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Southeast Draft Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Magic, Heat

May 31st, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are one of multiple Southeast teams that has been busy this week scouting draft-eligible prospects. According to a pair of press releases from the club, Charlotte brought in six prospects for pre-draft workouts on Friday and will take a closer look at six more on Saturday.

Nassir Little (UNC) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech) were the headliners in Friday’s group for the Hornets, joined by Devontae Cacok (UNC-Wilmington), Tyler Cook (Iowa), Jordan Davis (Northern Colorado), and Matt Morgan (Cornell).

On Saturday, the Hornets will work out Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Ethan Happ (Wisconsin), C.J. Massinburg (Buffalo), Isaiah Roby (Nebrasaka), and Simisola Shittu (Vanderbilt).

Here are a few more draft-related updates from out of the Southeast:

Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) headlined the group of prospects who worked out for the Hawks on Friday. According to the team (via Twitter), Jaylen Hands (UCLA), Louis King (Oregon), Jalen McDaniels (San Diego State), Eric Paschall (Villanova), and Grant Williams (Tennessee) also participated in the session.
The Magic held a pre-draft workout on Friday morning that featured Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Corey Davis Jr. (Houston), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), Naz Reid (LSU), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald cites a source who says PJ Washington (Kentucky) is working out for the Heat and relays a report indicating that Washington’s teammate Tyler Herro will also visit the club. In a tweet, Jackson adds that the Heat will work out Miami’s Dewan Hernandez on June 15.
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores whether it’s reasonable to expect the Wizards – who only hold the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft – to try to buy their way into the second round.

Draft Notes: Bassey, Ward, Winston, Olinde

April 19th, 2019 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Western Kentucky freshman center Charles Bassey will declare for the draft without signing with an agent, the school’s media relations department tweets. The 6’11” Bassey averaged 14.6 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 2.4 BPG in 34 games for the Hilltoppers. He is currently ranked No. 53 on ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 list.

We have more draft decisions:

Michigan State center Nick Ward has declared for the draft and hired an agent, he announced on his Instagram account. Ward averaged 12.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG as a junior, though he missed some late-season games due to a broken hand.
Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston will return for his senior season, according to a school press release. Winston was a consensus second-team All-American this past season, averaging a team-best 18.8 PPG and setting a Big Ten single-season record with 291 assists. He’s ranked No. 78 by Givony.
Louis Olinde, a 6’10” German forward, has declared for the draft, Givony tweets. The 21-year-old Olinde starts for Bamberg in Germany, where he’s shooting 38% from long range in the Basketball Bundesliga.
Aleksander Balcerowski, a 7’1” center from Poland, has also declared for the draft, according to another Givony tweet. The 18-year old has seen minutes with Gran Canaria in the EuroLeague and ACB Liga in Spain this season and would be one of the youngest players in the draft if he stays in.

Draft Decisions: Ward, Morgan, Edwards, Waters

May 29th, 2018 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Michigan State sophomore center Nick Ward has decided to return to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG for the Spartans last season. The Bulls, Knicks, Thunder and Pistons were among the teams that worked him out this month.

We have more draft decisions with Wednesday’s deadline fast approaching:

Indiana forward Juwan Morgan revealed he’s going back to school via his Instagram page, Rothstein tweets. Morgan averaged 16.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG as a junior.
Purdue’s Carsen Edwards is removing his name from the draft, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter told Nathan Baird of the Lafayette Journal and Courier (Twitter link). Edwards, a 6-foot point guard, was ranked No. 70 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Edwards posted averages of 18.5 PPG and 2.8 APG as a sophomore.
LSU’s Tremont Waters posted on Instagram that he will return to college for his sophomore season, Cody Worsham of Tiger Rag tweets. The 5’11” guard averaged 15.9 PPG and 6.0 APG in an impressive college debut.

Draft Notes: B. Brown, Govan, Lakers, Bulls

May 25th, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Kansas State junior guard Barry Brown will be returning to the Wildcats for his senior year, he confirmed in an announcement today on Twitter.

“Although the process was more than enjoyable, I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2018 NBA Draft,” Brown wrote in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who supported me, and I am looking forward to finishing my senior season as a WILDCAT!”

Brown, who had workouts with the Lakers and Nets, averaged 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.8 SPG for Kansas State in 2017/18. He’ll look to build on those numbers in his senior season before becoming draft-eligible again next spring.

Here are more draft-related notes and updates:

We can remove another name from this year’s list of early entrants, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, who tweets that Georgetown big man Jessie Govan is withdrawing from the draft. That’s good news for the Hoyas, who will get Govan back for his senior year after he posted a double-double (17.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG) as a junior.
The Lakers‘ pre-draft workout on Friday featured some interesting faces, with Grayson Allen (Duke), Allerik Freeman (NC State), Kevin Huerter (Maryland), Arnoldas Kulboka (Capo D’Orlando), Matur Maker (Mississauga Prep), and Bryant McIntosh (Northwestern) earning a look from the team, per a press release.
After working out for the Lakers earlier this week, Missouri forward Jordan Barnett auditioned today for the Celtics, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Barnett’s session with the Lakers also included Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State), Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Daryl Macon (Arkansas), and Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), according to the team.
The Bulls‘ pre-draft workout on Thursday, which was heavy on local prospects, featured Eugene German (Northern Illinois), Anas Mahmoud (Louisville), Fred Sims Jr. (Chicago State), Donte Ingram (Loyola Chicago), Ben Richardson (Loyola Chicago), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), according to the club.

