Ingram, Murray, and Maker workout today in NY

[alldaboston]

This thread is really helping with my nervousness of dropping out of the top 2 Murray looks good!

Yeah I've been on the Murray hype train for a few weeks now. People say we should trade the pick if it's not top 2, but Murray is a fine pick at 3. 20ppg in college as a freshman is incredible!

[cltc5]

Danny will pick someone projected in the second round for all our picks because he's the smartest gm ever

[cltc5]

This thread is really helping with my nervousness of dropping out of the top 2 Murray looks good!

Yeah I've been on the Murray hype train for a few weeks now. People say we should trade the pick if it's not top 2, but Murray is a fine pick at 3. 20ppg in college as a freshman is incredible!

Where do we play him or do we move guys out?  We have 3 sg...Rj, smart, Bradley, actually you can add turner or roZier too.  These guys need playing time not pine time

[Eddie20]

Great write-ups on Murray and Maker:

Chad Ford, ESPN

Jamal Murray, G, Fr., Kentucky

As good as Ingram looked in those shooting drills, Murray looked even better. He rarely missed in the 90-minute workout I saw, even when he was standing five feet beyond the NBA 3-point line.

Murray's the type of player who really comes alive when the lights are on and kept pushing through repetitions of the star drill, trying to break the record for the most 3s hit in a two-minute period. He hit 22 in his first try -- just short of the record of 23, which he achieved on his second try. Then his workout partner, Dyshawn Pierre, made 24. Murray asked to go through the exhausting drill one more time and this time made 25.

How good do you have to be to hit 25 3s in two minutes -- especially when after every made 3 you have to run to another spot on the floor? In that sequence he was 25-for-27 from beyond the arc. Murray's release is quick, but it's his competitiveness that makes him especially lethal.

While scouts have compared him a lot to a young Brandon Roy, another comparison came to my mind watching the workouts: a bigger C.J. McCollum. Murray still needs to answer questions about whether he's a true point guard (the workout didn't really address those skills). But even if teams don't think he can be a full-time PG in the pros, he might be the best shooter in this draft. At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan and a very strong frame, he's big enough to play the shooting guard position.

Still, Murray's confident he'll be a point guard at the next level.

"I've had a basketball in my hands since I was three months old," Murray said. "When I was six years old, I was playing against 10-year-olds. I'm the son of a coach. He was hard on me. He made sure I was disciplined and coached very well. He was my biggest critic. My best friend.

"I did what I had to do at Kentucky. I've played point guard my whole life. But we had Tyler [Ulis] there. I wasn't focused on scoring 20 points a game. I was just doing whatever we need to win. Sometimes that was scoring 26 points, sometimes 12 and focusing on getting people involved from the 2 spot."

With the draft order set, look for Murray to go either No. 3 to the Celtics, No. 5 to the Wolves or No. 6 to the Pelicans. I doubt he slips further than that.

Thon Maker, F, Australia


Maker has been the biggest mystery man in the draft. Even after 90 minutes of watching him work out, I would say he remains so.

He aced his interviews at the combine. He tested as the second-tallest player in the draft. He has added weight and strength. His weight is up to 218 pounds and his body is starting to fill out. He could still add another 20 pounds, which shouldn't be a problem for him.

And in the drills I saw, he showed off a very solid 3-point jumper, great mobility for his position and a motor that goes nonstop. He's in great shape and he played incredibly hard.

Maker has the size, physical tools and determination to be a very good NBA player. But does he have the game?

Both Murray and Ingram say he does. They've worked out with him in 3-on-3 and even some 5-on-5 settings and vouch for him that he belongs. Until he gets on the floor in competitive situations against other top prospects, it's going to be tough to tell.

Maker is itching to get the chance to show that. He wants to move beyond his mixtapes. He knows he has a lot to learn, but he wants to prove that he can earn his keep in the league.

He has spent countless hours in the gym, and then at night is breaking down video of everyone from Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant to Dirk Nowitzki.

But at least one GM says he thinks that his best chance to be a star will take him on a different path than those players.

"I think he'll eventually be a 5 in our league," the GM said. "He's got the size. He plays really hard. He's a tough kid. I think his defense will come along a lot quicker than the offense.

"I'd have him watch Tyson Chandler video. Rudy Gobert. Those guys were thin, too. He can do more than those guys can on the perimeter, I'm just not sure his NBA coach will want him to."

For a young man who is still seeking his identity as a player, is he really ready for the NBA?

"I will be ready," Maker said. "I will be. I'm preparing for it every day."

