North Carolina’s John Henson was the headliner in the Kings’ first round of draft workouts this year. The Kings seemed interested in how he would fair against a variety of big men, so that’s what he competed against today. Throw in a couple of guards to run the show and this was an interesting afternoon of tryouts.
Guards
Oscar Bellfield – UNLV
The senior guard from UNLV is more of a floor general than a shooter. He finished his final collegiate season averaging 9.8 points and 5.4 assists on 40-percent shooting overall and 35.7 percent from 3-point range. Not listed among the top 100 prospects in the 2012 NBA Draft, Bellfield got a look as a distributor in this big man tryout. He matched-up against Charlie Westbrook, a shooting guard out of South Dakota.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′-1.25″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 172-pounds
- Wingspan: 6′-8″
Testing:
- Vertical: 28.0″ no step vert
- Agility Drills: Lane agility- 11.39 seconds; 3/4 court sprint- 3.23 seconds
Charlie Westbrook – South Dakota
Westbrook led the 10-18 South Dakota Coyotes in scoring with 18.4 points on 46.4 percent shooting and a healthy 38.9 percent from 3-point range. The senior guard added four rebounds, 1.7 steals and nearly a block a game in his senior season. Westbrook is listed as prospect number 89 out of 100 on Draft Express’ big board.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′-2.5″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 196-pounds
- Wingspan: 6′-6.5″
Testing:
- Vertical: 31.0″ no step vert
- Agility Drills: Lane agility- 11.08 seconds; 3/4 court sprint- 3.32 seconds
Power Forward/Center
Yancy Gates – Cincinnati
Gates is a load in the post. With shoes on, he is probably closer to 6′-10″ and at 287-pounds, he is basically the size as DeMarcus Cousins. In his senior season, he averaged 12 points and nearly nine rebounds a game for the Bearcats and comes in as No. 71 on the Draft Express top 100. For his size, Gates was not very efficient on offense, shooting just 47 percent from the field. And although he has a huge 7-3 wingspan, he blocked less than a shot per game.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′-8.25″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 287-pounds
- Wingspan: 7′-3″
Testing:
- Vertical: 27.0″ no step vert
- Agility Drills: Lane agility- 11.7 seconds; 3/4 court sprint- 3.46 seconds.
Drew Gordon – UCLA
While Gates brings the beef, Gordon looks a thicker version of Henson. The UCLA product is listed as an early second round pick in most mocks, coming in as the 39th highest prospect on the Draft Express big board. As a senior, Gates averaged nearly 14 points and 11 rebounds per game, but he is not the shot blocker the Kings seem to covet.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′-7.5″ w/o shoes; 6′-8.5″ w/ shoes.
- Weight: 241-pounds; 10.2% body fat.
- Wingspan: 6′-11.75″
- Standing Reach: 8′-10″
Testing:
- Vertical: 27.5″ no step vert; 34.5″ max vert
- Strength: 15
- Agility Drills: Lane agility- 12.14 seconds; 3/4 court sprint- 3.4 seconds
John Henson – North Carolina
Henson is a top-10 talent in a very deep draft. The junior our of UNC averaged 13.7 points and 9.9 rebounds, but added 2.9 blocks in just 29 minutes of action. Draft Express compares him favorably to Marcus Camby, but I need to see more. At 216 lbs., Henson needs to add at least 25 lbs. or risk getting tossed around at the next level. He has the shot blocking abilities the Kings are looking for as well as a high basketball IQ and high-end motor. The Kings need a defensive stopper that can defend the goal and help mask some of the deficiencies of their rotational players. While Henson is a top 10 talent, the real question is whether he is worth a top five pick in this draft.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′-9″ w/o shoes; 6′-10.5″ w/ shoes.
- Weight: 216-pounds; 8.6% body fat.
- Wingspan: 7′-5″
- Standing Reach: 9′-3.5″
Ricardo Ratliffe – Missouri
If Yancy Gates was inefficient as a senior, then Ratliffe was the complete opposite. In his final season at Missouri, Ratliffe averaged 13.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in just 26 minutes while shooting an astounding 69.3 percent from the floor. His per 40 minute numbers look closer to 21 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game on the season, but he is listed as just the 75th rated prospect in a 60-man draft.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′-7″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 244-pounds
- Wingspan: 7′-0.5″
Testing:
- Vertical: 30.0″ no step vert
- Agility Drills: Lane agility- 12.38 seconds; 3/4 court sprint- 3.51 seconds.
The Kings continue their draft workouts tomorrow. They will take a look at Tyler Zeller (Center, North Carolina), JaMychal Green (Forward, Alabama), Lazeric Jones (Guard, UCLA), Wendell McKines (Forward, New Mexico State) and William Buford (Guard, Ohio State). Charlie Westbrook (Guard, South Dakota) also returns for an encore.
Workout Footage (via Kings.com)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=use0XMxJyKw&w=560&h=315]Video edited by Jonathan Santiago
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