The 2016 NBA Draft is less than one month away, and there are plenty of news and rumors swirling around the top prospects in the draft. Wednesday was also the deadline for prospects to withdraw from the draft, meaning the full draft pool has been finalized. Here's everything you need to know about the NBA Draft:
Jaylen Brown impressing
After just one season at Cal, Brown is projected top five pick. According to The Undefeated, he has solidified that position - and could move into the top three - because of his high level of intelligence:
“He has an NBA body already and everyone loves that,” said an NBA assistant general manager who asked not to be named. “He has an aggressive going-to-the-basket game. He’s not a very good shooter and he has to work on that. He has to become a better finisher in traffic. He is a good athlete with good length and size for his position.”
The NBA assistant general manager also said that Brown’s high level of intelligence and inquisitive nature could intimidate some general managers and coaches. He added that he is a good kid who “doesn’t fit the mold of a so-called basketball player.”
“He is an extremely intelligent kid,” the NBA assistant general manager said. “He took a graduate school class at Cal in his freshman year. He is a person who is inquisitive about everything. Because he is so smart, it might be intimidating to some teams. He wants to know why you are doing something instead of just doing it."
Brown averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season.
Thon Maker rising fast, likely to be first-round pick
Maker made headlines last month by bypassing college and declaring for the draft, which the NBA allowed him to do since he went to a year of prep school. At the time, most scouts thought the athletic seven-foot forward was too raw and would be a second round pick, but KSL.com's Andy Larson thinks he'll slide into the first round:
The player [the mixtape makers] envision is not the player I envision. The mixtape guy just shows lots of dunks and crossovers and fancy one hand passes. The other me I envision is more steady, controls the pace, gets teammates going, and is fundamentally sound, both offensively and defensively.
Larson saw Maker during his workout with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Maker also has workouts scheduled with the Atlanta Hawks (who have the No. 21 overall pick) on Friday, along with the Indiana Pacers (No. 20 pick) and Detroit Pistons (No. 18 pick) next week.
Tyler Ulis' draft stock is falling
Kentucky's Tyler Ulis was one of the biggest stars in college basketball last season, winning SEC Player of the Year and being a first-team All-American despite being just 5'9". His production had teams projecting him to be a mid-first round pick, but NBADraft.net is reporting that many think Ulis will now fall to the second round after several bad workouts.
Lot of unrealistic (lotto) hype around Tyler Ulis. Did not perform well in LA workout today. Look for him to end up in early 2nd round.
— NBADraft.net (@nbadraftnet) May 25, 2016
NBA Scout on Ulis: "Did not show well in workout today. Couldn't defend and did not make shots."
— NBADraft.net (@nbadraftnet) May 25, 2016
Ulis averaged 17.3 points and 7.0 assists per game for the Wildcats as a sophomore last season.
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