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I wrote extensively about the Sixers upcoming pre-draft workout for SB Nation Philly earlier today. The workout includes five lesser-known big man prospects – targets for the second round and/or underrated free agency.
Here's how I ranked the five prospects:
- Kyle O'Quinn
- Michael Eric
- Henry Sims
- John Shura
- Terrence Henry
Kyle O'Quinn is a guy to keep your eye on.
Kyle O'Quinn is my favorite prospect among the five. Draft Express ranked him as the 41st best prospect, and projects him to early in the second round. He's only 6'9" or 6'10", but possesses a massive 7'5" wingspan, and his no step vertical was last recorded at 30.5 inches - the same as Dwight Howard's. To go along with his massive wingspan and athletic ability, O'Quinn also has some size on his frame, weighing in at 240 pounds.
The New-Yorker was an extremely efficient scorer at Norfolk State, sporting a true shooting percentage of 61.5. He's offensive repertoire is somewhat limited, but he can finish around the rim and get to the free throw line - two traits no big on the Sixers roster posses. He's also shown the ability to be a decent passer out of the post.
Although he didn't always play against top-level competition, his rebounding percentages - both offensive and defensive - were outstanding. As we witnessed with Kenneth Faried last season, good rebounding percentages in college usually translate to the pros. O'Quinn also blocked a ton of shots.
I'd be pleased if the Sixers selected O'Quinn with the 45th pick – the first of their two second rounders. It's a good sign they scheduled him for a workout, because they're very unlikely to draft a player who they didn't have in for a workout, especially in the second round. Unfortunately, he's a guy I could see rising up big boards, as the draft approaches . Big men are always precious commodities in NBA circles.
Other prospects the Sixers have scheduled for workouts include: Scoop Jardine, Doron Lamb, Dominic Cheek, Kim Enlglish, Renardo Sidney, and Alex Young. All these guys are projected to go in the second round, or undrafted altogether. Doran Lamb is the only guy with a shot of going in the first, but nowhere near where the Sixers select.
(They've also scheduled some dude named "Kupus", from Lithuania – I'm not up to date on my international prospects).
For what it's worth, here's a complete list of the Sixers pre-draft workouts in 2011. Notice Nikola Vucevic, Lavoy Allen and Xavier Silas are all on the list.
Stay tuned to the site for a ton of draft coverage this month – we're less than four weeks away. I'll tweet out future pre-draft workouts @samsjordan as soon as they become available. You should also follow our certified NBA Draft expert, Derek Bodner (@derekbodner), for his latest insight. While you're at it, you might as well follow @Michael_Levin, @tsteidel and @wheresbenrivera.