bajaden
Hall of Famer
A nice article on Speights for those of you not familiar with him..
Marreese Speights, PF, Florida
While Alexander's stock is sizzling, Speights' stock has been somewhat of a mystery. A few NBA scouts have him as a Top 10 pick. More have him later in the draft, somewhere between 15 and 20.
While Speights has great size and knack for scoring in the paint, teams have questioned his conditioning and work ethic and have wondered aloud why Billy Donavon didn't do more to stop Speights from entering the draft.
What I saw Monday blew me away. Speights had the best workout of anyone in the gym and shattered some of the myths that have been holding him back.
For starters, Speights is in excellent shape. He has a flat stomach and a tone, cut body that looks anything but the sometimes flabby physique we've seen from him in the past. His body fat is in the 7 percent area. He worked out from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a two-hour lunch break and could've kept going. In drill after drill, he was quick, energetic and fast.
Abunassar reported that he's had no issues with Speights. "He's here whenever we ask him to be here and he works very hard the whole time. He's very coachable. He does whatever you ask him to do."
He also measured out very well. He was 6-foot-9¾ in socks and 6-foot-11 in shoes. He has very long arms that allow him to play even larger than he is. He also showed very good leaping ability and showed good lateral quickness for a big man.
Second, Speights is a much better shooter than advertised. He has excellent touch from midrange, and during one drill, shot roughly 50 percent from NBA 3-point range around the arc. His form is solid and his release smooth. While no one will draft Speights to shoot NBA 3s, he definitely can face the basket.
Unlike Alexander, Speight's shooting touch didn't leave him when he went to playing 3-on-3. He was guarded by Alexander and scored at will with a series of step-backs, midrange jumpers off the dribble and post-up spins and moves. His strength and length were just too much.
Finally, Speights showed excellent aggressiveness as a defender. He showed an ability to guard Alexander out on the perimeter and down low. Moving his feet and using his length, he kept Alexander from getting clean looks at the basket.
I spoke with a few GMs on Monday night about Speight's workout and they were surprised to hear the report. If he works out the way he did Monday, he will get serious consideration from a team like the Bulls, Nets and Kings who desperately need an athletic low-post scorer.
Marreese Speights, PF, Florida
While Alexander's stock is sizzling, Speights' stock has been somewhat of a mystery. A few NBA scouts have him as a Top 10 pick. More have him later in the draft, somewhere between 15 and 20.
While Speights has great size and knack for scoring in the paint, teams have questioned his conditioning and work ethic and have wondered aloud why Billy Donavon didn't do more to stop Speights from entering the draft.
What I saw Monday blew me away. Speights had the best workout of anyone in the gym and shattered some of the myths that have been holding him back.
For starters, Speights is in excellent shape. He has a flat stomach and a tone, cut body that looks anything but the sometimes flabby physique we've seen from him in the past. His body fat is in the 7 percent area. He worked out from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a two-hour lunch break and could've kept going. In drill after drill, he was quick, energetic and fast.
Abunassar reported that he's had no issues with Speights. "He's here whenever we ask him to be here and he works very hard the whole time. He's very coachable. He does whatever you ask him to do."
He also measured out very well. He was 6-foot-9¾ in socks and 6-foot-11 in shoes. He has very long arms that allow him to play even larger than he is. He also showed very good leaping ability and showed good lateral quickness for a big man.
Second, Speights is a much better shooter than advertised. He has excellent touch from midrange, and during one drill, shot roughly 50 percent from NBA 3-point range around the arc. His form is solid and his release smooth. While no one will draft Speights to shoot NBA 3s, he definitely can face the basket.
Unlike Alexander, Speight's shooting touch didn't leave him when he went to playing 3-on-3. He was guarded by Alexander and scored at will with a series of step-backs, midrange jumpers off the dribble and post-up spins and moves. His strength and length were just too much.
Finally, Speights showed excellent aggressiveness as a defender. He showed an ability to guard Alexander out on the perimeter and down low. Moving his feet and using his length, he kept Alexander from getting clean looks at the basket.
I spoke with a few GMs on Monday night about Speight's workout and they were surprised to hear the report. If he works out the way he did Monday, he will get serious consideration from a team like the Bulls, Nets and Kings who desperately need an athletic low-post scorer.
