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The Portland Trail Blazers have released notice about the participants in the first day of their 2015 pre-draft workouts.
Here is the list:
Montrezl Harrell, 6'8" projected PF from Lousiville
Montrezel Harrell surprised many by electing to return for his junior season at Louisville after elevating his draft stock into firm first round territory in 2014, being ranked 20th on our Top-100 prospect rankings prior to his announcement. Twelve months later, Harrell's outlook doesn't look all that different, after coming off a very similar season, but now being a year older.
Harrell does not possess great height for an NBA big man, as he was measured at just a hair under 6-6 without shoes at the 2013 USA Basketball U19 tryouts. Louisville lists him at 6-8 in shoes, which is regardless undersized, even if his 7-3 wingspan certainly helps make up for that. He also possesses a strong, 240 pound, and excellent athletic ability, being extremely quick getting up and down the floor and highly explosive as a leaper.
Corey Hawkins, 6'2" projected SG from UC Davis
Stephan Nastic, 6'11" projected C from Stanford
Christian Wood, 6'11" projected PF from UNLV
DraftExpress Excerpt and Scouting Video:
Standing 6-11, with a 7-3 wingspan, Wood has excellent size and length for a NBA power forward. His frame is somewhat on the frail side at the moment, particularly in the lower body, but will certainly continue to fill out as he matures physically, with the help of an NBA weight room. Athletically, Wood is impressive, as he's extremely fluid and agile for a player his size, running the floor very well when motivated, with long strides and the ability to get off the ground quickly and effortlessly.
Offensively, Wood is uniquely versatile, showing sparks of potential in many different areas that give him a nice framework of skills to build on long-term, both on the perimeter or inside the paint.
He is a threat to get out in the open court, either by running the floor or even grabbing a defensive rebound and handling the ball coast to coast himself.
Kenneth Smith 6'3" projected PG from Louisiana Tech
Smith is one of the few players in college basketball with a near 1/1 assist to point ratio, a unique distinction that some would say is because he's such a great passer, while others would claim is due to the fact that he's almost a total non-scorer.
Only two players (Kendall Marshall and Randy Livingston) in the past thirty years have been drafted after scoring under 10 points per-40 minutes pace adjusted, which is exactly what Smith will try to do if he follows the same path he did his first three seasons of college basketball.
Smith led the NCAA in Pure Point Ratio at 8.37, the fourth highest mark historically in our database. He's the definition of an old-school floor general, an incredibly instinctive passer who does a phenomenal job of creating offense for teammates. Smith doesn't hesitate for a second to deliver crisp, accurate passes, as often the ball is in his hands for less than a second before he's already moving it on to the next destination for an easy assist. He makes everyone else on the floor better with his vision and creativity, and knows his personnel extremely well, especially where they like to receive the ball in order to be effective.
Luis Montero 6'8" projected SF from the Dominican Republic
Montero played one season for Westchester Community College, also for the New York Lightning of the Nike Elite Basketball Leauge. An excerpt from a summary written by Alec Kinsky when Montero was there:
On the second day of the session, I watched Montero utilize his maturity and skill to tear up the Texas Titans.
On display was a long and lengthy combo guard with some of the most impressive ball handling on the circuit. The Lightning were clicking on all cylinders against one of the most solid teams in the EYBL, and it was in large part due to Montero's pacing and intensity.
It's been said before, and I'll say it again; numbers don't lie.
Playing all 32 minutes, Montero put together a complete performance, finishing with 17 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
Speaking to him after the game, all he wanted to talk about was his team's defense.
"It's not easy to guard anyone," he said. "We need to play defense on everyone. Luckily our coaches focus on defense and we came out prepared."
And a highlight video: