Another day of pre-draft workouts in Sacramento featured no big names. The Kings once again spent the afternoon looking at players perhaps worthy of their second-round pick or a roster spot on their Summer League team. But unlike yesterday’s workout, which showcased a crop of big men, today’s pre-draft session focused on guards.
Guards
Kim English – Missouri
English is the definition of a shooting guard. Playing for a talented Missouri team, he shot close to 46 percent from beyond the arc last year. English was an efficient scorer for the Tigers, posting a stellar 64-percent eFG% in his senior season. For a team like Sacramento that struggled to score on the perimeter, English’s shot-making ability would be a welcomed presence. The former Tiger is a projected mid-second round pick.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 3.75″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 191 lbs.
- Wingspan: 6′ 7″
Testing:
- Standing Vertical: 27.8″
- Lane Agility: 10.51 sec.
- 3/4 Court Sprint: 3.32 sec.
Bradford Burgess – VCU
Burgess is another prospect who made a living scoring from the perimeter. He shot better than 43 percent from three-point land in his freshmen and junior years at VCU. However, his numbers dipped to career lows in field-goal (36.7) and 3-point percentage (36.7) in his senior year. Burgess is not ranked in Draft Express’ top 100 prospects.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 4.75″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 212 lbs.
- Wingspan: 6’5.5″
Testing:
- Standing Vertical: 27.3″
- Lane Agility: 11.32 sec.
- 3/4 Court Sprint: 3.33 sec.
Jorge Gutierrez – California
The former Cal guard is a hustler and an energy player. Gutierrez grinded his way to three straight PAC-10/PAC-12 All Defensive Teams and won PAC-12 Player of the Year in his final season at Cal. Unlike English and Burgess, Gutierrez is not very polished offensively. He scored 13 points on roughly 11 shot attempts per game last season. Gutierrez is not ranked among Draft Express’ top 100 prospects.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 2″ w/o shoes
- Weight: 194 lbs.
- Wingspan: 6’6″
Testing:
- Standing Vertical: 29.3″
- Lane Agility: 11.10 sec.
- 3/4 Court Sprint: 3.39 sec.
James Nunnally – UC Santa Barbara
Nunnally played second-fiddle to potential first-round pick Orlando Johnson at UCSB. Nunnally averaged roughly 16 points per game for the Gauchos, while shooting better than 47 percent from the field. A product from Stockton, Nunnally is working out locally with renowned Sacramento strength and conditioning coach Guss Armstead. He is not ranked among Draft Express’ top 100 prospects.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 5″
- Weight: 205 lbs.
Forwards
Troy Gillenwater – New Mexico State
Gillenwater’s journey to this year’s NBA Draft took an interesting detour following his last season at New Mexico State. Unable to solidify his stock, the undersized power forward withdrew his name just days before the 2011 NBA Draft. However, the league’s withdrawal deadline didn’t coincide with the NCAA’s deadline, which led Gillenwater to play in Israel his first season out of college.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 6″ w/o shoes, 6′ 7″ w/shoes
- Weight: 242 lbs., 15.3% body fat
- Wingspan: 7′ 2″
- Standing Reach: 8′ 10.25″
Testing:
- Standing Vertical: 33.8″
- Running Vertical: 35.3″
- Bench Press: 7 rep max
- Lane Agility: 11.31 sec.
- 3/4 Court Sprint: 3.29 sec.
Dominique Ferguson – Florida International
If Ferguson had his way, he would be preparing for another season of college basketball and not the NBA Draft. Aware that the coaching tenure of hall of famer Isiah Thomas was coming to an end, the 6’8″ power forward attempted to transfer. With Thomas out of the fold, Ferguson hoped to move to a school closer to his home in Indianapolis. However, FIU denied his release, forcing Ferguson to choose the next best option – the 2012 NBA Draft.
Measurements:
- Height: 6′ 8″ w/ shoes
- Weight: 209 lbs.
- Wingspan: 7′ 3″
Post-workout Notes
- English on what an NBA team is getting if they draft him: “They’re gonna get a tough kid that really takes pride in one, stopping people, and two, knocking down shots. So whatever I city end up to, I just plan on being a consummate pro in the way I prepare and the way I work every day.”
- English on players with similar games as his: “I feel like I can shoot on the move like Rip (Hamilton) and Kyle Korver, attack off the dribble a bit better than those guys. And I feel like my ability to guard multiple positions (is like) a Thabo Sefolosha.”
- English on how his last year at Missouri taught him strong work ethic: “A lot of it was Coach (Frank) Haith and his staff. They paid so much attention to detail and so meticulous in their approach to how we prepared. And having that, seeing that for a year showed me how I’m going to be as a pro.”
- Connections: English and Donté Greene played high school basketball together at Towson Catholic in Baltimore. English also grew up playing against Tyreke Evans on the AAU circuit and was a part of the Tigers team that eliminated Evans’ Memphis squad in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
- Kings head coach Keith Smart was not in attendance at today’s pre-draft workout. Kings president Geoff Petrie, assistants Bobby Jackson, Jim Eyen and Alex English helped conduct the workout. Smart was also absent yesterday as well.
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