Tag: Kai Jones

Pacers to host private workouts with Kai Jones, Moses Moody on Tuesday

Texas forward Kai Jones and Arkansas guard Moses Moody will each work out privately with the Pacers on Tuesday.

Texas forward Kai Jones and Arkansas guard Moses Moody will each work out privately with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, the team announced on Monday.

Jones was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 26 games last season on 38.2% shooting from 3-point range. He projects to fill a few needs as a player that can defend the paint and space the floor.

Moody was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal in 32 games with the Razorbacks. He was one of three freshmen in the country to average at least 15 points and five rebounds.

The Pacers will enter the draft with the 13th pick following the lottery. They also have the 54th and 60th picks and will have conducted private workouts with three separate groups so far during the pre-draft process, including the two players on Tuesday.

The NBA draft is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 29.

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

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Where Texas’ four NBA draft prospects are projected to land after the combine

Where are Texas’ NBA draft prospects projected to land in the upcoming NBA Draft?

With the NBA Combine concluded, some players helped their stock while others are going to need to excel in individual workouts and team interviews to make up for a subpar combine.

Of the five Longhorns that entered the NBA Draft, four have officially foregone their college careers with Jericho Sims signing with Klutch Sports Group this past week. Whether or not all four of them will be in the NBA is yet to be seen. Courtney Ramey was the lone player to withdraw his name on Saturday and will head back to college.

Of the four prospects that entered their names into the draft — Greg Brown III, Matt Coleman III, Kai Jones and Jericho Sims — it seems as if two of them getting drafted is very likely while the other two will have to work a tad harder to carve out an opportunity to find themselves on an NBA roster.

Let’s take a look at where the four prospects are currently projected to go come draft night.

NBA Combine reviews for Texas Longhorns prospects after day two

Stocks could be rising after a phenomenal day two from a pair of Longhorns.

Day one of the five-on-five scrimmages went really well for Jericho Sims, but it left Greg Brown III looking overwhelmed, and quite frankly, not good enough to be a first round pick.

However, Brown got a chance to redeem his lackluster performance on the second day of the NBA Combine and he did just that.

Brown came out of the gate with the energy and enthusiasm that he was lacking in the scrimmage on day one, which is also why scouts question his motor.

After coming off the bench to play a little over 14 minutes during the first game and only scoring two points while having the worst +/- rating, Brown was given a chance to start on day two.

Brown scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and recorded one steal. A performance that also saw him having the highest +/- rating on his team. If he wants to stay in the good graces of scouts and general managers, he will need to get a grasp on how important it is to impact the game in a positive way regardless if you are scoring or not.

Jericho Sims continues to impress at the combine, as he had another great game. Draft Expresses’ Jonathan Givony had nothing but high regards for Sims, who prior to the combine was not in seen in a single mock draft.

Sims got the start day one, but was given the opportunity to come off the bench this game, as that would likely be his role anyway. Even coming out of a reserve role, Sims was the highest scoring player on the team with 18 points and fell one rebound short of outrebounding the starting forward who had 7.

Based off the two games, it is safe to say Brown is likely still considered to be a “tweener,” whether scouts view him as a first or second is objective. Sims on the other hand likely earned himself a summer league invite at worst and may even be able to hear his name called in the second round.

NBA Combine reviews for Texas Longhorns prospects after day one

While Jericho Sims’ draft stock may be rising, Greg Brown’s is seemingly trending downwards.

Two Longhorns participated in the full court scrimmage portions of the NBA Combine, hoping to showcase their abilities to scouts and general managers. Of the three former Texas players at the combine, Kai Jones did not participate in the scrimmages on day one, only Greg Brown III and Jericho Sims did.

The scrimmages are a huge aspect of the combine, as it gives players the opportunity to show improvement on skills that were in question.

To say that Sims and Brown had different reviews after the scrimmage would be understatement. Prior to the scrimmage, Greg Brown III was viewed as a late first round prospect in several mock drafts and undrafted in others. Brown underwhelmed in a huge fashion, and quite frankly decimated his stock as of now.

The forward posted awful numbers in the scrimmage and was more detrimental than helpful to the team.

In a little over 14 minutes of action, Brown shot 1-of-3 for two points, one assist, and two rebounds, while registering the second-highest +/- rating in the game with the least minutes out of both teams. He also turned the ball over three times and committed five fouls. Brown’s performance showed a lack of ability to create for himself, and there were times where the hustle was not there. Overall, Brown’s performance did not leave a lasting impression by any means.

Jericho Sims on the other hand not only got the start for the game, but had a fantastic showing in terms of his effort on both sides of the ball. He received grave reviews from analysts on multiple aspects of his game.

Sims was all over the floor as he had a nice stat line with 11 points, four rebounds, two assist, and two steals. It may not seem like a lot, but as a prospect who is very much a fringe player that might ultimately go back to school, this was a huge day for him.

Sims’ draft stock may have risen a tad, whereas Brown’s is trending downwards.

Three new 2021 draft prospects reportedly work out with the Boston Celtics

Boston isn’t slacking off in pre-draft workouts despite the fact they currently have no first-round pick.

Though the Boston Celtics have but one pick in the 2021 NBA draft taking place at the end of next month, the team is still working out a range of prospects. Perhaps they are doing so with the intention of remaining flexible for a draft-night trade, or just to learn more about potential future additions to the team well after the dust has settled on this year’s draft.

Reports from Forbes Sports’ Chris Grenham link two new prospects and KSTP’s Darren Wolfson another to the Celtics in recent pre-draft workouts projected to go anywhere from the late lottery in the first round of the draft to the start of the second. And while Boston may only possess the No. 45 overall pick, it is not out of the question that a trade could land them a pick in that range depending on what was being dealt to which teams.

