Villanova's Josh Hart works out for Sixers. How high will he get picked?
Hart is projected to go possibly late in the first round. Jay Wright, his college coach, calls him a complete player.
JOSH HART had to feel comfortable during his workout Thursday with the 76ers. It wasn't due to his play, however, as he acknowledged not being too thrilled with his performance. But it had to do with the people in the practice facility, many of whom were familiar faces. Former Villanova teammate Darryl Reynolds was among the six working out, as was Oregon's Dylan Ennis, who began his college career on the Main Line. Coach Jay Wright was also on hand, talking with Sixers coach Brett Brown and president Bryan Colangelo, as well as former 'Nova assistant Billy Lange, now a Sixers assistant.
Projected to be selected as high as a late-first-round pick, Hart is just eager to get through all the workouts (he'll wind up working out for close to 15 teams) and wait to hear his name called next Thursday when the draft takes place.
"There's a couple of things that I've done different since the end of the (college) year and I want to show those things," said Hart, who worked out for the Sixers last year before pulling out of the draft to return to Villanova. "I've changed my jump shot. I'm trying to be more fluent and more consistent with that and get better range. I handle the ball better. If need be, I'll have to bring the ball up at times. Those are the main things (I've been working on)."
Hart is one of those players who carries the "winner" label but might not have a discernable NBA skill. Still, he is a player who does everything well and seems to play his best when the game is on the line.
"This isn't sexy but it's true, he just gradually improved in every area of his game all the way through his career," Wright said. "To the point where, in the end, he became a complete player where we'd run a pick-and-roll and he would be the decision maker rather than just the scorer. And he did that really well. There's no sexy story like he improved this area greatly or that area of his game lately. He was always really good, he just got better and better in every area and I think that's what he'll be in the NBA — a complete player who will be a winner and can do whatever you need him to do."
That is most likely the exact type of player the Sixers would love to secure with one of the four second round picks they own. The 6-5, 22-year-old Hart would instantly become one of the older players, mature enough to do anything that is asked of him and solidly steady at both ends of the floor.
Improvement still needs to be made in the shooting area, but, unlike college, the NBA offers exactly what's needed for someone to do that — time. His job will be to improve his jumper with repetition, repetition and more repetitions.
"I didn't shoot it too well (Thursday), but that comes with the territory of changing your shot. You go through growing pains and (Thursday) was a little bit of growing pains. Even if you miss shots, I'm showing that my jump shot is different, more smooth."
Hart entered his senior year under Wright knowing that he was slated this time last year as a possible late-first-round pick, probable second-rounder. He wanted to improve his game individually, of course, but the sole purpose in his mind was team, not himself.
"On May 25th last year, when I decided to go back to school, everything about the NBA went out the window and I didn't think about that at all," Hart said. "I knew if I decided to go back to 'Nova I had to be all-in and not worry about what scouts or (pro) coaches think. I had to keep my head down and focus on every day and every task at hand at 'Nova. I think I did that and it's something that never crawled into my mind until the end of the year and that's when I started working toward this goal (the NBA)."
While NBA coaches and scouts are constantly looking for that one skill that will make a player beneficial to their team, Hart probably won't pass that eye test very well. But he has it when it comes to the game and those who know basketball — such as NBA coaches and scouts — are keenly aware how important that is.
"If you need him to be a scorer, he could score. If you need him to be a great defender or rebounder or playmaker, he can just do everything," Wright said. "Maybe not on the level of LeBron James, but on another level, he's that complete player. It was great to sit with Brett and Bryan and it helped me reinforce that all guys have to do is come (to the NBA workouts) and play basketball and make the right play. They've watched a million of these, so they can watch a guy and see all the little things that they need to see. The player doesn't have to come in and accentuate one aspect of his game for these guys to see it. They know. What a player needs to do is just come in and be a basketball player and make the right basketball play."
Hart made a heck of a college career doing just that. Given the opportunity, it would be hard to bet against him doing it at the next level.
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