Sixers work out Dewan Hernandez, suspended by NCAA last season amid Christian Dawkins scandal

Dewan Hernandez was barred from playing for the University of Miami last season by the NCAA because of dealings with an agent, but he has been making up for the inactivity with an extremely busy NBA predraft schedule.

On Thursday, he was among six players participating in the 76ers’ workout at their practice facility in Camden. The Sixers have the No. 24 pick in the first round of the June 20 NBA draft and 33, 34, 42, and 54 in the second round.

For Hernandez it was his 16th such workout. He also participated in the NBA combine in Chicago last month.

“It is a grind,” Hernandez said after the workout. “I want to play at the next level, so I need every opportunity I can get.”

Miami held him out of its games until the NCAA ruled on Jan. 28 that he would miss the entire season and 40 percent of next season. So, Hernandez, a 6-foot-10, 232-pound junior, decided to turn pro.

A former McDonald’s All-American, Hernandez averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman at Miami. The next season, he averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds while starting all 32 games for a Miami team that lost to eventual Final Four squad Loyola-Chicago in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Hernandez’s eligibility came into question late that year, when his name was linked to Christian Dawkins, one of the defendants in the FBI’s investigation of corruption in college basketball. He said he has discussed his situation with NBA teams.

“They want to know what happened, and I don’t have a problem with that,” said Hernandez, who feels he should have been allowed to play.

“The NCAA didn’t handle it right,” he said.

Hernandez said he is encouraged by the feedback he has received from NBA teams, including the Sixers.

Sixers senior vice president of player personnel Marc Eversley said Hernandez and potential first-round pick Luka Samanic, a forward from Croatia, were impressive in the workout.

“Hernandez, on the defensive end, was pretty effective,” Eversley said. “He has great timing, is a terrific athlete, is real bouncy; he has great length.”

Eversley said Hernandez can play power forward and, in a small-ball lineup, center, in the NBA. It wasn’t ideal not seeing Hernandez play in college last season, Eversley said, noting that there is plenty of tape on him all the way back to high school. And, there was the combine.

“It was the first time we saw him in a while, and I thought he performed really well,” Eversley said.

Hernandez said the combine allowed him to play five-on-five.

“The combine was good for me,” Hernandez said. “Scouts hadn’t seen me play in over a year. so it was a great opportunity for me to showcase my game and how much I developed.”

Hernandez is listed in some mock drafts as a late second rounder. His stock is rising, he said, based on the feedback he’s been getting.

Next on his schedule are workouts for the New York Knicks on Friday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, his only repeat visit.