NBA Draft Combine dispatch: A sampling of Sixers draft prospects, in their own words

CHICAGO — The 2024 NBA draft prospects have already been dissected by team personnel and outside prognosticators for months. That evaluation will only intensify during the coming weeks, leading up to the June 27-28 draft in New York.

As those players converged at the Draft Combine this week at Wintrust Arena, it presented an opportunity for them to reinsert their voices into the process. Topics ranged from their backgrounds and immediately translatable skills to needed improvements and misconceptions about their games to what they are trying to prove in the combine environment.

Here is a sampling of prospects projected to be selected in the range of the 76ers’ current picks, at Nos. 16 and 41.

Scouting report: A crafty finisher and passer with defensive versatility who has been knocked for a lack of athleticism.

On his immediately translatable skills: “My basketball IQ is one of my strengths, for sure. Making the right reads. Making the right passes. Obviously, my shooting, as well, and my versatility. I can guard multiple positions. I can switch onto multiple positions, and that’s all they do in the NBA is switch around. I feel comfortable out there guarding a lot of people.”

On an improvement required to succeed in the NBA: “Obviously, the physicality point. I came into college at 190 [pounds]. I’m between 215 and 220 right now, so I’ve been working on that. I know that’s been an issue, but I’ve been able to adjust over these last four years, and I feel like I’ll continue to do so.”

On what he hopes to prove at the combine: “I’m kind of here just taking it all in. It’s been a great experience so far. Obviously, there’s been a narrative that I’m not as athletic as people want me to be or wish I was or whatever. But I feel like I’m right there with everybody else. I’m not the bottom five in every category. It’s not like I’m not athletic. I feel like that’s a big thing, especially in the testing that we did [Monday].”

Scouting report: A strong-framed ballhandler whose playmaking can be dazzling or reckless, he is not yet viewed as a consistent shooter.

On what he hopes to prove at the combine: “That I’m still one of the best players in the draft. Just because our season didn’t go the way [we wanted], I feel like I am who I am. It’ll all show soon.”

» READ MORE: Sixers Stay or Go: Which Players Should Stay or Go? Swipe and Decide

On his criticized jumper: “I think my jumper is what it is. People say I can’t shoot and things like that, but I know the confidence in myself. I feel like I can shoot the ball very well. I’ve put the work in all offseason, and it shows. I had a lot of people go under [screens] in college, so it’s nothing new that I haven’t seen.”

On his focus since the college season ended: “Just getting tons of reps in on the jump shot. Just getting in shape. Not just getting in shape, but getting in the best shape of my life. That definitely has been a goal of mine all summer. [I’ve been doing] a lot of running. Some days are better than others, but it’s a process.”

Scouting report: A quintessential point guard with skill and leadership, but a smaller frame.

On his college experience preparing him for the NBA: “Pistol action, delay action, all that stuff, I’m already familiar with because we’ve been doing it for two or three years. I really felt like I have a mastery of it, the different rotations that guys are supposed to do when you drive the ball. I’m sure it’s pretty similar in the NBA, different spots I need to be in when I’m off the ball. The league is so pick-and-roll heavy, and being able to just make those decisions and make those reads [is key].”

On what he hopes to prove at the combine: “You want to know who I am as a player, go watch me play. Not in this setting. Go watch me play, when the game’s on the line at Madison Square Garden, or in the NCAA Tournament when it’s do-or-die. I feel like there’s enough tape on there. There’s no mystery around my game. But I feel like I could show people that I’m a better athlete than they think. I have like 15 interviews coming up this week, starting [Wednesday], so just getting in front of the teams and showing my personality and letting them get really a feel for who I am as a person. Because I’m coming into their organization, into their culture, trying to be an addition to that, not a subtraction. So they want to make sure I’m about all the right things. You’ve definitely got to be yourself, but you definitely have to prepare.”

On his focus since the season ended: “Being able to space the floor for the stars. Have gravity on the floor, not just be somebody that they’re going to let shoot the three. And shooting it from deep. When people go under that ball screen, I’ve got to be able to knock that down off the dribble pretty consistently.”

Scouting report: A versatile player on both ends who transferred from Texas Tech but struggled at times with offensive consistency in a bigger role.

On his most translatable skill: “My versatility. The fact that I can do a lot on the court, that’s the biggest thing. Whatever the coach, the GM, or the whole organization expects of me, I feel like I can fill any role. I was kind of a three-and-D at Texas Tech, and then at Cal, I just did a little bit of everything. That just shows I’m a plug-and-play player, in my opinion. I think that’s going to get me on the court early.”

» READ MORE: Bronny James is the main attraction at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. He wants to be more than ‘LeBron James’ son’

On his focus since the college season ended: “Definitely my defense. Locking back in on defense. When I was at Texas Tech, I loved to play defense. And then when I got to Cal, I kind of got away from it a little bit. But I started to home back in on it, and just really lock in on the defensive end.”

On what he hopes to show at the combine: “Definitely my personality and who I am. I feel like I can brighten up a room like that [snaps fingers], and just show that I’m an authentic kid. I’m just looking for an opportunity. That’s all it is. All I’ve ever needed was an opportunity, and once I get an opportunity, I flourish with it.”

