It’s just really difficult to gather a lot of information from one predraft workout, yet it’s funny how guys like Dominique Jones, Jarvis Varnado and Keith “Tiny” Gallon have shown up in mock drafts as being taken by the Washington Wizards with the 30th or 35th pick next month right around the time that they’ve appeared at Verizon Center to show their stuff to head coach Flip Saunders and his staff.
Combine that with the convenience workouts, such as today’s run-out of Maryland point guard Eric Hayes and Cornell sharpshooter Ryan Wittman, the son of Wizards assistant coach Randy Wittman, and it’s hard to see the workouts as much more than some diversionary ploy.
Now, that doesn’t mean they’re totally useless and unentertaining. (Keep in mind that the media only gets to see the end. We miss the rest of it, which definitely has more actual action and may or may not be used to make critical judgments.)
Take for example, the vaunted “7” drill that Saunders often uses to conclude the workout. Start at seven, hit a shot from the elbow. Make it, you’re down to six, sprint to the opposite sideline and then back to the near elbow for the next shot. Miss, and the number goes up one. This drill is brutal, even for some of the fittest players.
For a player like Gallon, it can be excrutiating. He missed so many shots today that the Wizards staff watching the workout was overheard joking that he might miss his flight.
Then, of course, Jerome Randle blows through the drill, smiling the whole time and missing only a couple in a row when Flip screamed right in his face. And Hayes was perfect, making seven in a row and barely breaking a sweat.
Will that drill do anything to help or hurt the stock of any of those three? It may not even hurt Gallon, and it’s hard to say it’s going to help Hayes, too, who’s just angling for an NBA camp invite since he doesn’t show up in any mock draft.
“Just a little exposure to some teams,” said Hayes of the purpose of the workout. He’s also got one planned in Chicago, and that’s probably it. “Hopefully I can build off this one and get some more workouts and get in front of as many people as I can… I think if I can come in here, shoot the ball real well, show my point guard skills, where I can get other guys shots, I think being able to do a few different things will get me recognized.”
As for Gallon, he proclaimed not only that he actually had a good workout, but that his shooting was one of his strong points. “I like to face up a lot. I can do the step back shot, and I got a real soft touch around the basket. I see myself as a face-up four.”
Who knows what to believe.
At least Wittman was a nice story. He was unfazed by playing in front of his dad, too: “He’s been running me all my life.”
I also asked him about the juxtaposition of Cornell’s amazing season and NCAA Tournament run compared to the Wizards’ horrible campaign, and how he thought it might have affected his pops.
“Obviously, they didn’t have the greatest season,” said Wittman. “They would’ve liked it to go better. With our success at Cornell, I’m not sure if it allowed him to take his mind off it or whatever, but at least someone in the family had a good season, I suppose.”
The Wizards plan are scheduled to have more workouts Wednesday and Thursday this week.
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