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Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day 4 (Last Update 8:15PM)

Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day 4 (Last Update 8:15PM)
Jun 09, 2006, 12:14 pm
Update Three

Final Score: Team Four 85- Team Five 70

Joseph Treutlein

Kenny Adeleke – 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 5-9 FG, 1-2 FT

Adeleke had a solid performance, but he seemed to be struggling with a stiff back or something of the sort, because he was constantly in and out of the game, stretching, and talking to his coach as if something was wrong. Even with whatever was bothering, Adeleke did what he does best while on the court, being effective doing so.

Adeleke used his power to score in the post, sometimes on an easy lay-up attempt and others by creating for himself. On one play, Adeleke caught the ball on the right block and put the ball on the floor for one dribble, going through his defender to power in a reverse lay-up off the glass. For most of his other basket, Adeleke got very deep position in the post and got open to score a quick lay-up. Adeleke also missed two hook shots in the lane, one of them badly, and got blocked by Brad Buckman on another lay-up attempt.

Another thing Adeleke did very well at on the offensive end was clearing space for slashes on his team. He uses his body to move defenders out of the way and anticipates what his teammates will do before the defense realizes. Adeleke was also his usual self on the glass, establishing great position with his wide body on both ends, and getting his hands on anything that came his way.

Adeleke also attempted a three-pointer from the top of the key today, just missing it, showing us something we hadn’t seen before. His shot form needs some work, as he often doesn’t fully extend his arm when shooting, and he has not shown any consistent ability to hit the mid-range jumper. In shooting drills before the game, though, Adeleke looked decent shooting from mid and long range, so it’s something he can work on.

In terms of the NBA, it’s yet to be seen if Adeleke’s game can translate, and there really is not a good comparison for him in the league right now. He has a very polished post game, having a good series of moves and the know-how to use them. He’s also very strong and an excellent rebounder. What Adeleke is lacking right now is a more reliable outside shot to complement his inside game, and perhaps some athleticism and quickness. While being very physically imposing, Adeleke often doesn’t fully rely on power in the post, using one of the moves in his arsenal to score. If he trimmed down a bit, it would allow him to more quickly execute his moves in the post, while also likely giving him a bit more lift on his vertical leap and allowing him to move more quickly down the floor. He’s always hustling to get up and down the floor, but he would help himself to get up and down a bit quicker. He also lacks significant lift on his leap, which hurts him when he tries to contest shots defensively. Getting some extra lift would also help ensure that most of his post moves could translate their effectiveness against larger, more athletic defenders in the NBA. Adeleke’s lateral quickness is also a question mark, considering we’ve yet to see him go up against NBA-caliber power forwards in the mold of the athletic, inside-out power forwards that are so common in the NBA.

Jonathan Givony

Renaldo Balkman

Renaldo Balkman continued to help his draft stock considerably with the energy he showed and the versatility he’s brought to the table here in Orlando.

Balkman was hustling all over the place from the minute he stepped out on the floor, being all over the place both offensively and defensively and doing everything humanly possible to help his team. He was on or around every single loose both whether it was by getting in the passing lanes or hitting the offensive glass, igniting the fast break at times on his own with his above average ball-handling skills and being quicker and more motivated than anyone else on the floor to prove himself. He had two excellent blocks today, one on the perimeter on a switch, and a number of offensive numbers that he occasionally converted into a made basket before anyone could react. He didn’t show any resemblance of an outside shot, but still managed to use his slithery quickness to get to the basket and score either with a layup or an emphatic dunk.

All in all, Balkman has a legit case to be considered MVP of the entire pre-draft camp, and a likely draft pick should he decide to stay in. Sources in Orlando claim that he’s already picked an agent and will announce that fact in the coming days once he gets a final read on his draft stock.

