**2016 NBA Draft Combine Thread (measurements, news, rumors, etc.)**

[trickybilly]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2016/05/12/here-are-potential-draft-picks-celtics-are-interviewing/jzLCsewxLof7t4N10XFOAL/story.html

List of all the interviews scheduled for the C's. Notables include Brown, Ingram, Hield, Murray, Qi, Maker, Diallo, and Poeltl.

Solid list. You can see we are targeting shooting and size. I would also include Baldwin as a notable. He might go top 10 with the way his combine numbers went:

6-4 (w/shoes)
6-11 wingspan
38 inch vert
3rd fastest 3/4 court sprint time

I find the Maker and Qi interviews interesting. Seems to suggest they're going to take some chances on some high potential/bust prospects with our plethora of picks.

Qi can't speak much English at all. I know he would be at least 2-3 years away from contributing at all, and he would learn a lot in that time, but I get uneasy about guys who have no exposure at all to English growing up..

Although there is this..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9tgZkQlYaI

[Evantime34]

I've had a feeling for a while that Ainge would draft Damion Jones.

We could really use some athleticism in the front court, Jones is the type of high upside prospect I want us to target. I bet he rises during the process.

[chilidawg]

I watched a few Vanderbilt games and didn't see much that impressed me from either Jones or Baldwin.

[loco_91]

Wade Baldwin measured in with an extremly long wingspan. 6'1 W/o shoes: 6'11 wingspan

6'2.5 w/o shoes 6'11.25 wingspan.

Danny is salivating

Ridiculous

This is insane. Someone (not the C's) should definitely take him in the lottery.

[Tr1boy]

 Here is the full list of players the Celtics have interviewed or are scheduled to interview, according to the source: Kay Felder (Oakland), Diamond Stone (Maryland), Jaylen Brown (California), Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt), Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State), Deyonta Davis (Michigan State), Jamal Murray (Kentucky), Zhou Qi (China), Buddy Hield (Oklahoma), Brandon Ingram (Duke), Malachi Richardson (Syracuse), Patrick McCaw (UNLV), Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville), Damian Jones (Vanderbilt), Malik Newman (Mississippi State), Cat Barber (North Carolina State), Cheick Diallo (Kansas), Thon Maker (high school), Nigel Hayes (Wisconsin), Jakob Poeltl (Utah). 10 hours ago – via Boston Globe

[Eddie20]

Chad Ford with some interesting thoughts...

In addition to all of the on-the-court buzz that was happening, there was plenty of off-the-court buzz as well. Here are a few tidbits that I gleaned from the past few days.
▪
It seems as though the majority of teams still have LSU's Ben Simmons ranked ahead of Duke's Brandon Ingram for the No. 1 pick. There also seems to be an essential dead heat between Kentucky's Jamal Murray and Providence's Kris Dunn for the top guard off the board.

It's looking more and more like those players will make up the top four, with Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Croatia's Dragan Bender most likely to challenge them.

▪
I wrote about Skal Labissiere's impressive workout on Wednesday. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. He was good. Still, it was far from an elite workout.

Teams really want to see him against other prospects. I couldn't find anyone who had him ranked in the top eight. His range looks like No. 9 to No. 20 right now.

▪
I dropped Vanderbilt's Wade Baldwin out off my most recent Big Board as teams began to perform background checks and received some negative assessments about his leadership and coachability from the school's basketball staff. Baldwin faced tough questions from NBA teams the past few days and, by all accounts, he handled them very well.

While Baldwin acknowledged his bad body language and that he often got upset at all the losing, teams seem convinced that this is a case of a hyper-competitive player, not a locker room cancer. Given his elite measurements (6-foot-4 in shoes with a crazy 6-11.25 wingspan) and terrific athletic testing (38-inch max vertical, 10.45 lane agility and 3.19 three-quarter court sprint) I think he's going to fare well.

While not every team was convinced, most have him in the late lottery to mid-first round. We'll make the adjustment on our next Big Board on Monday.

▪
There was considerable buzz for Bosnian big man Ivica Zubac. We have him ranked at No. 35 on our board, but several teams told me he wouldn't last beyond the early 20s.

▪
There seems to be major disagreements from front office execs on just about everyone outside the top 10. That could lead to some serious draft instability for players such as Jaylen Brown (some have him as high as No. 6, others in the 20s), Deyonta Davis (some as high as No. 10, others in the 20s), Dejounte Murray (a couple in the late lottery, several in the 20s), Diamond Stone (two teams in the late lottery, several teams in the 20s).

When ranges are this wide, guys could fall or rise quickly depending on workouts. While the draft board is pretty set in the top 10, the middle of the draft is still very much contested.

