2018 NBA Draft Combine: Day 2 impressions

Scrimmage standouts: Kevin Huerter, SG — Maryland

The NBA should be seeing the emergence of a new red rocket in the next year or two. That is Kevin Huerter and the wing from Maryland played well in his scrimmage. Even though Huerter only shot 2-for-7 from the 3-point line, he showcased range well beyond the NBA 3-point line. Huerter also had three assists, and his ability to create looks for teammates using his passing vision in low-usage settings is an underrated skill. He also showcased the ability to get into the lane off of attacking closeouts and working off a ball screen.

Ray Spalding, C — Louisville

Despite an underwhelming scoring effort with only six points, it was hard not to see the potential oozing out of Spalding’s body. He made some quality cuts to the hoop and got a few easy looks at the hoop. Even though these looks did not always translate into made baskets, they could in the future. If Spalding can find a way to improve his body and not lose his athletic ability, he definitely looked like a player who knows he is a rim-runner at the next level. His constant effort level and flashes of defending in space were enough to make his poor shooting night irrelevant.

George King, SG/SF — Colorado

This was really one of my first opportunities to watch George King and I was pleasantly impressed. Solely from a defensive perspective, he flashed great instincts and played extremely hard. He was very quick laterally and did a nice job when he was switched onto smaller guards on the perimeter. Also, he did a really good job battling down low with bigs as well. King’s defensive versatility left me wanting to watch more.

Theo Pinson, SF — North Carolina

In the first half of the second game, Pinson’s team was a mess. They struggled to get their offense going, especially when Jaylen Hands was off the court. Hands actually did a solid job getting into the lane, but Pinson took it up to a whole different level. Pinson could have been singlehandedly been responsible for his teams resurrection. He really pushed the ball up the court and excelled making smart passing decisions in the open court and transition to lead to easy shots for his teammates.

P.J. Washington, PF — Kentucky

Combined with measuring out well, Washington had a heck of a scrimmage yesterday. He played extremely hard grabbing offensive rebounds and getting a ton of hustle points. Washington also showed how versatile he can be as a defender both banging down low and guarding wings out on the perimeter. He even flashed his handle in space a few times, which I hope he continues to develop. He also got to the free throw line 10 times. If Washington could show any promise of a jump shot in his game, it could be very difficult to see him back at Kentucky.

Josh Okogie, SG — Georgia Tech

Maybe it is time I finally give in to Josh Okogie as a prospect. He was very impressive in his first combine scrimmage, playing suffocating defense and forcing turnovers. Okogie had a solid offensive game as well after a slow first half. He got into the lane and finished some strong drives through the defense at the rim. He knocked down one 3-pointer, but had all the time in the world to shoot it. I’m still very interested to see how Okogie does shooting against a contest or off a hard fundamental closeout.