Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Quickley, Hawks, Bucks, Beal

June 15th, 2023 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

No team holds more picks in the 2023 NBA draft than the Pacers, who have had another full week of pre-draft workouts at the Ascension St. Vincent Center in Indianapolis.

The Pacers hosted Marcus Carr (Texas), Kendric Davis (Memphis), Zvonimir Ivisic (Croatia), Drew Peterson (USC), Julian Phillips (Tennessee), and Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky) for a group workout on Monday, then brought in D’Moi Hodge (Missouri), Colby Jones (Xavier), Omari Moore (San Jose State), Kevin Obanor (Texas Tech), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette), and Malachi Smith (Gonzaga) on Tuesday.

The most notable workout of the team’s week so far is happening on Thursday, with the Pacers scheduled to host Gradey Dick. The Kansas guard could be a player Indiana considers with its lottery pick at No. 7.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • With Immanuel Quickley becoming eligible next month for a rookie scale extension, Fred Katz of The Athletic polled 15 front office members around the NBA to get a sense of what a “fair” extension for the Knicks guard would look like. Of those 15 participants, 11 projected an annual salary between $16-20MM, with five specifically suggesting $72MM over four years.
  • Discussing his newly completed coaching staff, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder told Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he wanted a strong player development group made up of “selfless” individuals who would help instill that philosophy in Atlanta’s players. “It’s like putting any team together that whether it’s, tactical experience, analytics experience, literally different cultures and genders and all the different things that go into making a unique, strong group,” Snyder said. “But ‘The Thin Red Line’ to me that runs through all of it was, just selfless people that are able to put the group in front of themselves and I really want our staff to model that because that’s what we’re asking of our team.”
  • Eric Nehm of The Athletic breaks down the rumor identifying the Bucks as a possible Bradley Beal suitor, examining how Milwaukee could build a package to acquire Beal and weighing whether or not the star guard would actually make a better long-term building block than Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton. As Nehm notes, while Beal is younger than Holiday or Middleton, he’s not as solid a defender as either of those current Bucks.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Nets, Knicks, Embiid

June 4th, 2023 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Adama Sanogo, the starting center on UConn’s national championship team, and Julian Strawther of Gonzaga were among the six draft prospects who worked out for the Hornets on Sunday, the team’s PR department tweets. Memphis’ Kendric Davis, Kent State’s Sincere Carry, Butler’s Manny Bates and Marquette Olivier-Maxence Prosper joined that duo. The latter is currently ranked No. 29 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Alabama center Charles Bediako and Gonzaga big man Drew Timme are among the six draft prospects who will visit the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. They’ll be joined by Miami’s Jordan Miller, Virginia’s Kihei Clark, DePaul’s Javan Johnson and Washington State’s Justin Powell.
  • Nets GM Sean Marks has a history of making aggressive moves either leading up to the draft or on draft night, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Brooklyn has back-to-back picks in the first round at No. 21 and 22. If Marks decides to keep them, South Carolina freshman G.G. Jackson, G League Ignite’s Leonard Miller and Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly could be among the players who will get serious consideration.
  • The Knicks are crossing their fingers that the Sixers will eventually implode and Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will look to be dealt, Tim MacMahon of ESPN said on The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to the New York Post’s Bridget Reilly). “They’re not hoping for patience, they’re hoping for The Process. I don’t know if that’s coming, but they’ve looked at that situation in Philly and there’s been a hope in New York that stuff in Philly will go haywire to the point where Embiid will ask out,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know the percentage odds on that, I would say they are slim, but that’s been the hope.”
Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Notes: Bates, Ongenda, Pacers, Hawks

June 1st, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Wing Emoni Bates has upcoming workouts lined up with the Jazz, Kings and Pistons, a league source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Bates has already reportedly worked out for eight other teams, so he is certainly getting accustomed to the extensive travel of NBA life.

According to Zagoria, Bates will have more workouts as the 2023 NBA draft — which takes place on June 22 — draws nearer. A former top high school recruit, the 19-year-old has seen his stock fall over two inconsistent college seasons at Memphis and Eastern Michigan. He’s currently ranked No. 51 on ESPN’s big board, making him a projected late second-round pick.

However, Bates impressed during shooting drills at last month’s draft combine and reportedly interviewed well too, which has helped his standing. He has risen up six spots on ESPN’s list within the past few days.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • DePaul center Nick Ongenda decided to stay in the draft as the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline passed, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The Canadian big man missed most of the season with a wrist injury, according to Steve Newhouse of 247Sports.com, who reports that Ongenda recently worked out for the Mavericks. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and an eye-popping 4.4 blocks, but only played eight games as a senior in ’22/23.
  • The Pacers are hosting a pre-draft workout Friday featuring Toumani Camara (Dayton), Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton), Jaylen Martin (Overtime Elite), Landers Nolley (Cincinnati), Miles Norris (UCSB) and Julian Strawther (Gonzaga), tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Indiana controls five draft picks in 2023, including No. 7 overall. Strawther (No. 49), Camara (No. 54) and Evbuomwan (No. 77) may have the best chances to get drafted, per ESPN’s board.
  • The Hawks, who control the Nos. 16 and 46 picks, are hosting six prospects for a workout Friday. They are Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine), Mike Miles Jr. (TCU), Kris Murray (Iowa), Pete Nance (North Carolina), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette) and Ben Sheppard (Belmont), as Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays (via Twitter). Murray (No. 25), Prosper (No. 29) and Sheppard (No. 36) are the highest rated by ESPN.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Decisions: Prosper, Collins, Stevens, Thomas, Mitchell