Workouts will be key for him. But if his workouts go as well as players like Ingram and Murray say they will, he might go in the first round. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Nuggets all have multiple picks. One of them might be willing to take a shot.

If they don't? Someone will likely grab him in the second round -- there's just too much intrigue to bypass

.

[jpotter33]

Every single thing I've heard about Maker I've liked. He seems like a high-character kid who loves the game and wants to improve. I'll be highly disappointed if we miss out on him with one of our non-lottery picks.

I'm really, really warming up to Murray, too. He seems like he'd be an excellent counterpart to Smart in the backcourt with both of them being more combo-guards, though I think Smart certainly has more point guard abilities in him than we've given him credit for. He'd also provide more good size for us in the backcourt.

[Lucky17]

Every single thing I've heard about Maker I've liked. He seems like a high-character kid who loves the game and wants to improve. I'll be highly disappointed if we miss out on him with one of our non-lottery picks.

Like Bender, it sounds like all the intangibles are there. The question is (relative) talent and how it projects for their success in the league.

[Surferdad]

Just when I thought I had decided on Hield, I read a thread like this and jump back on the fence.   

I like Murray quite a bit.  This team needs a GREAT shooter.

Maker is a mystery but with a unique skill set for a big man, maybe he's somehow still there at #16?

[jpd985]

Just when I thought I had decided on Hield, I read a thread like this and jump back on the fence.   

I like Murray quite a bit.  This team needs a GREAT shooter.

Maker is a mystery but with a unique skill set for a big man, maybe he's somehow still there at #16?

That would be too soon. Draftexpress still has him in the middle of the 2nd round.

[alldaboston]

I had become more open to Bender, or a trade for okafor. But now I want Murray again. LOL. I'll be changing my view everyday from now on

[jambr380]

Just when I thought I had decided on Hield, I read a thread like this and jump back on the fence.   

I like Murray quite a bit.  This team needs a GREAT shooter.

Maker is a mystery but with a unique skill set for a big man, maybe he's somehow still there at #16?

That would be too soon. Draftexpress still has him in the middle of the 2nd round.

The DX ranking of Maker is still old. There is no way he doesn't go in the first round with his size, athleticism, and competitive attitude.

I am all in on Maker and really hope we take him. Obviously it would be awesome to get him at 23, but I wouldn't take a chance passing on him at 16.

[Surferdad]

Just when I thought I had decided on Hield, I read a thread like this and jump back on the fence.   

I like Murray quite a bit.  This team needs a GREAT shooter.

Maker is a mystery but with a unique skill set for a big man, maybe he's somehow still there at #16?

That would be too soon. Draftexpress still has him in the middle of the 2nd round.

The DX ranking of Maker is still old. There is no way he doesn't go in the first round with his size, athleticism, and competitive attitude.

I am all in on Maker and really hope we take him. Obviously it would be awesome to get him at 23, but I wouldn't take a chance passing on him at 16.

Murray/Dunn/Hield at #3 and Maker at #16 would be a great draft.  If something like this happens, expect to see trades to fix the roster.

[NHCelticsFan]

Would love to get Murray at 3 and Maker at 16 (unless someone slips).

We would have an even bigger log jam at the guard, but Murray looks special.  At only 19, he seems to have a very high ceiling.

[mef730]

Murray's the type of player who really comes alive when the lights are on and kept pushing through repetitions of the star drill, trying to break the record for the most 3s hit in a two-minute period. He hit 22 in his first try -- just short of the record of 23, which he achieved on his second try. Then his workout partner, Dyshawn Pierre, made 24. Murray asked to go through the exhausting drill one more time and this time made 25.

Sold. #teammurray

Mike

[blackbird]

Murray's the type of player who really comes alive when the lights are on and kept pushing through repetitions of the star drill, trying to break the record for the most 3s hit in a two-minute period. He hit 22 in his first try -- just short of the record of 23, which he achieved on his second try. Then his workout partner, Dyshawn Pierre, made 24. Murray asked to go through the exhausting drill one more time and this time made 25.

Sold. #teammurray

Mike

Me too.

As for Maker, I recall Chad Ford falling in love with another 7-footer who moved as gracefully and fluidly as a small forward: Darko Milicic.

[CFAN38]

Great write-ups on Murray and Maker:

Chad Ford, ESPN

Jamal Murray, G, Fr., Kentucky

As good as Ingram looked in those shooting drills, Murray looked even better. He rarely missed in the 90-minute workout I saw, even when he was standing five feet beyond the NBA 3-point line.

Murray's the type of player who really comes alive when the lights are on and kept pushing through repetitions of the star drill, trying to break the record for the most 3s hit in a two-minute period. He hit 22 in his first try -- just short of the record of 23, which he achieved on his second try. Then his workout partner, Dyshawn Pierre, made 24. Murray asked to go through the exhausting drill one more time and this time made 25.

How good do you have to be to hit 25 3s in two minutes -- especially when after every made 3 you have to run to another spot on the floor? In that sequence he was 25-for-27 from beyond the arc. Murray's release is quick, but it's his competitiveness that makes him especially lethal.

While scouts have compared him a lot to a young Brandon Roy, another comparison came to my mind watching the workouts: a bigger C.J. McCollum. Murray still needs to answer questions about whether he's a true point guard (the workout didn't really address those skills). But even if teams don't think he can be a full-time PG in the pros, he might be the best shooter in this draft. At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan and a very strong frame, he's big enough to play the shooting guard position.

Still, Murray's confident he'll be a point guard at the next level.

"I've had a basketball in my hands since I was three months old," Murray said. "When I was six years old, I was playing against 10-year-olds. I'm the son of a coach. He was hard on me. He made sure I was disciplined and coached very well. He was my biggest critic. My best friend.

"I did what I had to do at Kentucky. I've played point guard my whole life. But we had Tyler [Ulis] there. I wasn't focused on scoring 20 points a game. I was just doing whatever we need to win. Sometimes that was scoring 26 points, sometimes 12 and focusing on getting people involved from the 2 spot."

With the draft order set, look for Murray to go either No. 3 to the Celtics, No. 5 to the Wolves or No. 6 to the Pelicans. I doubt he slips further than that.

Thon Maker, F, Australia


Maker has been the biggest mystery man in the draft. Even after 90 minutes of watching him work out, I would say he remains so.

He aced his interviews at the combine. He tested as the second-tallest player in the draft. He has added weight and strength. His weight is up to 218 pounds and his body is starting to fill out. He could still add another 20 pounds, which shouldn't be a problem for him.

And in the drills I saw, he showed off a very solid 3-point jumper, great mobility for his position and a motor that goes nonstop. He's in great shape and he played incredibly hard.

Maker has the size, physical tools and determination to be a very good NBA player. But does he have the game?

Both Murray and Ingram say he does. They've worked out with him in 3-on-3 and even some 5-on-5 settings and vouch for him that he belongs. Until he gets on the floor in competitive situations against other top prospects, it's going to be tough to tell.

Maker is itching to get the chance to show that. He wants to move beyond his mixtapes. He knows he has a lot to learn, but he wants to prove that he can earn his keep in the league.

He has spent countless hours in the gym, and then at night is breaking down video of everyone from Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant to Dirk Nowitzki.

But at least one GM says he thinks that his best chance to be a star will take him on a different path than those players.

"I think he'll eventually be a 5 in our league," the GM said. "He's got the size. He plays really hard. He's a tough kid. I think his defense will come along a lot quicker than the offense.

"I'd have him watch Tyson Chandler video. Rudy Gobert. Those guys were thin, too. He can do more than those guys can on the perimeter, I'm just not sure his NBA coach will[/color] want him to."

For a young man who is still seeking his identity as a player, is he really ready for the NBA?

"I will be ready," Maker said. "I will be. I'm preparing for it every day."

Workouts will be key for him. But if his workouts go as well as players like Ingram and Murray say they will, he might go in the first round. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Nuggets all have multiple picks. One of them might be willing to take a shot.

If they don't? Someone will likely grab him in the second round -- there's just too much intrigue to bypass

.

The quote about Maker being better off at the 5 I 200% agree with. At his size with his athletic ability its would seem like a natural progression to first master team defense at an NBA level and then hope to develop offensively. Other wise I fear he becomes a prospect who plays very well in the summer league and d-league but never gets his overall skill level to a point where he earns a role in the NBA. In a way this is what happened with Perry Jones and A Randolph two players who physically fit the mold of NBA players but had the skillsets of below NBA level SFs.

If Maker is first developed into a defensive center in the mold of Ian Mahinmi and can get court time in this role it is plausable that he can then incorporate his shooting touch and become a player like Dieng or even Ibaka

Makinmi http://vorped.com/1-nba/2015-2016/player/999/ian-mahinmi/shotchart/

Dieng http://vorped.com/1-nba/2015-2016/player/1579/gorgui-dieng/shotchart/

Ibaka http://vorped.com/1-nba/2015-2016/player/1111/serge-ibaka/shotchart/