Monday, June 6, 2011
Posted: 3:59 p.m.By Joe McIntyreFor CSNPhilly.com
The Sixers pre-draft workouts continued with five new players Monday morning.
At the team's practice facility at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Trey Thompkins (Georgia) highlighted a group that included Antonio Pena (Villanova), Lester Prosper (SUNY-Old Westbury), Willie Reed (St. Louis) and Joffrey Lauvergne (France).
As they were for the Sixers first workout last Saturday, each player who worked out was over 6-foot-8more evidence that the team is going for a big man in the June 23 draft. The best player of the five is Thompkins, who is a projected mid-first-round pick. The others are, at best, second-round picks.
The Sixers hold the No. 16 overall pick and one second-rounder, the No. 50 overall pick.
Although the workout lasted just over an hour, and its difficult to truly judge a player in that brief amount of time, director of player personnel Courtney Witte said the team uses the workout for more than simply to see how a prospect can adjust to new coaching or different drills.
Its about getting to know the kid, Witte said.
NBA
Theres obviously a lot of regulations on what we can and cannot do during the regular collegiate season. So its an opportunity for us to sit down informally at dinner, at lunch, in an interview setting for all of us, and I think thats very important. Just to get a feel what kind of depth a person has as a player.
Thompkins, whose father was drafted in 1981 by the Atlanta Hawks, averaged 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in his final year with the Bulldogs.
Aside from the Sixers, he has been to workouts for the Chicago Bulls (No. 30 overall pick), Milwaukee Bucks (No. 10 overall pick), Charlotte Bobcats (No. 9 overall pick) and is headed to the New York Knicks (No. 17 overall pick) later this week.
Thompkins said he is friends with a number of Sixers alreadyLou Williams, Jodie Meeks, Craig Brackins, Marreese Speights and Evan Turnerso he thinks if Philadelphia were to take him in this years draft, hed be a perfect fit off the court, just as much as on it.
He believes he can make immediate contributions to whichever team he goes to and, at 6-foot-10, theres little doubt the Sixers could use him.
I think I can shoot the ball pretty well, Thompkins said. I think I play pretty good defense, and Im going to work hard every day. Im a guy who feeds off of the crowd, the crowd means a lot to me. I love putting on a show for people.
A First-Team All-SEC Coaches selection, Thompkins led the Bulldogs in points, rebounds and blocks as a junior.
If anyone argues Thompkins isnt as skilled as other first-round prospects, Witte said he can guarantee theyre wrong. Hes a first-round talent with skill, size and the ability to put the ball down.
Hes got a high basketball IQ, but I think itd be fair to say that most people in the league want to make sure that hes ready for the physicality of the NBA on a nightly basis as a power forward, Witte said. I think he went a long way today to show us he can do that.
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