Danilo Pinnock

Whether you want to call him Danilo or JR, there is no escaping the fact that Pinnock had himself an excellent pre-draft camp and has helped his draft stock considerably after already having hired an agent a few weeks back. Pinnock didn’t look as raw here as we once thought he was, as he created his own shot on a number of occasions with his explosive first step and got to the basket at will to finish with an emphatic dunk. He was very good in transition and scored that way on a number of occasions. To further dispel the numerous weaknesses we saw from him at his time at George Washington, Pinnock even spotted up for a 3-pointer at one point that he drained smoothly, finishing with a game high 18 points. He finished one play with an alleyoop and then returned the favor by dishing out an alleyoop lob himself. With the upside Pinnock showed here over the past few days, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him being drafted somewhere in the 2nd round.

Jonathan Watters

Steve Novak

Novak came up with his best effort of the camp, as he finally was able to free himself for decent looks on a consistent basis. He finished with 13 points, but easily could have ended up with a few more if a couple of bounces had gone his way. He hit two beautiful midrange jumpers within the opening moments of the game, including a very nice one-dribble pull up from the midrange. Novak never really took over, but was able to continue dropping in outside shots whenever he got the smallest amount of daylight on the perimeter. One play of note was a turnaround fadeaway from the post on the baseline, giving scouts a look at another way that Novak could potentially score at the next level beyond his usual smattering of spot up jumpers.

Taj Gray

Gray came through with a third consecutive impressive game, able to stand out once again with an impressive blend of athleticism and energy.

When talking about pure athletes at the camp, Taj Gray has to come in at or near the top of the list. This showed up again this afternoon, as Gray was a factor running the floor and around the rim. There were no power jams like yesterday, but he did look very nice converting a baseline drive off of a fastbreak, where he used his length to maneuver around a defender and flip the ball into the basket. Gray has been attempting to show off scoring moves in the mid-post all week, with mixed results. He showed that lack of awareness and footwork early on, but did look more comfortable at times late in the game. He had a couple of nice slashing moves, and even dropped in a hook spinning into the lane. Gray can probably do a better job of consistently showing up on the glass and altering shots, but no one can deny that he has shown up spectacularly in both areas from time to time all week long.






Update Two

Game Two Final Score: Team One 105 – Team Six 86

Joseph Treutlein

Sean Dockery – 5 points, 6 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3P, 1-2 FT

Dockery had a much better game than the statline would indicate, running his offense well and dishing out a lot of nice passes, some of which were not finished by his teammates. His turnover numbers also appear to be considerably inflated, as turnover numbers have been all week for every player here. It’s worth noting that the scorekeepers here have been very tough in giving out assists, too.

Dockery was at his best in transition, moving the ball up the floor, dribbling under control, and making strong, crisp passes through the defense to open teammates. His court vision was strong today, and he always kept his head up while maintaining his strong dribble that was barely ever featured at Duke. He wasn’t quite as good in the halfcourt overall, but was more impressive with his ball-handling, always using it with a purpose to get where he needed to, using crossovers and behind-the-back dribbles when necessary. Unfortunately, his teammates were not very proactive in off-ball movement, so Dockery spent more time dribbling the ball than one would like from a point guard, but it usually led to him finding an opening for dribble or pass penetration.

One of Dockery’s nice moves on the day was a dribble forward to get separation from his defender followed by a stepback and him draining a long two-pointer over his defender. On another occasion at the top of the key, Dockery crossed the ball over going right to left to get his defender off balance, then brought the ball right back the other way around his back before quickly dishing a pretty underhand pass into the low post for an assist, doing it all in one fluid motion. Dockery also had a nice play with the shot clock winding down on one possession, taking the play into his own hands, driving into the lane, and throwing up a floater off the glass with great touch that went in.

Dockery missed a spot-up three pointer, a long pull-up jumper inside the arc, and threw two ill-advised alley-oop attempts to teammate Bobby Brown in the final minutes of the game. Defensively, he wasn’t as good as normal, letting Jordan Farmar and Daniel Horton get by a few times, and also having some problems getting through screens.