May 26th, 2023 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Viewed as one of the biggest winners of last week’s draft combine in Chicago, Marquette junior Olivier-Maxence Prosper has decided to keep his name in the 2023 NBA draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

“After talking to my family, agents, and evaluating the feedback I’ve gotten after the draft combine and my pro day, I’ve decided to keep my name in,” Prosper said. “Teams say they are really intrigued by me and value my skill set and ability to impact the game on both ends. I’m ready to make that jump and go after this.”

After performing well in his first combine scrimmage, Prosper had an impressive pro day showing in Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to Givony, who lists the 6’8″ forward as the No. 32 prospect on ESPN’s big board. Prosper had individual workouts with five NBA teams prior to the combine and is expected to visit many more in the coming weeks, Givony adds.

Here are a few more updates on early entrants deciding whether or not to stay in the draft:

  • Arizona State guard Frankie Collins, who averaged 9.7 PPG and 4.3 APG as a sophomore last season, will be withdrawing from the draft and returning to school for his junior year, he announced on Twitter.
  • Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens will take his name out of the 2023 draft and take advantage of his “super-senior” year of NCAA eligibility. Stevens, who made his announcement on Instagram, averaged 17.9 PPG and 6.7 APG in 26 games (36.8 MPG) in 2022/23.
  • Agent Kevin Martin tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter links) that a pair of his clients – Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas and Rayquawndis Mitchell, who is transferring from Kansas City to Penn State – are pulling out of the draft to return to school. Martin is an NCAA-certified agent, so his clients are permitted to test the draft waters without forfeiting their remaining college eligibility.
Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Central Notes: Bucks’ Coaching Search, Pacers, Cheaney, Cavs

May 24th, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

While Nick Nurse, Kenny Atkinson, and Adrian Griffin are the only finalists that have been reported so far in the Bucks‘ head coaching search, Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hears from a source that the team could still expand that list of finalists.

For now though, Milwaukee seems to be deciding between Nurse, Atkinson, and Griffin, prompting Eric Nehm of The Athletic to consider why each coaching candidate may – or may not – be a fit for the franchise.

A league source who spoke to Owczarski (subscription required) got the sense that Bucks general manager Jon Horst prefers a coach with “a bit of edge” in terms of style. That could be a point in favor of Nurse, who gained a reputation for experimenting with unorthodox defensive styles when he took over as the head coach in Toronto. As Nehm observes, Nurse also won a championship in his first year as a head coach, a feat the Bucks are hoping their next coach will be able to replicate.

The second round of interviews for the Bucks is expected to include dialogue with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marc Stein writes at Substack. Horst told reporters earlier this month that he expected to get input from Antetokounmpo during the team’s coaching search.

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Pacers assistant Calbert Cheaney is leaving Rick Carlisle‘s staff to return to his alma mater and become the director of player development at Indiana University under Mike Woodson. Carlisle and the Pacers put out a statement thanking Cheaney for his contributions and wishing him well in his new job. The team also announced that Isaac Yacob is being promoted from head video coordinator to a player development role.
  • The Pacers, armed with five picks in this year’s draft, will almost certainly trade one or more of them, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). With the picks they keep, the Pacers won’t be overly focused on positional fit, but likely won’t select anyone who will be a defensive liability, Dopirak adds.
  • Kelsey Russo of The Athletic considers a few options for the Cavaliers‘ pick at No. 49, identifying Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Illinois wing Terrence Shannon, and Eastern Michigan wing Emoni Bates as possible targets. Prosper, who had a strong showing at least week’s combine, may not still be available by the time Cleveland picks — he ranks No. 32 on ESPN’s big board.
Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Notes: Risers, Lively, Girard, Pack, Post

May 20th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Marquette wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who withdrew from Thursday’s scrimmage after a strong performance Wednesday, may have been the biggest winner of the NBA draft combine, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Not only did Prosper score a game-high 21 points (plus seven rebounds) in 22 minutes in Wednesday’s scrimmage, he was also measured at nearly 6’7″ without shoes along with a 7’1″ wingspan. The 20-year-old recorded the second-best standing vertical leap (35 inches) at the event.

As Hollinger writes, there are still question marks about his Prosper’s game (limited feel, low rate of steals plus blocks), but his effort at the combine may have turned him into a first-round pick. He’s currently No. 32 on ESPN’s big board.

