2018 NBA Draft: Impact Basketball pro day

By Connor Harr | Jun 1, 2018

BOISE, ID - MARCH 15:G Rawle Alkins (1) of the Arizona Wildcats chases after a loose ball during the NCAA Division I Men's Championship First Round game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Buffalo Bulls on Thursday, March 15, 2018 at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Thursday in Las Vegas, many great 2018 NBA Draft prospects showcased their talents in front of NBA executives, scouts, and coaches.

On Thursday in Las Vegas, the Impact Basketball pro day featured notable names like Jacob Evans, Rawle Alkins, Kenrich Williams, William McDowell-White, Elie Okobo and many more. I had a wonderful opportunity to get a real live look at these prospects and evaluate them in drills with each other.

Before the main workouts kicked off, Anfernee Simons was working out on a separate court. Even though Simons did not take part in the pro day, he was extremely impressive. He shot the ball better than many other prospects did.

He continued to surprise me with just how smooth of an athlete he was. Simons was easily the most athletic player at the event and had the attention of many in attendance. I came away slightly higher on Simons because of his shooting. He still has a long way to go physically and must improve as a ball-handler, but the sheer talent stuck out like a sore thumb.

After watching Simons, the first main group participated in both individual and group drills. This group was headlined by Troy Brown Jr. and William McDowell-White. It also featured Oakland guard Kendrick Nunn and Reggie Lynch, who was dismissed from the Minnesota basketball team early in the season. While it was impressive to see Nunn hold his own, Brown and McDowell-White were the easy standouts in this group.

Brown appeared to be as good as advertised. A playmaking wing that is not an exceptional — but still serviceable — athlete. He appeared to improve his shooting consistency as well. McDowell-White held his own defensively with the former McDonald’s All-American in 3-on-3 drills. McDowell-White continued to impress in shooting drills once he found a rhythm, showing off an improved shooting form.

More from NBA Draft

The next group was probably the most highly anticipated featuring the anticipated Jacob Evans vs. Kenrich Williams matchup. Neither really popped out in person as much though. Williams is not really the type of player to blow you away in a workout. I was already high on Evans and rather than changing my opinion of him, it just made me feel more confident about the Cincinnati wing.

The prospect that really helped himself in this group was D.J. Hogg. Being paired with a likely first and second round draft pick in his group, Hogg shot the ball better than anybody at the entire event, consistently knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer. He was a little more explosive of a leaper than he gets credit for.

The last group featured Rawle Alkins, Elie Okobo and Brandon McCoy. It was wonderful to be able to see Okobo in person since I have not obtained a great read on him. He looked poised to have an extremely impressive workout after individual shooting drills. However, once Okobo was guarded by Rawle Alkins, he struggled mightily. Alkins was just way too physical and aggressive for him to handle.

The Arizona wing looked much slimmer and appeared to have gained some of his speed back, especially laterally. Seeing him guard Okobo so well in the open court and in ball screen situations makes me think Alkins is a safer pick than most because of his defensive equity.

Brandon McCoy played well, but did not do much to change my opinion of him either. He showed off some improved shooting, but that was about it. McCoy will likely be a second round selection because he was a former McDoanld’s All-American.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

The whole event was wonderful to attend. While seeing all of these prospects in person is a major factor to take into consideration, no single event is more important than the body of work. Troy Brown, Jacob Evans, Kenrich Williams and William McDowell-White all helped solidify my strong positioning on them on prospects. However. expect a rise from both Rawle Alkins and D.J. Hogg in my next big board.