Tag: NBA Draft

2024 NBA draft workout tracker: Who is visiting the Rockets?

As of June 19, here’s the latest intel on which 2024 NBA draft prospects have officially met or worked out with the Rockets.

Though many NBA players are on vacation, team gyms are often busier than ever during May and June. Draft hopefuls are traveling across the league for private workouts, showcasing their talents.

As in previous years, HoopsHype is tracking every known pre-draft workout, compiling a list from its own sources and media reports.

Teams aren’t required to disclose their workouts, and the Houston Rockets under general manager Rafael Stone are often more tight-lipped than many teams regarding their visits. However, some reports still emerge from players, agents, or media sources.

As of Wednesday, June 19, here’s the latest information on which prospects have visited and/or worked out with the Rockets. This list will grow daily until the 2024 NBA draft, during which Houston is currently slotted to pick at No. 3 overall (in the June 26 first round) and at No. 44 overall (as part of the June 27 second round).

Statistical and biographical details are available via Tankathon.

  • Donovan Clingan, sophomore center, Connecticut (No. 6 in HoopsHype’s latest aggregate mock draft)
  • Dillon Jones, junior small forward, Weber State (No. 42)
  • Jamal Shead, senior point guard, Houston (No. 43)
  • Trentyn Flowers, small forward, Adelaide 36ers (No. 48, 19 years old)
  • N’Faly Dante, senior center, Oregon (No. 63)
  • Dylan Disu, senior center, Texas (not ranked, or NR)
  • Marcus Domask, senior shooting guard, Illinois (NR)
  • Quinn Ellis, point guard, Italy’s Dolomiti Energia Trentino (NR, 21 years old)
  • DJ Horne, senior point guard, North Carolina State (NR)
  • Justin Moore, senior shooting guard, Villanova (NR)
  • Mark Sears, senior point guard, Alabama (NR)
  • Isaiah Stevens, senior point guard, Colorado State
  • Tyler Thomas, senior shooting guard, Hofstra
  • Rocket Watts, senior point guard, Oakland
  • Jaylin Williams, senior power forward, Auburn

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Washington State guard Jaylen Wells, USC forward DJ Rodman have pre-draft workout with Warriors

Washington State’s Jaylen Wells and USC forward DJ Rodman headlined the latest group of prospects to have a pre-draft workout with the Warriors.

As the NBA draft is now just two weeks away, the Golden State Warriors are continuing to bring in different prospects for pre-draft workouts. The latest group of prospects was headlined by Washington State’s Jaylen Wells and USC’s DJ Rodman from the PAC-12.

Tulane’s Kevin Cross and Tennessee’s veteran shooter Santiago Vescovi round out a group of prospects along with Vichy-Clermont’s Lucas Dufeal and Ilias Karmadine. Vichy-Clermont is a professional basketball club out of France.

Via @JDumasReports on Twitter:

Wells played one season at Washington State, averaging 12.6 points on 43.6% shooting from the field and 41.7% from long distance. Wells added 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Growing up in Folsom and Sacramento, Wells has ties to the Bay Area and Northern California. Prior to transferring to Washington State, Wells was named CCAA Player of the Year and was a Division II All-American at Division II Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, California. Wells tallied 22.4 points per game for the Seawolves as a sophomore.

Rodman, son of NBA Hall of Famer, Dennis Rodman, played four seasons at Washington State before transferring to Southern California last season. Rodman averaged 8.4 points and five rebounds per contest with the Trojans.

The NBA draft is set to begin with the first round on June 25. The second round will begin on Wednesday, June 26. The Warriors currently hold one pick in the draft in the second round, No. 52 overall.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Bronny James becoming a Laker feels more likely than ever after his NBA Draft workout with the team

The Bronny-LeBron team up might actually be happening

For years, we’ve been talking about the possibility of Bronny James becoming a Los Angeles Laker and playing with his father in the NBA.

As the NBA Draft has inched closer and closer, that’s felt like less of a possibility. Other teams like the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns have entered the mix as teams that could potentially draft James when the time comes.

The two of them have played it a bit coy in recent weeks with Bronny saying he doesn’t have to play with his father and LeBron James supporting him in that.

But it seems much more likely that the Lakers could take the former USC guard after his workout with the team on Thursday.

LA had Bronny in the gym, folks. This is not a drill.

Obviously, this doesn’t set anything in stone. It’s just a workout. The Lakers have had plenty of workouts with plenty of players through this draft cycle. But it does make it official that Bronny is, indeed, on the team’s board and that there is interest there.

The Lakers pick at No. 17 and No. 55. Bronny has been projected as a second-round pick so that 55 spot could be where he goes if he falls that far without being picked up by someone else. We’ll see.

Isaiah Collier NBA draft projections are all over the map — it’s a sign

Isaiah Collier could go anywhere from No. 10 to No. 19. Projections are all over the place.

If you are reading NBA draft projections right now, you might be noticing how scattered and volatile various projections are. We have looked at mock drafts from various outlets, including USA TODAY Sports. We have seen USC guard Isaiah Collier projected at No. 10 to the Utah Jazz, No. 11 to the Chicago Bulls, No. 17 to the Los Angeles Lakers, and to the New Orleans Pelicans in a trade. There seems to be no clear-cut consensus on where Collier will go. Is that more about him, or more about this draft class as a whole?

The answer seems to be the latter, though Collier is reflective of this class.

The 2024 NBA draft class is one of the less impressive, on paper, in recent memory. There’s no Zion Williamson-Ja Morant-style 1-versus-2 discussion. There’s no Victor Wembanyama at No. 1, an elite prospect who is expected to be special for a long time in the league.

