Tag: Justyn Mutts

Catching up with the Boston Celtics’ 2023 NBA draft workouts Part IV

Let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

Even with the offseason here in earnest, the Boston Celtics have plenty on their plate regarding their future as they continue to work out prospects projected to go in the second round of the ’23 NBA draft.

With the Celtics likely to need cheap depth in the future, look for prospects who are either polished enough to get some real minutes in their rookie campaign or who might be okay with a season or two stashed abroad while the team makes decisions about how it will use the new two way player slot added to rosters in the latest collective bargaining agreement recently adopted by the league.

Adding to our previous reporting of the team’s known workouts comes a new wave of prospects Boston has been working out — let’s dive into who the Celtics might be targeting at No. 35.

2023 Lakers draft prospect profile: Justyn Mutts

A look at Justyn Mutts, a forward from Virginia Tech.

Wings, wings, wings. Everywhere people look across the NBA, wings have become perhaps the most indispensable type of player teams need in order to become successful.

Early this season, the Los Angeles Lakers had a glaring lack of productive or reliable wings. But a series of midseason trades brought them a couple of useful ones — Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz.

Yet after getting swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, the Lakers find themselves one or two decent wings short of being a championship-caliber team.

In preparation for the 2023 NBA draft, they recently worked out Justyn Mutts, a bigger wing from Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech forward Justyn Mutts: ‘I’m super confident in my abilities right now’

Rookie Wire caught up with Mutts this week to discuss his college career, the pre-draft process, working out with teams and more.

After a productive run at the college level, Virginia Tech forward Justyn Mutts is looking forward to what comes next during the NBA pre-draft process.

The journey for Mutts began during the 2017-18 season at High Point University in North Carolina. He was named to the Big South All-Freshman team after starting 18 games and leading the team in blocks (32) and ranking second in steals (30).

He then played with Delaware for one season before arriving in Blacksburg.

In three seasons with the Hokies, Mutts posted averages of 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals on 54.5% shooting from the field. He posted his best year this past season after averaging 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals.

Mutts was one of two active players to reach 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 400 assists for a career this past season. He also helped the Hokies advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 after claiming the ACC championship for the first time in school history.

Over the course of his time in college, Mutts earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees between High Point, Delaware and Virginia Tech. He was also very active in the community and helped give back to the youth often.

Now, Mutts is looking ahead.

He is currently training for the NBA draft at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas, Nevada. There, he is with several other prospects preparing for the next level. He has already worked out and interviewed with teams and will visit others in the coming weeks.

Rookie Wire caught up with Mutts this week to discuss his college career, his work off the court, the pre-draft process, working out with teams and much more.

Note: This interview was edited for clarity

Eight ACC players selected for Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

Two recent Notre Dame players could have an NBA shot.

There are several avenues for NBA hopefuls to make it to the league. One of the better-known ones is the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is open only to recent college seniors. This is the oldest amateur tournament in the country, so it carries some weight.

The tournament doesn’t generate NBA draft picks every year, but Tyrese Martin ended a four-year drought when he became a second-round selection in 2022. [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] was drafted after taking part in the 2015 tournament. Other notable tournament alumni include Jimmy Butler, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Stockton, Dave Cowens, Earl Monroe and Rick Barry.

This year, eight recent ACC seniors have the opportunity to compete in the tournament. While there aren’t any guarantees for what happens afterwards, it’s a great way to get noticed by scouts. Here are the players who represented the ACC during the past season and will get a good look by folks who know the professional game well:

Notre Dame drops tight one vs. Virginia Tech in ACC Tournament

So close to a bright spot in an awful season, but at least it’s all over.

Notre Dame fans were just waiting to be put out of their misery for this season. However, none of them could have anticipated an ACC Tournament first-round game with Virginia Tech that came down to the very end.

But like so many other times this season, the Irish just could not close the deal. A frustrating 2022-23 campaign came to an end with a 67-64 loss that gave the Hokies a second-round date with NC State.

The Irish (11-21), who finished the season tied for the most losses in program history, turned a 12-point first-half deficit into a five-point lead with 5:35 remaining. They were up four with 2:08 left, but the Hokies (19-13) scored five unanswered points to retake the lead going into the final minute.

With 42.5 seconds left, [autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] made two free throws to put the Irish back up, but Sean Pedulla also was awarded two free throws after [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag] fouled out on a dead ball technical. Pedulla made only one of them, so the game was tied at 64 with the Hokies getting the ball.