Let’s take a quick look at the three players in question.

Updated NBA draft projections for Texas Longhorns prospects after lottery

Where are Texas’ top 2021 NBA draft prospects projected to land post-lottery?

The NBA held the draft lottery a few days ago, and excluding the remaining four teams left in their respective conference finals, we know the 2021 NBA draft order.

Four prospects from the University of Texas hope one of those teams will call their name called during draft night. Whether that is a reality for all four remains to be seen.

Texas’ top two prospects are power forward Kai Jones and forward Greg Brown III. Jericho Sims is an interesting prospect who is flirting with returning back to school, while Matt Coleman will likely go undrafted.

Here is where the four Longhorn prospects are projected to land during or post-draft.

NBA Mock Draft 5.0: All 60 picks updated after the 2021 lottery

Learn who we think will get selected with each of the 60 picks in the 2021 NBA draft.

The 2021 NBA draft order is set and the Detroit Pistons have won the lottery, taking home the No. 1 overall pick on Tuesday evening.

Of course, these projections are subject to change even over the next few days, as the NBA’s combine is currently underway in Chicago. Prospects are often able to separate themselves and improve their draft stock if they stand out during five-on-five scrimmages that will take place later this week.

Note that there are several players who are currently “testing the waters” (e.g. Texas Tech’s Terrence Shannon Jr., UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, St. John’s Julian Champagnie and Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas, etc.) that were omitted from this mock. Such players will have until midnight on July 8 to decide if they wish to return to the NCAA and improve their draft stock or remain in this class.

Unfortunately, collegiate national champion Jared Butler was omitted from our mock after news broke earlier today that he is “not permitted to play or practice” in the NBA, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, unless his heart condition is deemed as cleared.

We will continue to release more mock drafts as we gather more intel, but until then, here is how we project the draft to shake out on July 29.

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 4.0: Top 100 prospects pre-combine and lottery

Now that the early entry list is officially out and combine invitations have been sent out, the 2021 NBA draft class is starting to finalize.

Now that the early entry deadline has passed and combine invitations have been sent out, the 2021 NBA draft class is starting to finalize.

Last year, the NCAA tournament and the combine were both canceled due to the pandemic. That made evaluations much tougher for scouts and front offices around the league. This year, the pre-draft process feels somewhat normal again for top basketball prospects who are set to join the pros.

As a new class of players prepares to turn professional, here is how we would currently rank this class based on what we have seen from them so far, with some of my picks that are higher than other experts have them ranked.

2021 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Player comparisons and predicting all 60 picks

Who should the Houston Rockets select if they get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft?

While fans are now enjoying the NBA postseason, there are several teams that didn’t make the playoffs with full attention on the draft.

Now that the regular season and play-in tournament are both complete, the order is set for picks No. 15 to No. 60. However, we will have to wait until the lottery on June 22.

For more details on odds for when each team in the lottery will be on the clock, you can read this post by our own Charles Curtis.

Meanwhile, we also have a pretty clear idea of which prospects have opted to declare for the 2021 NBA draft. But any stragglers still have until May 30 to make their decision in order to be eligible for draft consideration.

Scouts and executives around the league will have an even better feel for this class come June 21, when the combine begins in Chicago.

After that, all those who hired either NCAA-certified agents or do not already have any representation have until July 19 to decide if they wish to remain in the class and forego their collegiate eligibility or return to school.

Until then, however, this is how we predict the two rounds of the 2021 NBA draft will shake out:

Two Texas players go in first round of ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft

In the latest NBA mock draft, both Greg Brown and Kai Jones are selected in the first round. UT has not had two players picked since 2011.

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Shaka Smart’s final impression in Austin will always be the failure to win during March Madness. During his six seasons, Texas never won a tournament game. Abilene Christian proved to be too much this season, even though the Longhorns were a three seed.

Had Texas won in the round of 64, it is a real possibility Smart is still the head coach. Winning the Big 12 tournament after an 11-6 conference record was a major leap forward from years past. Most importantly, at least two of Smart’s players are expected to be drafted in the upcoming NBA draft.

Greg Brown, Matt Coleman, and Kai Jones are all going to take their stabs at the next level throughout the next couple of months. Brown was always seen as a one-and-done prospect, while the other two have been on campus for multiple seasons. Whether or not all three get drafted is yet to be seen.

In the latest ESPN mock draft, both Brown and Jones are selected in the first round by the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies respectively. Both are currently competing in the NBA playoffs, meaning neither player would be a lottery pick.

Texas has not had two players selected in the same draft since Tristian Thompson and Jordan Hamilton both went in the first round of the 2011 draft. Only four Longhorns were drafted from 2012-2020.

Here is what ESPN had to say about Memphis selecting Jones:

One of the deepest teams in the NBA, the Grizzlies could stand to add some explosiveness and versatility in the frontcourt to shore up their depth in an attempt to establish themselves as contenders in the Western Conference. Jones is a versatile defender who showed some promise as a floor spacer to complement his rim-running, offensive rebounding and finishing prowess, giving him plenty of upside to grow into long term.

Coming into the season, Brown was projected to be one of the top 14 picks in the draft. He has fallen to a fringe first-round pick and is selected by Utah at No. 30 overall.

Coming off a phenomenal regular season, the Jazz can afford to swing for the fences in picking Brown, a raw prospect who was a top-10 recruit a year ago. The Jazz don’t have much depth at power forward, and Brown’s budding perimeter shooting and potential defensive versatility give him a solid foundation to build on as he continues to round out his skill level and decision-making.

As for Coleman, he was not projected to get picked on July 29. Despite leading the Longhorns in assists for four seasons, the point guard would have to test the undrafted free agent waters.