Bobby Brown – 9 points, 5 assists, 3 turnovers, 4-14 FG, 1-2 3P

Brown started off this game very well, looking as if he was finally going to start living up to the expectations many set for him before the draft. He was running his team’s offense smoothly in the halfcourt, dishing out assists for outside shots and lay-ups in the paint, using a shot-fake on one pass to get his man in the air before zipping the pass down to the low block for the assist. But not after long, Brown began getting out of control, hoisting up ill-advised shots early in the clock, over-dribbling, and forcing the issue with dribble penetration while not doing much to create for his teammates.

Brown pulled up for three-pointers early in the clock, missed some other pull-up shots from mid-range, missed some floaters in the lane, and tried some tough lay-ups that he couldn’t convert. He even played some time off the ball alongside teammate Sean Dockery, and wasn’t able to hit any of the spot-up shots created for him either. He did get a few lay-ups and hit one mid-range jumper, but for the most part was not doing well shooting the ball.

Brown’s teammates didn’t help his cause much either today, as when he was dishing out passes, they usually were not finishing them, as he created more easy shot opportunities than his assists numbers would suggest.

Defensively, Brown did a pretty good job on Jordan Farmar, playing intense defense and not letting him get past him or get open for a shot often.

Mike Schmidt

Morris Almond

Almond had another solid day after leading his team to victory with 24 points yesterday. His three point shot wasn’t falling as much today, but he was very crafty with his mid-range game, and able to finish inside on a number of occasions. Right now Almond’s two noticeable weaknesses are a lack of great quickness, and an average handle. His defense has been solid, but he isn’t spectacular in this area. Players who can shoot like Almond are valuable in the NBA, and his mid-range game seems like it will be effective at the next level. If Almond returns to school to improve on his weaknesses, he could surprise some people next season and boost his draft stock. His basketball IQ has looked excellent throughout the camp and he’s shown to have NBA talent and skill, whether its this year or next.

Paul Millsap

Millsap easily had his most impressive game today. For the first time this week, he showed some bounce in his step, and was able to create some looks inside for himself. He had a nice dunk attempt which he missed but was fouled on, and he looked a lot better finishing near the hoop. Millsap played solid defense as well, and even had a nice block on Taj Gray. He was his usual active self on the boards, where he managed to get his hands on everything in his area. Millsap still didn’t look overly athletic, and he hesitated on the offensive end a few times because it seemed he thought he would be blocked by taller players. Despite this, he had his best day of camp and was a lot closer to the player we expected coming in here.

Jonathan Givony

Jordan Farmar

Jordan Farmar’s last game was very similar to his overall showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp—a mixed bag. Early on he was making poor decisions with the ball in his hands, shooting early in the possession and running into brick walls. In the 2nd half he settled down a bit more, making some nice passes off the drive and dish after getting into the lane and generally finding the open man on the perimeter. His scoring wasn’t quite there this time around besides a nice finish or two with his left hand, while defensively he was up and down trying to stay in front of Sean Dockery and Bobby Brown.

Louis Amundson

Amundson continued to help himself the way he has all week long here in Orlando. He did his typical work on the glass and inside the paint offensively, running the floor well, contesting every single shot on defense and hustling like crazy for every minute he was out on the floor. His athleticism and motor made him one of the most intriguing players in this camp and he’s surely secured himself a spot in our All-Tournament First Team.

Nick George

George has been a steady presence throughout this camp and deserves mention for the excellent job he did once again today. Although he isn’t the flashiest guy in the world, he is very fundamental and clearly has a good understanding of the game. George takes what the defense gives him and is capable of scoring from many different spots on the floor. From the perimeter is where he did most of his damage in this game, but he also dropped glimpses of his passing as he has all game long. George might not have the type of athleticism to fully make the transition to the 2/3 positions in the NBA, but he’ll surely be making plenty of money over the next few years at a very high level.

