off his 15-footer in workouts, he’ll also look to display his east-to-west speed for scouts.

Even though Stokes turned in a fantastic campaign, a lot of talented underclassmen in similar positions chose to stay in school for another year rather than dive into the ultra-talented 2014 pool. Stokes understands that he has a lot of hard work ahead of him, but he’s also confident that he is ready for the challenge.

“I’ve played against the elite college guys, guys like [Florida’s] Patric Young, I’ve grown up with or played against the best out there. I want to say this as humbly as possible, I can be one of the best bigs in the draft, provided that I can show that certain things can translate.

“I did what my coach needed me to do and what my team needed me to do to win, and I’m glad I did. But there’s much more to my game than what everyone has seen.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jarnell Stokes Declares For Draft

April 11th, 2014 at 12:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

FRIDAY, 12:27pm: Stokes confirmed his decision in a press conference today, as the school’s website details.

THURSDAY, 9:19pm: Tennessee power forward Jarnell Stokes is planning to announce his decision to declare for the 2014 NBA Draft during a press conference on Friday, reports Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. According to Parrish, Stokes is expected to be taken in the late first or early second round. ESPN Insider Chad Ford has the 6’8 Stokes ranked No. 31 on his list of top 100 prospects for 2014, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Stokes at No. 65.

The Memphis native has played a total of three seasons for the Volunteers, increasing his scoring average by roughly three points per game since his freshman season. As a junior, he posted averages of 15.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 53.1% shooting from the field, and a 69.6% clip from the charity stripe on 6.2 FTA per contest.

Stokes strung together a few dominating performances during the NCAA tournament this year, helping Tennessee reach the Sweet 16 with averages of 18.0 PPG and 12.7 RPG through four games. Ford shows some concern about Stokes being a bit undersized for the pro game, but lists his strength and rebounding skills as major positives to look out for.