The Washington Wizards have a conditioning drill they give to draft prospects that, in truth, isn’t meant to be passed.
In the test, players run from baseline to baseline — back-and-forth, back-and-forth — as many times in a row as possible, until a player’s lungs demand that he stops. The drill is a way for the Wizards to see which prospects will try to push through when conditions are against them.
Watching over this exercise prior to the 2019 draft, coach Scott Brooks couldn’t help but notice Garrison Mathews — a lanky forward from Nashville’s tiny Lipscomb University.