Eric Weiss

Terrance Dials

Dials put together all the elements of his game today for a resounding 24 point performance. As usual, the scoring came within the flow of everything and was a surprising result read from the box score. Dials showed great footwork and a nice soft touch around the rime to finish the play. His hands are very deft for a player his size and he runs the floor well despite not having great actual speed. He doesn’t look in top condition as he’s a little heavier than he should be, but definitely a highly skilled big man.

Daniel Horton

Horton had himself a decent game today, getting credited with 7 assists for his efforts. Horton had been somewhat of a disappointment in this camp, but showed patience and command of the court throughout this game. Horton hit his smooth perimeter jumper when it was appropriate, fed the post if available, and penetrated for kick outs.




Update One

Game One Final Score: Team Two 95 - Team Three 67

Joseph Treutlein

CJ Watson

Watson had an uncharacteristic game for him, taking shots off the dribble often and forcing his penetration game offensively. He wasn’t able to create many easy baskets with his drives, and wasn’t hitting his shot very much coming off the dribble. His team also didn’t accomplish the ball movement and flow that a team run by him is normally accustomed to. Watson got to the line with his drives on a few occasions, but most of the time it was by bail-out fouls, in that he really never had a clear shot at the basket on his driving attempts.

Defensively, Watson played solid man-to-man defense on Darius Washington, not letting him penetrate into the lane or get off any shots off the dribble, but as he did with Gerry McNamara earlier in the week, Watson gave Washington a lot of space without the ball, resulting in him hitting some open spot-up threes off of ball movement.

Victor Keyru

Keyru had another strong performance today, picking up where he left off yesterday, playing in the more controlled manner than he had on the first day. While more under control in the past two games, he still has a tendency to try and make fancy or spectacular plays when a simple one will do, especially when making passes in transition. He only had one turnover in this manner today, but it has shown to be a problem earlier in the week, and it’s just unnecessary to try and get fancy and herky-jerky when a simple pass will do.

Keyru had some very nice moves in the halfcourt attacking the basket, getting to the basket and pulling up from mid-range. On one move, Keyru attacked from the wing, dribbled to the shoulder, spun into the middle of the lane to get separation on his man, and then hit a nice mid-range jumper with high elevation while still maintaining his balance and shooting form. On another move, Keyru made a baseline drive, stopped on his pivot near the basket, faked to get his man in the air, and then went under the rim for a reverse lay-in off the glass. He uses his athleticism and length well when attacking the basket, showing a good deal of creativity here as well, but oftentimes forces the issue and hinders ball movement. He also got to the line by driving on a few occasions today.

Keyru also showed some prowess passing the ball on his drives today, making a few nice dishes in the lane, some of which were finished by his teammates and some of which were not. He made a nice play when he split a double team to get into the lane and then dumped the ball down low to Justin Williams for the open jam. On another play, Keyru faked out his man by looking towards the top of the key but quickly zipped the ball around the other side of him to an open teammate on the low block.

Keyru also showed some outside shooting ability, hitting a spot-up three-pointer and closely missing another.

Defensively, Keyru did a solid job on his man, not letting him past and playing far enough up so not to give up open shots. He helped a bit on the weakside with some blocks and contested shots, using his athleticism and length to provide some unique weakside shot-blocking ability from a wing player. He was also impressive on the boards, going up strong to grab some rebounds against players larger than he.

Keyru’s main problem right now is in his approach to the game, playing too fancily for his own good and forcing the issue with his dribble penetration in the halfcourt. He may not be ready for the NBA right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a team take him late in the second round and leave him overseas if he remains in the draft. He has some excellent tools at his disposal, and once he understands how to most effectively utilize them, he could definitely find himself a place in the NBA.

Justin Williams

Williams followed up his strong showing yesterday with another impressive performance today, continuing to be very active on defense and the boards. He had another five blocks today, using his combination of length, athleticism, and timing to block shots both facing up with his own man one-on-one and coming over on the weakside to assist in the post or contest slashers attacking the basket.