The Atlanta Hawks have the No. 1 pick, but they have it in a year when the top pick doesn’t carry the same level of upside it did with Wemby, who went to the San Antonio Spurs and became their latest lottery jackpot. Wemby is part of a Spurs history of landing top-tier No. 1 picks. Wembanyama follows Tim Duncan, another franchise-changing player who is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Hawks might be able to trade their top pick for a lot of assets instead of going all-in on the top pick because of the weakness of this draft class. With Isaiah Collier being projected anywhere from No. 10 to No. 19 (Toronto Raptors), your guess is as good as ours on where Collier will go.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

CBS Sports NBA mock draft has USC’s Isaiah Collier in top 10

Isaiah Collier could be headed for Utah.

Isaiah Collier put his name into the NBA draft after only one season at USC. The Georgia native has a realistic chance to be a lottery pick in the 2024 draft, which is less than two weeks away.

USC star freshman guard Isaiah Collier was projected to be a top five pick before this past season, but he has now slipped in the rankings. Yet, his upside and raw talent have kept him in the top 10 of some mock drafts. He landed with the Utah Jazz in the latest CBS Sports mock draft from analyst Kyle Boone.

“Collier has an NBA physique, attacks the paint with force, gets to the foul line often, and can provide on-ball defense along the perimeter. His ability to become a better shooter from beyond the arc and the foul line, along with limiting his turnovers, will determine if he reaches his ceiling as a player.” wrote Hoops Hype.

Collier’s 2023-24 stats: 27 games, 30 minutes, 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, 49.0% FG, 33.8% 3P, 67.3% FT.

There is high potential for him to run an NBA offense, even if the team is skeptical about his poor shooting and turnover-prone nataure as a point guard. He can still prove himself to be a valuable bench spark.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan visiting Rockets for pre-draft workout

UConn center Donovan Clingan will visit Houston and work out as part of the NBA’s pre-draft process, per Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY’s For The Win.

With an entrenched starter in 21-year-old Alperen Sengun, many have questioned if the Rockets would use an asset as premium as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft on another player at that same position. But it appears they’ll at least do their due diligence.

Per Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY’s For The Win, Connecticut center and two-time NCAA champion Donovan Clingan will visit Houston as part of his pre-draft interview and workout circuit.

Now 20 years old, Clingan averaged 13.0 points (63.9% FG), 7.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes last season, and he was viewed as perhaps the top defensive anchor in college basketball.

The 7-foot-2, 280-pound big man hopes to eventually add a 3-point shot to his arsenal, which could potentially make it easier for him to play alongside another center — such as Sengun.

But until Clingan consistently makes those shots in a game setting, it remains an ambition, rather than an expectation.

Similarly, Sengun would like to improve his 3-point shot, but he made below 30% last season on an average volume of less than two attempts per game. Thus, he isn’t currently respected as a floor spacer.

So, for the time being, both Sengun and Clingan are seemingly limited to a position where Houston can only allocate 48 minutes per game, and there’s also veteran backup Steven Adams to consider.

That might make it less likely for general manager Rafael Stone to invest a pick as high as No. 3 on a center, unless the team is confident in one or both players eventually developing enough perimeter skills (on both offense and defense) to play at power forward.

With all that in mind, it remains to be seen if the Rockets would actually select Clingan when the first round arrives on June 26. But it appears they want to at least learn more in the pre-draft process.

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Zyon Pullin: NBA draft scouting report

2001 | 6’5 | 6’5.5 WS | 199 LBS Team: Florida Agent: Greer Love Best aggregate mock draft rank : 54 Best/ Worst rank: NR 2023-24 stats: In 2023-24, Pullin averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. He shot …

2001 | 6’5 | 6’5.5 WS | 199 LBS

Team: Florida

Agent: Greer Love

Best aggregate mock draft rank: 54 Best/ Worst rank: NR

2023-24 stats:

In 2023-24, Pullin averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. He shot 44.4 percent from the field, 44.9 percent from three, and 84.7 percent from the foul line.

Judah Mintz: NBA draft scouting report

2003 | 6’3 | 6’3.5 WS | 176 LBS Team: Tennessee Agent: Aaron Turner Best aggregate mock draft rank : NR / Worst rank: NR 2023-24 stats: In 2023-24, Mintz averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game. He shot …

2003 | 6’3 | 6’3.5 WS | 176 LBS

Team: Tennessee

Agent: Aaron Turner

Best aggregate mock draft rank: NR / Worst rank: NR

2023-24 stats:

In 2023-24, Mintz averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field, 28.2 percent from three, and 76.5 percent from the foul line.

Podcast: Exploring the latest Rockets intel for the 2024 NBA draft

Nathan Grubel (@DraftDeeper), Ben DuBose, and Paulo Alves break down the latest news and notes surrounding the Rockets and the 2024 NBA draft.

In Thursday’s podcast, NBA draft guru Nathan Grubel (@DraftDeeper) joins Rockets podcasters Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves to discuss the latest rumors surrounding Houston’s No. 3 overall pick.

With the June 26 first round less than two weeks away, discussion topics include analysis of top prospects such as Donovan Clingan, Alex Sarr, Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle, Kel’el Ware, Devin Carter, and more. Beyond standard evaluations, Grubel sheds light on which could be optimal fits for head coach Ime Udoka, as well.

The show also explores various trade options — such as a hypothetical deal with Portland involving Anfernee Simons — along with insight on how current players like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun should factor into major decisions related to the draft or trades.

Thursday’s episode, which is sponsored by Clutch City Lager of Karbach Brewing, can be listened to below in its entirety. Each episode is also made available via flagship radio station SportsTalk 790 and to all major podcast distributors under “The Lager Line.”

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