Orangeyes
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- Four potential first round picks made their way to Sacramento for two pre-draft workouts on Monday. The Kings took a look at Marcus Smart (guard, Oklahoma State), Noah Vonleh (forward, Indiana), Tyler Ennis (guard, Syracuse) and Elfrid Payton (guard, Lousiana-Lafayette) as well as Eric Moreland (forward/center, Oregon State), John Bohannon (center, UTEP), Stephen Holt (guard, St. Mary’s) and local product Brendan Lane (forward/center, Pepperdine). Vonleh, Smart, Moreland and Payton participated in the first workout while Bohannon, Holt, Lane and Ennis took part in the second. Below are a few notes and quotes from Vonleh, Smart, Ennis and Kings assistant general manager Mike Bratz, who addressed the media following both workouts. -
- Bratz says the Kings wanted Smart to match-up specifically with Payton and not Ennis in Monday’s workout. - See more at:
- Ennis came into Monday’s workout hoping to show that he’s capable of knocking down the NBA three-pointer. There have also been questions about whether his athleticism is up to snuff at the NBA level, especially when it comes to defense. The 19-year-old guard also wanted to demonstrate to the Kings that he’s a capable one-on-one defender considering the Orangemen’s reputation as a zone-defense team. “Coming from Syracuse, a lot of people question whether you could defend,” Ennis said. “So I tried to go out there and show that I could defend.”
- Ennis believes his greatest strength is that he’s faciltator and passer first. He thinks that focusing on playing his game will help him stand out from the rest of the other point guards in this year’s draft. “I think (I’m) probably the most true point guard of the group,” Ennis said. “I think I’m able to run a team. I think I’m able to score with the best of them in this class as far as point guards. So I’m just gonna go out there and play my game and whether they draft me higher than anybody else, I’m just worried about getting on the right team and the right fit.”
- Ennis on not getting to compete against Smart or Payton: “As a competitor, you want to go out there and compete regardless of who it is. To be in the same gym as these guys, working out for the Kings is an honor, but you want to be able to show your skills against them. I think the next workout in L.A., we’ll be able to play against each other a little bit more. But I’m just going out there and trying to play, prove myself who I’m against.”
- What’s next for each prospect that came through Sacramento on Monday? Smart, Ennis and Vonleh are apparently heading to Los Angeles for a workout with the Lakers on Wednesday. Smart has a second workout scheduled with the Orlando Magic and will make a visit to Boston as well. Ennis will also be heading down to Orlando and has workouts scheduled with Atlanta, Charlotte and Denver. The former Syracuse point guard has already worked out for the Toronto Raptors.