Draft Notes: Ponds, Heron, Spellman, Melton

May 12th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being passed over for the NBA Draft Combine, Shamorie Ponds of St. John’s is concentrating on team workouts to prove himself, writes Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog. The sophomore guard put up a 21.6/5.0/4.7 line for the Red Storm this season, but wasn’t among the 69 players who received combine invitations.

“For sure, I was most definitely upset,” he said. “I feel I deserved it.”

Ponds worked out today for the Cavaliers and has held a session with the Nets. Cleveland GM Koby Altman spoke with all the participants after the workout, and Ponds said he received positive feedback. “[Altman] said he really likes my game a lot, he really enjoyed watching it,” Ponds added. “There was great energy after the workout.”

Ponds still has workouts remaining with the Jazz, Pistons and Lakers and wants to reschedule sessions with the Knicks and Hawks that he had to cancel because of final exams. He will use the results of those workouts to determine whether to remain in the draft, a decision that has to be made by May 30.

There are more draft-related notes to pass on:

Today’s workout in Cleveland included three other prominent players in Auburn’s Mustapha Heron, Villanova’s Omari Spellman and USC’s De’Anthony Melton, Zagoria tweets. Heron also worked out Friday for the Nets along with Nevada’s Cody Martin, Georgia’s Kendrick Nunn, North Carolina’s Joel Berry and Stanford’s Reid Travis.
Michigan State’s Nick Ward had sessions with the Knicks and Thunder during the week and is set to work out for the Pistons this weekend, according to Brendan F. Quinn of the Athletic (Twitter link). Eight other teams have submitted requests to see the sophomore in action.
The Timberwolves brought in Rodney Bullock of Providence and Jalen McDaniels of San Diego State for a workout on Thursday, relays Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz take a look at the best selections for each of the lottery teams if they land in the top three.

Draft Notes: Washington, Ward, Brown, Hudson

May 8th, 2018 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kentucky freshman forward PJ Washington is working out for the Clippers this week and will meet with the Timberwolves and Bucks before next week’s draft combine, Fletcher Page of the Louisville Journal Courier reports. Washington, who has already visited the Celtics and Nets, has a pinky finger injury that will require surgery, Page continues. Father Paul Washington told Page that his son isn’t assured of staying in the draft.

“It’s real simple — if he’s guaranteed a first round pick, then he’ll stay in the draft,” Paul Washington said. “If he doesn’t get that, we’ll have to make a decision. It’s PJ’s decision.”

The 6’8” Washington is listed at No. 51 among Jonathan Givony’s top 100 prospects at ESPN.com. He averaged 10.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG for the Wildcats.

In other draft developments:

Michigan State sophomore center Nick Ward will work out for the Pistons this weekend, Brendan Quinn of The Athletic tweets. Ward has already worked out for the Knicks and Thunder and at least eight other teams are interested in bringing him in, Quinn adds. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG for the Spartans. He is not listed among Givony’s top 100 prospects.
The Hawks are bringing in six prospects on Wednesday, according to a team press release. South Carolina forward Brian Bowen, Auburn guard Bryce Brown, Purdue guard Nojel Eastern, Maryland forward Bruno Fernando, Florida shooting guard Jalen Hudson and Utah Valley center Akolda Manyang are the players visiting Atlanta. Hudson, ranked No. 45 by Givony, is the most prominent member of the group.

Draft Updates: Ward, T. Davis, Sanders, Dickerson, Shamet

March 29th, 2018 at 5:02pm CST by Austin Kent

A number of NBA hopefuls have declared for the draft today and will test the waters as June approaches.

Sophomore Michigan State big man Nick Ward will gauge interest but not hire an agent, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Ward isn’t currently projected to be selected in the June draft but would retain NCAA eligibility should be decide to withdraw.
Texas A&M center Tyler Davis will declare for the draft without hiring an agent, Jonathan Givony of ESPN says (via Twitter). The junior isn’t projected to be taken in early mock drafts.
Sophomore guard Landry Shamet will forgo his final two years at Wichita State in order to declare for the NBA draft, the guard announced on Instagram. According to Taylor Eldridge of The Wichita Eagle, Shamet does intend to sign an agent.
Rutgers point guard Corey Sanders will enter the NBA draft once again, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. While the junior intends to sign an agent, James Kratch of NJ.com writes that the guard may not be eligible to return to college even if he decides against hiring representation. NBA rules only allow players to test the waters twice and Sanders did so after both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Washington forward Noah Dickerson will declare for the NBA draft, according to his Instagram page. He doesn’t intend to hire an agent, Ryan Clark of The Tacoma News Tribune adds.