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Now that both the regular season and playoffs are well behind the Bucks, it's officially time to start turning our attention to the first stage of the team's summer: draft season!
Though scouts and executives have been watching these players all year, the NBA Draft Combine is usually their first chance at getting to meet and talk with the players, which factors into the decisions they'll have to make in June during the draft. The combine kicks off (on television) Thursday and Friday, though interviews and measurements got under way earlier this week.
To get you prepared for it, allow us to brief you on the players attending and, more importantly, how long their arms are and how tall they would be if they were forced to play in socks.
Measuring Up.. Check out all the anthropometric test results from the 2015 #NBACombine--> http://t.co/fbu5rPouHf pic.twitter.com/Rkat5e5hox
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 13, 2015
Rakeem Christmas met with the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic today...
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) May 13, 2015
Among the measurement-related highlights:
- Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky was the tallest player at the combine, measuring 7'0.75" in shoes, albeit with a shorter wingspan of "only" 6'11". He weighed in at just under 232 pounds with a solid 9'1.5" standing reach.
- Teammate Sam Dekker actually measured out longer (6'11.5" wingspan) than Kaminsky, with a solid 6'9" height in shoes and 8'11" standing reach.
- Texas big Myles Turner isn't quite as tall as Kaminsky (6'11.5" in shoes), but his length more than makes up for it (7'4" wingspan, 9'4" standing reach). For more on Turner, check out an interesting piece DraftExpress posted yesterday on how he's working to correct his running mechanics.
- Speaking of length, Milwaukee native Kevon Looney has plenty of it. Though he projects as a floor-stretching power forward, he has the length of a center (7'3.5" wingspan, 9'2" reach). Ditto UNLV forward Christian Wood, who measured in at a wiry 216 pounds, 6'10.5" in shoes with a 7'3.25" wingspan and 9'3.5" reach.
- Among the combo guards who could fall in the Bucks' range, Jerian Grant (6'4.25" in shoes, 6'7.5" wing) and Delon Wright (6'5.5" in shoes, 6'7.5") both measured out about as expected.
- The 23-year-old Christmas (DX #53) isn't considered a first round prospect, but he's long (7'5.25" wingspan, 9'2.5" reach) and coming off a productive senior season at Syracuse (17.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg).
We'll dive into more detail on specific players and measurements after the combine, but for now this thread is completely open for whatever draft-related topics you wish to throw out there. The combine is on ESPN2 from 3-7 p.m. CST both days, for anyone interested in watching and chatting along with us. Let's go!