▪Look for the later first-round picks of the Celtics and Sixers to be heavily in play for trades. While it sounds like both teams have strong interest in hanging on to their lottery picks, those later first-rounders (Nos. 16 and 23 for the Celtics, Nos. 24 and 26 for the Sixers) could more easily be on the move.
[/b]



Kansas' Cheick Diallo was the big winner on Thursday. Diallo was ranked as a potential lottery pick before the season began, but barely made it onto the floor for the Jayhawks. When he did play, he rarely made an impact -- a surprise for a guy known for his motor and defensive intensity.


He came out and dominated in five-on-five, scoring 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting while grabbing four rebounds and blocking four shots. Previously, his measurements were a terrific 6-foot-9 in shoes with a massive 7-4½ wingspan and 8-11½ standing reach.

In the action, not only was Diallo active at the rim, he also showed a nice turnaround jumper at one point.

"That's the kid we saw at the Nike Hoop Summit," one GM told me. "I don't understand how he didn't get on the floor for Kansas. I know he's raw, but he affects the game in so many other ways."

A number of GMs told me that Diallo -- more than any other prospect -- moved the needle significantly Thursday. Another strong day on Friday and Diallo may move from bubble first-rounder to a late lottery or mid-first-round pick.

Diallo has been testing the draft waters, preserving his college eligibility. Most teams assumed he'd return to Kansas for his sophomore season. While most agree he might be better off long-term returning to Kansas, he looks like a lock for the first round if he can continue to play well.

St. Joseph's DeAndre Bembry also seemed to significantly help his stock.

Most teams already had him as a first-rounder, but his strong play on Thursday (18 points, four rebounds, three assists) impressed teams.

"He just really knows how to play," one GM said. "I love his feel for the game. He does everything. And even his jump shot, I think, can improve. Playmaking wings are really hard to come by. He looks like a good one."

Bembry is currently ranked No. 24 on our board. With another great outing, he might be able to move into the teens.

There were a number of other strong performances in the five-on-five on Thursday, though I don't think any of them made a significant dent in the draft stock.
▪
Maryland's Robert Carter was especially impressive in the first half, when he dropped 19 points, mostly on Iowa State's Georges Niang. He ended with 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals and was 2-for-3 from 3-point territory. His body looked significantly better than at Maryland. If he can continue to prove he'll stay in shape, he's an interesting prospect as a stretch-4.

▪
New Mexico State's Pascal Siakam was also a standout. His numbers were a bit modest -- 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks -- but he was all over the place on both ends, showing some elite athleticism and toughness.

▪
Iona's A.J. English was another impressive performer. He excelled at the Portsmouth Invitational last month and continued his strong play here. Not only did he score 22 points and hit three 3s, but he measured with a crazy 6-10 wingspan (elite for a NBA point guard) and scored a very solid 35½-inch max vertical.

▪
Providence's Ben Bentil also played well, scoring 15 points, grabbing a Thursday-high 11 rebounds and shooting 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. He measured a little small (6-8.5 in socks), but his 7-1½ wingspan makes up for some of that.

▪
Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon put up 17 points, handing out a high of six assists and going 2-for-3 from deep.

▪
Seton Hall's Isaiah Whitehead also drew some praise. He had 13 points, five assists and played with surprising restraint, committing zero turnovers in 21 minutes.

▪
Finally, Louisville's Chinanu Onuaku was a monster in the paint. He had 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. He's raw offensively, so raw that he shot his free throws underhanded. But he has a great NBA body (measured 6-10 with a 7-2¾ wingspan), plays hard and is very young for a sophomore.


Who didn't help themselves?

It's pretty hard to hurt yourself in a camp like this, but there was some negativity around the performances of Maryland's Melo Trimble and Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes.


Trimble, who really struggled in the second half of the season for Maryland, shot just 2-for-8 from the field and had only two assists. He seemed a step slow compared with the other guards on the floor.

Hayes, who was once considered a first-round prospect, somehow managed to score zero points and grab zero rebounds in 21 minutes.


Shooters, athletes and more

In the spot-up shooting drills, Bentil, Vanderbilt's Damian Jones, Maryland's Jake Layman, Mississippi State's Malik Newman and China's Zhou Qi all had good showings. Baylor's Taurean Prince, who is billed as a 3-and-D type player at the next level, was a disappointing 8-for-25 from the NBA 3.

The NBA also began the athletic testing portion of the event on Thursday.

Of the players tested (about half the combine) Oakland's Kay Felder wowed with an amazing 44-inch maximum vertical leap. Notre Dame's Demetrius Jackson (43½-inch max vertical), Florida's Dorian Finney-Smith (41½ inches), Miami's Sheldon McClellan (41½ inches), Clemson's Jaron Blossomgame (41 inches) and Weber State's Joel Bolomboy (40½ inches) also posted great scores.

Syracuse's Michael Gbinije (3.12 seconds), Felder (3.15 seconds) and Bolomboy (3.17 seconds) posted the fastest times in three-quarter court sprints.

