DraftExpress All-Orlando Pre-Draft Camp Teams

In a camp full of disappointments, the one player that everyone in attendance can agree had a standout week is Hartford power forward Kenny Adeleke. Adeleke doesn’t have experience at a big time college program on his resume, but that hasn’t stopped him from being effective everywhere he has played this past year. That includes a senior season in which he challenged Paul Millsap for the right to be called the nation’s top rebounder, and a very impressive Portsmouth showing at which he was named to DraftExpress’ All-Tournament Third Team. Therefore, maybe it shouldn’t have surprised anybody that Adeleke ended playing the best basketball out of any player in Orlando.

Adeleke certainly doesn’t stick out from the crowd at first glance. With a round body and awkward open-floor gait, he almost appears out of shape. However, conditioning wasn’t a factor when he started banging bodies in the paint. Adeleke has an impressive natural understanding of how to operate in the post, almost always appearing to be a step ahead of the competition mentally. He knows what he wants to do in the paint offensively before the ball arrives, and has already completed his move by the time any sort of help can get to him. He can rely on an assortment of hooks and scoop shots to convert around the rim. Adeleke has a relentless, physical nature to his game, relishing contact and never giving up on the glass. Despite seeming to be limited athletically, Adeleke gets off the ground remarkably well around the basket. He was a terror on the offensive glass here, and does an outstanding job of anticipating where a missed shot is headed. Simply put, there was no prospect at the camp capable of containing Adeleke around the basket.

So where does this leave Adeleke in terms of draft stock? After two impressive pre-draft camp performances in a row, it is hard to see him not getting drafted somewhere in the second round. However, there is some question as to how Adeleke’s game will translate into the NBA. He was able to dominate this camp with his physicality, but it must be emphasized that there probably weren’t very many NBA big men in attendance. It remains to be seen how effective the 6’8 Adeleke will be at operating amongst the trees he will find at the next level. Adeleke has significant work to do on his body, but he also looks like a player that will put the work in to improve that area. A toned up Adeleke can certainly carve out a niche for himself in the NBA, in a Reggie Evans-style role.

One of the most entertaining players seen here all week, Louis Amundson did not stop hustling from the second he got off the plane in Orlando and until the moment the camp ended. Amundson got off to a great start right as things kicked off in day one, working his butt off in the drills and giving his matchup fits with his relentless motor. The most impressive thing he showed here had to be his activity level, as he is always the first one to hit the glass thanks to his terrific quickness, and is usually up off his feet to try and put-back the offensive rebound before the defense can react. Defensively, Amundson scraps, claws, flops, hustles and generally gives everything he has in the tank for every moment he is on the floor. He is a pesky type who gets right underneath your skin and does not relent until he either fouls out or drives his matchup insane. Offensively, Amundson is raw, and has no problem showing you that, but he managed to do his damage with his excellent quickness and leaping ability by catching the ball around the paint and scoring off of one or two short dribbles. Anything else gets him in trouble as his ball-handling skills are very poor, and you could hear the crowd groan in angst every time he stepped onto the free throw line. Amundson’s athleticism and rebounding ability reminds a bit of David Lee, while his work-ethic and attitude are comparable to Mark Madsen. Amundson may or may not be drafted depending on how much value teams put in a lunch-pail type garbageman, but its hard to not see him making a team through summer league or training camp.

Balkman had a very strong camp, jumping into the draft picture and possibly propelling himself into this year’s second round. If he chooses to remain in the draft, he will definitely have a chance at making an NBA roster, even if it’s through summer league.

Balkman, at 6’6 ½ with a long 7’1 wingspan and a wiry build, projects to be a small forward in the NBA. Here at the camp, he made most of his contributions by simply out-hustling the competition with his athleticism and quickness. His greatest contribution was on the glass, both offensive and defensive, where he’d frequently come from nowhere to grab a rebound or score a putback. That’s where Balkman got most of his scores, as he’s a pretty raw player on the perimeter, where he isn’t very accurate with his jump-shot. He did show some nice flashes of a slashing game and some ball-handling in the fullcourt, though. He also threw out a few nice passes in both the half and fullcourt. Defensively, Balkman did a solid job at the camp, but with his physical tools, he has the potential to develop into a very good defender at the swingman positions.

Balkman’s game is not much unlike current NBA player Trevor Ariza’s. They have the same knack for rebounding, the same long and athletic physical attributes, the same energy on the floor, and the same raw perimeter game. Ariza is a better ball-handler than Balkman, and has recently developed a larger semblance of a mid-range jumper, but otherwise, Balkman could play a very similar role for an NBA team that Ariza does, providing energy in the passing lanes and on the break while contributing some slashing and rebounding offensively.

Taj Gray did nothing but help himself with his play in Orlando. Gray’s energy and relentless aggression led to a high level of productivity in a camp where stats were hard to come by. Gray was a force at times on both ends of the court, using his superior quickness and explosive burst to block shots, tip loose balls, and coral rebounds. Offensively, Gray showed much better technique on his jump shot as well as from the free throw line. More than anything, it was Gray’s heart and intensity that stuck out the most.

As far as weaknesses were concerned, Gray still did not show tremendous footwork in the post and his fundamentals on his rebounds were hit and miss. As a face up power forward, Gray will need to hone his ability to consistently hit the mid range jump shots and use the threat of that shot to drive when the ball is in his hands.

Gray’s game is most similar to that of David West. West took 3 seasons to fine-tune his game and develop his go-to moves that enabled him to star last season for the Hornets. Gray has the beginnings of the skill set and the energy to develop into this type of player if he works at it. He is a superior athlete and that should get him drafted somewhere in the early-mid 2nd round.

Continuing the trend of NCAA seniors who had better showings at the Orlando pre-draft camp after getting off to a good start at Portsmouth, we find 6-9 jumping jack Justin Williams from Wyoming, who gave players of all shapes and sizes fits around the basket with his combination of length and shot-blocking ability. Williams was impressive throughout the camp on the defensive end, displaying phenomenal timing and impressive leaping ability, being absolutely tenacious with his constant work-ethic, but managing to avoid foul trouble with his outstanding timing and cool, calm demeanor. Williams is capable of blocking shots both on the ball in the post or on the perimeter, as well by rotating over from the weak side. He was the top shot-blocker in the camp by far, and had a near triple double in his second game.

Williams showed off more offensive ability than we’d seen in his college career and at Portsmouth, stepping away from the basket and knocking down shots from 14-16 feet away from the hoop in the first game, and also wreaking some havoc around the hoop by coming up with offensive rebounds and going straight back up with his extremely quick second bounce. When receiving the ball in the high post, he was unselfish enough to make a pretty bounce pass into the post to his fellow big man. Continuing with the aggressive theme, Williams went out of his area on a number of occasions for long rebounds. Someone is going to want a defensive specialist with good size and a decent amount of upside that will be untapped as he continues to add strength to his frame, so Williams stands a very good chance of being drafted.