Justyn Mutts blew past [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] and around a screen for a dunk to put the Hokies in front, the game’s 16th lead change. [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] tried to answer with a layup but was blocked by Rodney Rice. [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] was forced to foul Pedulla, who had two free throws to try and ice the game for the Hokies. Pedulla only made one, and the Irish had a chance to tie it with a 3 with 9.8 seconds remaining.

[autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag] had the first 3 attempt but was blocked by Mutts, who touched the ball as it went out of bounds. That gave the Irish one last gasp to send the game to overtime with 2.4 seconds on the clock. This time, Laszewski got the ball, and he got the shot off. It didn’t fall, and [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s tenure as Irish coach was over.

Grant Basile led the Hokies with 20 points, but Mutts was their best player with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Pedulla scored 13, and Hunter Cattoor, the ACC’s co-leader in 3-point shooting, got nine of his 11 points from beyond the arc.

Hammond lead all scorers with a season-high 23 points, and Ryan scored 18. Zona had nine points on a career-high three 3s before fouling out.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Mike Brey speaks after Notre Dame’s loss to Virginia Tech

The Irish’s coach has a lot on his mind, especially with a trip to Duke coming.

SOUTH BEND – Mike Brey’s mind after Notre Dame’s 93-87 loss to Virginia Tech featured a variety of things. It was his usual upbeat act that the media has come to expect from him win or lose, but you could tell he was thinking about a lot of things. There was [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag]’s career-high 33 points going for naught because of 33 from Grant Basile. And there was the fact that for the next game, he will lead the Irish to Duke, where he cut his coaching teeth as an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski, for the last time.

With another loss in the books and his past facing him again in a few days, how can one possibly think he has only one focus right now? He’s coming at a crossroads in his life, so he’s doing his best to deal with that. You’ll find all of this and more in some of what he said after the latest in what has been many defeats in his final season:

Laszewski’s career day not enough for Notre Dame to beat Virginia Tech

The Irish can’t fight fire with fire.

SOUTH BEND – We’re not going to pretend it’s been a great season for Notre Dame, but you have to credit some players for trying to make it one. [autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] has been that player this year as the Irish’s leading scorer. He displayed that in full force against Virginia Tech with a career-high 33 points. But it couldn’t keep the Irish from losing, 93-87, and giving the Hokies their first ACC road win.

While the Irish (10-15, 2-12) never really allowed the Hokies (150, 5-9) to pull away, they didn’t put themselves in the best position either. They failed to make enough shots, and they weren’t very effective on defense. There were a couple of stretches in which the Hokies couldn’t miss, and that could be attributed to a variety of reasons, particularly the second-half surge of Grant Basile, who scored 28 of his own 33 points in that frame. Whatever the case, the result was the same as it’s been all season: The Irish didn’t get the stops they needed to, and having to play catch-up once again had to be frustrating.

Basile’s big scoring afternoon came on 13-of-19 shooting from the field. Justyn Mutts was the Hokies’ next-best player on the day with 19 points and nine assists. Sean Pedulla and MJ Collins scored 12 apiece. To the Irish’s credit, they did limit Hunter Cattoor, the ACC’s leading 3-point shooter, to two baskets from downtown.

[autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] scored 17 points in the losing effort, and [autotag]Ven-Allen Lubin[/autotag], making his second straight start, added 11.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Kings hosted Hyunjung Lee and others for pre-draft workout

Lee was among the draft-eligible prospects that worked out with the Kings on Tuesday.

Davidson forward Hyunjung Lee was among the prospects that worked out with the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.

Lee, who was born in South Korea, was named to the All-Atlantic-10 first team after averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds and 1.9 assists on 38.1% shooting from 3-point range in 34 games. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and fourth in 3s (80).

The 6-foot-7 standout was also invited to compete in front of scouts, coaches and front-office executives at the NBA G League Elite Camp May 16-17 from Chicago, Illinois.

Lee is looking to become just the second-ever Korean NBA player.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2mjqh1gf9xvjdt51g playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2mjqh1gf9xvjdt51g/01g2mjqh1gf9xvjdt51g-3a0a87a40fab63bd7b20e6f115544212.jpg]

In addition to Lee, the Kings also brought in Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford, UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, Richmond forward Tyler Burton, Kentucky forward Keion Brooks and Virginia Tech forward Justyn Mutts on Tuesday.

The Kings enter the pre-draft process with picks No. 7, 37 and 49, respectively. Their workout on Tuesday was their first this year as they appear to be ramping up their draft preparations ahead of the combine next week.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=75598,75561,75505]

[listicle id=75532]