Bolomboy (10.26 seconds), Vanderbilt's Wade Baldwin (10.45 seconds) and McClellan (10.45 seconds) posted the fastest lane agility scores.

[alldaboston]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2016/05/12/here-are-potential-draft-picks-celtics-are-interviewing/jzLCsewxLof7t4N10XFOAL/story.html

List of all the interviews scheduled for the C's. Notables include Brown, Ingram, Hield, Murray, Qi, Maker, Diallo, and Poeltl.

Solid list. You can see we are targeting shooting and size. I would also include Baldwin as a notable. He might go top 10 with the way his combine numbers went:

6-4 (w/shoes)
6-11 wingspan
38 inch vert
3rd fastest 3/4 court sprint time

I find the Maker and Qi interviews interesting. Seems to suggest they're going to take some chances on some high potential/bust prospects with our plethora of picks.

The thing is, they don't interview whoever they want. They get some of their requests to interview certain guys granted, but also the NBA assigns interviews sometimes. So maybe Danny didn't even want Maker and Qi, but got assigned their interview

[chilidawg]

Draft Express has a Day one Combine recap as well.  They were also impressed with Diallo, Brogdon, Felder and Carter.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Combine-Competitive-Action-Recap-Day-One-5479/

[Eddie20]

Draft Express has a Day one Combine recap as well.  They were also impressed with Diallo, Brogdon, Felder and Carter.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Combine-Competitive-Action-Recap-Day-One-5479/

Diallo was awesome. Plays with a high motor, runs the floor, is very active, athletic, and long. You can definitely see the upside in him.

[saltlover]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2016/05/12/here-are-potential-draft-picks-celtics-are-interviewing/jzLCsewxLof7t4N10XFOAL/story.html

List of all the interviews scheduled for the C's. Notables include Brown, Ingram, Hield, Murray, Qi, Maker, Diallo, and Poeltl.

Solid list. You can see we are targeting shooting and size. I would also include Baldwin as a notable. He might go top 10 with the way his combine numbers went:

6-4 (w/shoes)
6-11 wingspan
38 inch vert
3rd fastest 3/4 court sprint time

I find the Maker and Qi interviews interesting. Seems to suggest they're going to take some chances on some high potential/bust prospects with our plethora of picks.

The thing is, they don't interview whoever they want. They get some of their requests to interview certain guys granted, but also the NBA assigns interviews sometimes. So maybe Danny didn't even want Maker and Qi, but got assigned their interview

That is not correct, unless that's a change from prior years.  There are a limit with how many interviews you are allowed, and how many players must take part in.  Accordingly, you may not get to interview with all the players you request, but they don't assign you to interview someone you didn't request.  That would be a waste of everyone's time.

[saltlover]

Whoa, just saw that Qi shot 60% from 3 in the drills.  I just knew he was huge -- I didn't know he shot from long range.  I can't imagine he'd still be there at 16.

[Eddie20]

Whoa, just saw that Qi shot 60% from 3 in the drills.  I just knew he was huge -- I didn't know he shot from long range.  I can't imagine he'd still be there at 16.

Yeah, that's his calling. He's a stretch (literally) 4.

[saltlover]

Whoa, just saw that Qi shot 60% from 3 in the drills.  I just knew he was huge -- I didn't know he shot from long range.  I can't imagine he'd still be there at 16.

Yeah, that's his calling. He's a stretch (literally) 4.

With his size, I think he's a stretch 6.

[notthebowler]

Whoa, just saw that Qi shot 60% from 3 in the drills.  I just knew he was huge -- I didn't know he shot from long range.  I can't imagine he'd still be there at 16.

Maybe he'll be the next Pavel Podkolzine.  Look up his pre-draft workouts. 

I think the only way Qi goes in the first round is as a draft and stash, and there seem to be a good 4 or 5 internationals ahead of him for that honor (not including Bender or Korkmaz).

[loco_91]

Whoa, just saw that Qi shot 60% from 3 in the drills.  I just knew he was huge -- I didn't know he shot from long range.  I can't imagine he'd still be there at 16.

Maybe he'll be the next Pavel Podkolzine.  Look up his pre-draft workouts. 

I think the only way Qi goes in the first round is as a draft and stash, and there seem to be a good 4 or 5 internationals ahead of him for that honor (not including Bender or Korkmaz).

I think Qi will go in the mid 1st. He also added a decent amount of weight (used to be like 205 lb)... he's still skinny, but there's reason for hope that he'll eventually get up to around 240. If he can get enough bulk to avoid getting bullied in the post, he'll have unreal tools overall with his outlier length + very good mobility. He also has post moves and good hands.

I'd love to draft him with our own pick, and there's an argument to be made that he deserves the #16.