Belmont guard Ben Sheppard (No. 36 on ESPN) and Serbian big man Tristan Vukcevic (No. 37) are among the other players who helped themselves at the combine, Hollinger adds. Keep an eye on the Hornets (Nos. 34, 39 and 41) and the Thunder (Nos. 37 and 50) as teams with multiple picks who might be interested in drafting-and-stashing Vukcevic, per Hollinger.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Dereck Lively II was the nation’s top high school recruit entering his freshman year at Duke, but saw his draft stock fall after an underwhelming season. Currently No. 25 on ESPN’s board and considered a late first-round pick, Lively plans to surprise people at the NBA level, Adam Zagoria writes for The News & Observer. “I believe my game translates because I can guard one through five, I can run the floor, I can space the floor out,” Lively said at the combine. “I wasn’t shooting at Duke but … just because you don’t think I can shoot, I can shoot the ball. I think everybody is going to be surprised by that this coming season and I just gotta make a name for myself.”
  • Joseph Girard, Nijel Pack, and Quinten Post all plan to withdraw from the draft and return to college for the 2023/24 season, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (All Twitter links). Girard is transferring from Syracuse to Clemson for his fifth and final year of eligibility, while Pack will be returning to Miami (FL) for his senior year and Post will return to Boston College for his fifth season. None of the three are listed on ESPN’s board, so they were considered unlikely to be drafted.
  • In case you missed it, we passed along some more draft decisions Friday.
Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Notes: Miller, Podziemski, Vukcevic, Prosper, More

May 19th, 2023 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Based in part on the Hornets‘ roster needs, Jonathan Givony of ESPN believes Alabama wing Brandon Miller is slightly more likely than G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson to be the pick at No. 2, telling ESPN’s Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post podcast that he’d put the odds of Charlotte drafting Miller at 60%. However, according to Givony, Miller isn’t necessarily acing the pre-draft process so far.

“Every team in the NBA is looking for this type of player,” Givony said (hat tip to RealGM). “Six-nine, big guard, can handle the ball. Pass out of pick and roll. Make shots off the dribble. Defend multiple positions. Rebound. That’s what people are looking for. At the same time, he is not in great shape right now, so I don’t know how great his workout’s going to be. His interviews have not been great, I’ve been told — both publicly and privately with NBA teams.”

As David Aldridge of The Athletic writes, teams meeting with Miller will have questions about his connection to the death of Jamea Jonae Harris in Tuscaloosa. Miller brought former Alabama teammate Darius Miles the gun that was used in the killing, though he has insisted that he didn’t know the gun was in the car. The 20-year-old wasn’t charged with a crime and executives who spoke to Aldridge don’t think it will materially affect Miller’s draft stock.

“I don’t believe there will be any impact unless he lies in his interviews,” one exec said. “Integrity is more relevant than criminal friends; one we can fix, the other, we can’t.”

Here are more notes on the NBA draft:

  • Santa Clara sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski has opted to keep his name in the 2023 NBA draft, formally announcing his decision on Twitter. Podziemski is the No. 31 prospect on ESPN’s big board and has reportedly had a strong showing at the combine, per Givony (Twitter link), so he’s a legitimate first-round candidate.
  • After performing well in Wednesday’s scrimmages at the draft combine, Serbian big man Tristan Vukcevic and Marquette wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper withdrew from Thursday’s scrimmages, tweets Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes a more in-depth look at Prosper, who had 21 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes during Wednesday’s scrimmage.
  • In addition to working out for Atlanta, Princeton forward Tosan Evbuomwan had workouts with the Spurs, Pistons, and Celtics prior to the draft combine, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Evbuomwan was initially only invited to the G League Elite Camp, but earned a spot at the combine after making a strong impression last weekend.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic considers which lottery picks might be in play on the trade market, starting with the Trail Blazers‘ and Rockets‘ selections at Nos. 3 and 4.
Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

NBA Reveals Players Expected At 2023 Draft Combine

May 9th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has announced 78 players that are expected to attend this year’s draft combine, scheduled for May 15-21 at in Chicago, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which takes place May 13-14 in Chicago, will be invited to participate in the combine.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five scrimmages, as well as shooting, strength and agility drills. Some top prospects opt out of the scrimmages.

Victor Wembanyama, the projected top pick, is not on the list. His French League season is still ongoing.

The list of invitees is as follows:

Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Notes: Mitchell, Shannon, Early Entrants, Mock Draft

April 12th, 2023 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Texas freshman Dillon Mitchell will test the NBA draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility. The 19-year-old small forward made the announcement this evening on his Twitter page.

Mitchell is ranked 34th on ESPN’s list of the best available players, but he was considered the No. 4 recruit in the nation coming into college, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Mitchell played just 17 minutes per game in his first season with the Longhorns, averaging 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. Although he shot 64% from the field, Givony notes that Mitchell’s usage rate would be the lowest of any player drafted over the last 30 years.

Mitchell will have to rely on next month’s draft combine and workouts with individual teams to show that he’s ready for the NBA. Givony points out that his unique combination of physical skills could still make him attractive as a draft prospect.

There’s more on this year’s draft:

Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0