Scouting report: An excellent offensive player who previously played for South Dakota State, he has much to prove at the opposite end of the floor.

On what he hopes to prove at the combine: “I think I’m just trying to show that, one, I like to have a lot of fun. I like to bring a lot of energy. I’ve proven a lot offensively, and a lot of the questions are defensively with me. So I’m really just kind of [trying] to prove that I compete on that end and I take pride in my defense. … I had a great season — us as a team, and then me individually, as well — but I still think that not a lot of people necessarily give credit where it’s due. So for me, I just come out and kind of have that chip on my shoulder. It’s kind of how it’s always been for me, going back to my days at Aurora High School in Aurora, Nebraska.”

On his defensive improvement: “Working a lot in the weight room with my strength coach. Trying to get just more explosive and quicker on the defensive end was a main point for me throughout. … Ultimately, I know that, for me to be able to stick in the league, I’m going to have to do that. I’m very aware of that.”

On how he can immediately contribute to an NBA team: “One, I just bring a positive attitude and a positive energy. Then, also, I can shoot, I can rebound, and I can make plays for others. Just try to get the best out of my teammates any way I can.”

Scouting report: A knockdown three-point shooter, he is still considering returning to school.

On his combine experience: “Today, the [scrimmage] feels different. People are better athletes. People are a lot longer. It kind of feels like when you go from high school to college. The game’s a lot faster, and you have to adjust. I remember the first year I was in college, the first month, I was horrible. I couldn’t adjust. That’s a little bit of what it feels like right now, but I know, eventually, I will adjust.”

On his focus since the end of his college season: “I know I’m not getting drafted because of how I am as an athlete. It’s kind of skill-wise. It’s really the adjustment to the different game. There’s a lot more spacing. The floor’s the same size, but the three-point line’s further, and the spacing feels a lot different. So there is a ton of adjustment. Things you have to learn from the mental side of the game, from the physicality side of the game, from the length. It’s been a really fun process.”

On his “NBA-ready” jump shot: “I’ve put in a ton of work, not just this last month, but over the years, so I’m very confident in it. Even [during Tuesday’s scrimmage], I had one of my worst shooting performances in a long time, but you still have to keep shooting it. That’s always been my mentality, and know if you miss one, you’ve just got to move on to the next.”

Scouting report: A savvy playmaker and improved shooter who began his college career at Stanford but lacks the ability to create high-percentage looks for himself.

On his focus since the end of his college season: “Ballhandling. I’ve always been an on-the-ball player, from my high school days to my Stanford days. But at UNC, I played more off the ball, so my handles didn’t feel as sharp as they needed to be. Obviously, you can never become a perfect shooter. You always can work on mechanics and fine-tuning everything. And just being in the best shape possible. I feel like the NBA process has been very physically and mentally enduring. They’re going to try to run you and test your limits. It’s just pushing myself every day, no matter what the workout is. Go as hard as I can, and do it when I’m tired.”

» READ MORE: No, the Sixers didn’t miss on the ‘Nova Knicks. They never fit in Philly.

On the players who have inspired his game: “Obviously, LeBron [James]. Classic. I loved Joe Johnson. I’m from Dallas, so Dirk [Nowitzki]. I added a little fadeaway to my game. Obviously, it’s not as dominant as him and I’m not as tall as him. But, for me, Dirk was one of the players I looked up to. And obviously Allen Iverson. Those four were my favorite to watch.”

On what he hopes to prove at the combine: “I feel like, wherever I go, my personality shines. I’m a fun-loving guy. I make people laugh and just have a good time. I’m just trying to enjoy this. Yeah, it’s stressful. I get nervous, like everybody else before the game. But for me, it’s a blessing to be here.”

Scouting report: A high-motor defender who began his college career at San Diego State, although questions remain about the sustainability of his improved shooting.

On how he would describe himself: “Positively contagious. I feel like I walk in a room and I uplift the room wherever I’m at. Team being down, I’ll uplift the team and try to do whatever I can do. Always be an energy giver, never an energy taker.”

On his most translatable skills: “Guarding 1 through 4 comfortably, and then just effort. Trying to make every winning play I can. Trying to contest any shot. Trying to dive on the floor. Uplift a teammate. Get a deflection. Whatever it takes in the game. Honestly, I think it’s just something I was born with. I’m always trying to make anything happen. Trying to be there for my teammates. I’m a really selfless dude, and on a basketball court, that’s kind of rare. But in today’s game, it’s getting kind of positionless. So whatever it takes to get on the court, that’s what you’ve got to do. And a lot of times, people don’t do a lot of the small, intangible, little things.”

On his focus since the end of his college season: “Of course, keep growing at making open shots, open threes, in the NBA. I don’t go in there ever thinking that I’m going to be a guy on the ball or be a star player. You’re going to have to get in there by doing all the little things and making open shots. Every team’s got a Luka [Doncic] or a LeBron that’s going to have the ball, so just if I can make an open shot for a team consistently, then I’ll be good.”