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Six NBA hopefuls had their chance to make an impression on the Portland Trail Blazers organization at the team's pre-draft workout this morning. Louisville's Montrezl Harrell and UNLV's Christian Wood are the most likely to be chosen by Portland with the 23rd pick, but here's a look at the skills and strengths that all six players could bring to the Blazers.
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
Why the Blazers like him:
1) Athleticism and length (7'3" wingspan)
2) Energy and rebounding (9.2 RPG as a junior)
What you didn't know:
Harrell was initially recruited as a football player during high school, according to the Louisville Cardinal student newspaper.
Reaction from today's workout:
"I feel like I did pretty good," Harrell said in a video interview posted on CSNNW.com. "I came out and competed in every drill, trying to do the things that I do best."
Christian Wood, UNLV
Why the Blazers like him:
1) Height and length (6'11", 2.6 BPG in 2014/15)
2) Versatility; solid ball-handler for his size and capable shooter (25 three-pointers made last season)
What you didn't know:
Wood is from Long Beach, Calif. but finished his high school career at Findlay Prep in Nevada.
Reaction from today's workout:
"Everybody was going hard," Wood said in a video interview posted on CSNNW.com. "Guys like Montrezl, Stef, Speedy, they were all pretty much going hard, they're all working. I just had to keep up."
Corey Hawkins, UC Davis
Why the Blazers like him:
1) Scoring ability (21.2 PPG for UC Davis in 2014/15)
2) Long-range shooting (49.1 three-point percentage as a senior, first in the NCAA)
What you didn't know:
Hawkins scored more points in his high school career than any other player in Arizona prep history.
From the AP: Hersey and Corey Hawkins are the NCAA's 2nd father & son duo with 4,668 points. First: Del & Stephen Curry at 5,020.
— Doug Haller (@DougHaller) March 14, 2015
Reaction from today's workout:
"It was good," Hawkins said in an interview posted on CSNNW.com. "I wish I would have shot the ball better. I played hard, played good defense, passed the ball really well. So I thought it was pretty good overall."
Stefan Nastic, Stanford
Why the Blazers like him:
1) NBA body and defensive presence (6'11", 245 lbs)
2) Offensive skills, can put the ball on the floor and hit the mid-range jumper (13.4 PPG as a senior)
What you didn't know:
Nastic was born in Novi Sad, Serbia and played for the Serbian National Team in 2013, according to gostanford.com.
Stefan Nastic describing his game at Lakers workout: "Someone who tries to make the right play..I love contact, I love playing inside-out."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) May 28, 2015
Kenneth "Speedy" Smith, Louisiana Tech
1) Elite passer (7.3 APG as a senior)
2) Aggressive defender (1.9 SPG last season)
What you didn't know:
Smith's nickname is "Speedy" because he was born in the hallway before his mother could make it to the hospital room, as reported by Sam Vecenie of cbssports.com.
Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith ran 27 lengths of the court in 3 minutes. Near the Suns workout record of 28.25, set by ASU's Carrick Felix.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) May 27, 2015
Luis Montero, Westchester Community College
1) 6'8" and a skilled distributor (3.0 APG in 2013/14)
2) Multi-faceted scorer (15.9 PPG, 43.7 3P% in 2013/14)
What you didn't know:
Montero would be just the seventh NBA player from the Dominican Republic, and the first to be drafted since Al Horford in 2007.
The Columbian's Erik Gundersen had the following to say about Montero's workout with the Blazers:
@FranklinRG04 he looks the part of an NBA player. Didn't get to see him play that much live action. Shot well. Nice guy too.
— Erik Gundersen (@blazerbanter) June 3, 2015