Day 2 of the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago was filled with highlights and players wanting to leave an impression on NBA General Managers, Executives and Scouts.
Here are my winners and losers, and my ‘helped themselves’ today category for Day 2 of the NBA Combine.
Winners:
Rakeem Christmas, Senior, Center, Syracuse: One of the most improved players coming into combine, showcased his athleticism and activity in Game 1 of the 5 on 5 scrimmage. Christmas took Player of the Game honors with 20 points on 7-10 shooting and grabbing 6 rebounds. More importantly was an excellent screener and dove well to the basket in pick-and-roll action.
Pat Connaugthon, Senior, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Notre Dame: The Baltimore Orioles pitcher and Fighting Irish guard displayed his supreme defensive versatility guarding every position in Game 1. Connaughton also had the highest max vertical height jump, tying Shane Larkin for 2nd all-time at the NBA Draft combine with a 44 inch jump. Check out his crazy jump below.
https://vine.co/v/eKXDDVX01Kw/embed/simple
Andrew Harrison, Sophomore, Point Guard, Kentucky: In Game 2 of the 5 on 5 scrimmage, the 6’6 Wildcat displayed his excellent playmaking setting up his teammates for easy scores. One knock on Andrew is this assertion of not being aggressive always, that was far from the case Thursday. His size and handle easily allowed him to get by good defenders such as Florida’s Michael Frazier II and Arkansas’s Michael Qualls. When aggressive Andrew has no weaknesses, sometimes he’s own worst enemy by not always being engaged which is a weird anomaly.
Losers:
Tyler Harvey, Junior, Shooting Guard, Eastern Washington: The nations’s leading scorer in the NCAA this past season was far from that on Thursday. Came out very flat in Game 2, and could never find his shot from the perimeter throughout shooting 3-13 from the field and 2-9 from deep. One thing was clear Harvey doesn’t commit the same attention to detail on the defensive side of the basketball, getting beat on back cuts and allowing players to waltz through the lane or past him. His competitiveness on that side of the ball has to get better if he wants to get drafted going forward.
Anthony Brown, Senior, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Stanford: Another sharpshooting guard couldn’t find his mark in Game 1. Brown shot 44.4 percent from the arc this season , but with a chance to send the game to overtime on an open corner three pointer down 3, the shot clanked off the rim. More concerning, Brown was one of the better wing defenders with his wingspan and anticipation, but that wasn’t on display today.
Olivier Hanlan, Junior, Shooting Guard, Boston College: An undersized shooting guard at 6’3, followed the trend of shooting guards with bad shooting days in the 5 on 5 scrimmage. Along with Brown and Harvey, Hanlan couldn’t find a rhythm in what he specializes in, scoring. One thing I will say for Hanlan is it was encouraging to see him compete and run back in transition against some of the bigger guards in Game 1. Hanlan is a tweeter which the NBA has let known hates, so going forward in the NBA Combine and in workouts will need to show his playmaking skills to offset that notion.
‘Helped Themselves’ Today:
JP Tokoto, Junior, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, North Carolina: Tokoto displayed his world class athleticism, and knocked down some open shots in Game 1. It’s clear the Tar Heel is an athletic freak, but will need to continue to work on his jump shooting. Impressed folks with 2 monster dunks and his defensive versatility.
TJ McConnell, Senior, Point Guard, Arizona: I don’t know why McConnell gets overlooked, but aside from teammate Andrew Harrison was the best playmaker in Game 2. McConnell’s toughness, heart, and playmaking was on full display, and him being the ultimate competitor is nothing shocking. What is shocking is he will still probably go undrafted, but at least with today’s performance could get a call for an individual and group team workouts.
Quinn Cook, Senior, Point/Shooting Guard, Duke: The National Champion couldn’t find his stroke from anywhere on the perimeter, but the DC native had one hell of a floor game today. Cook who’s known for his scoring prowess, displayed a great feel for finding open shooters and was great in the pick-and-roll in Game 1. Similar to McConnell, he’’ be getting invites for both team and individual workouts
That will conclude the Day 2 Combine recap.