Williams was also good on the glass, fighting for rebounds down low, using his length to reach over people when he wasn’t in position, and using his mobility to track down long rebounds that he had to hustle for. He had quite a few putbacks and got to the line offensively by attacking the offensive glass. He even had some and-1 opportunities with his putbacks, and when he’d miss, he’d still fight and grab his own rebound again when possible.

Williams also showed off some other skills offensively, with a nice jump hook across the lane from the low post. He wasn’t able to hit any of his mid-range jumpers, unlike yesterday when he made a few. He had a few nice entry passes to the low post from the high post, though, showing off some passing skills we hadn’t seen before.

Williams’ only real problem today was playing man-to-man defense in the post, where he is still lacking in footwork and fundamentals, not understanding how to plant his feet and get low to gain leverage. He also can get anxious at times in these situations, jumping in the air to contest and being liable to getting faked.

Jonathan Givony

Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones saved his best all-around showing for the last game of the NBA pre-draft camp. He was extremely aggressive right off the bat, looking for his shot on the offensive end and doing his typical fantastic work defensively. Jones had a few nice plays in transition where he made the right play and found the open man, and also even had a good strong slashing to the hoop in the half-court to finish with a pretty floater, or a pull-up jumper fading away from 15 feet out on another occasion. He was unselfish and team oriented throughout the game and really gave his team a boost when he was on the floor. His value to NBA teams was proven at the pre-draft camps.

James Augustine

This was not a spectacular showing at all from the disappointing Augustine, but at least he did a better job this time of showing a heartbeat and trying to make things happen on the offensive end. He started off the game with a few nice drives to the basket, neither of which worked, but still looked good and showed that he has some type of interest in showing the scouts something here in Orlando. He was very aggressive on the glass as well, going up strong for a number of rebounds on both the offensive and defensive glass. A 14 foot jumper he hit in the beginning of the 2nd half might have been the best thing he did here all day. At the end of the day, you could easily say that Augustine showed what his role in the NBA will be, running the floor, doing some work on the glass and not hurting his team offensively, but there was still a certain sense of wanting more every time he went to the bench.

Steven Smith

One of the biggest disappointments of this camp, Steven Smith did everything in his power to show that he can play the small forward position, but looked lost roaming around the perimeter jacking up fadeaway jumpers and struggling to get past his man off the dribble. Smith just isn’t fluid or athletic enough to be able to make the move from the 4/5 at La Salle to the 3 in the NBA, and might have been better served showing off his pick and pop game as the type of small-ball face the basket type power forward that plenty of teams like to play these days. Regardless of what he should have done, Smith had a very poor showing at this pre-draft camp and might not get drafted if this memory is too fresh in teams’ minds.

Mike Schmidt

Darius Washington

Washington played another solid game where he displayed a lot of different aspects of his game. On the offensive end, he hit two NBA threes as well as finishing a nice play in transition. He could have been more aggressive, and driven to the hoop more often, but his teammates were scoring well, so he was content with setting them up. Washington made good decisions in transition, always pushing the ball up, but pulling it back out and calling a play if there was nothing there. He still gambled too often on the defensive end of the floor, which led to some easy baskets for the other team. Though he didn’t stand out this game, Washington ran the offense well, and it’s hard to fault a guy for not looking for his own shot when his team won by 30.

Mustafa Shakur

After a solid game yesterday, Shakur reverted back to his old self today. He dribble the ball too much and tried too often to create plays for himself. He had a number of turnovers from over-dribbling and passing into traffic when nothing was there. Shakur was able to make a few nice drives to the hoop, and he drew a few fouls, but he didn’t show much of anything in terms of being an NBA point guard.

Jonathan Watters

JP Batista

Batista got to show off his post repertoire a bit more today. On two occasions he was able to back his man down in the post, shield the ball with his body, and convert on his trademark short jump hook. He hasn’t gotten many of these looks in the camp, with paint touches few and far between for most big men. The other aspects of his game have been mixed here. He is a very good passer for a big man, but his lack of lift is hurting him on the glass. When he isn’t able to really drive his man backwards on box outs, opponents are having no trouble going over his back for rebounds.

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