Every year ESPN attends individual workouts for prospects as they prepare for the NBA draft.
This week, I saw Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray and Thon Maker, and talked to NBA scouts and GMs.
Here's what I've learned so far.
Brandon Ingram, F, Fr., Duke
Ingram has been working out in White Plains, New York, focusing on two key things the 76ers and Lakers will be watching closely in their workouts with him -- improving his strength and proving his ability to be an elite shooter from the NBA 3-point line.
A lack of strength is the biggest knock against Ingram right now. His lanky 6-foot-8 frame weighs less than 200 pounds -- extremely thin for an NBA forward.
Ingram says he has put on around seven pounds since he started strength training, upping his weight to 197 pounds. Obviously, teams are going to want to see him significantly heavier than that. But he has time. He is one of the youngest players in the draft and has never done much in the weight room. While his frame is thin, the word from the training staff here was that Ingram is already surprisingly strong.
The other question concerns Ingram's 3-point shot. He made an impressive 41 percent from deep as a freshman But as Kevin Pelton has mentioned in our draft debates, his 68 percent free throw shooting is a red flag. Typically, free throw shooting has been a better indicator of a player's NBA 3-point shooting ability.
While Ingram didn't address his free throw shooting in the workout I saw, he really shot the ball well in a series of drills utilizing the NBA 3. Not only did he look comfortable taking spot-up shots, but when the staff took him through a star drill -- where Ingram had to make as many shots as possible from five spots on the floor in a star pattern in two minutes -- he excelled.
He has an effortless stroke. He didn't seem to be straining at all on the 3s. That's unusual for most prospects, even great shooters, so early in the process. Typically it takes players some time to adjust. Ingram is well on his way.
Off the court, Ingram is quiet and determined. A number of GMs remarked that he impressed in his interviews at the draft combine and that all the background reports say he's a thoughtful, coachable player who's a good teammate off the court. And despite his thin frame, Ingram doesn't seem to be that concerned with the increased physicality he'll encounter in the NBA.
"I'm confident," he said. "I think confidence got me this far. I always thought I was the best player wherever I was, even with my build I always had confidence. Confidence to do whatever I wanted regardless of what others said. Determination to make a basket or get a defensive stop. I've always been responsible, have put my teammates first and taken responsibility for my own actions."
Ingram probably will go either No. 1 or No. 2 in the draft. Interestingly, one NBA exec said his real future in the NBA isn't as a forward. It's as a shooting guard.
"Back when the Pacers used to play Paul George at the 2, I felt like that was his best position," he said. "I feel the same way about Ingram. That's where he can be devastating and his lack of strength won't come back to haunt him. If he becomes a superstar, I think it will be because he developed the ability to play that spot."
Jamal Murray, G, Fr., Kentucky
As good as Ingram looked in those shooting drills, Murray looked even better. He rarely missed in the 90-minute workout I saw, even when he was standing five feet beyond the NBA 3-point line.
Murray's the type of player who really comes alive when the lights are on and kept pushing through repetitions of the star drill, trying to break the record for the most 3s hit in a two-minute period. He hit 22 in his first try -- just short of the record of 23, which he achieved on his second try. Then his workout partner, Dyshawn Pierre, made 24. Murray asked to go through the exhausting drill one more time and this time made 25.
How good do you have to be to hit 25 3s in two minutes -- especially when after every made 3 you have to run to another spot on the floor? In that sequence he was 25-for-27 from beyond the arc. Murray's release is quick, but it's his competitiveness that makes him especially lethal.
While scouts have compared him a lot to a young Brandon Roy, another comparison came to my mind watching the workouts: a bigger C.J. McCollum. Murray still needs to answer questions about whether he's a true point guard (the workout didn't really address those skills). But even if teams don't think he can be a full-time PG in the pros, he might be the best shooter in this draft. At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan and a very strong frame, he's big enough to play the shooting guard position.
Still, Murray's confident he'll be a point guard at the next level.
"I've had a basketball in my hands since I was three months old," Murray said. "When I was six years old, I was playing against 10-year-olds. I'm the son of a coach. He was hard on me. He made sure I was disciplined and coached very well. He was my biggest critic. My best friend.
"I did what I had to do at Kentucky. I've played point guard my whole life. But we had Tyler [Ulis] there. I wasn't focused on scoring 20 points a game. I was just doing whatever we need to win. Sometimes that was scoring 26 points, sometimes 12 and focusing on getting people involved from the 2 spot."
With the draft order set, look for Murray to go either No. 3 to the Celtics, No. 5 to the Wolves or No. 6 to the Pelicans. I doubt he slips further than that.
Thon Maker, F, Australia
Maker has been the biggest mystery man in the draft. Even after 90 minutes of watching him work out, I would say he remains so.
He aced his interviews at the combine. He tested as the second-tallest player in the draft. He has added weight and strength. His weight is up to 218 pounds and his body is starting to fill out. He could still add another 20 pounds, which shouldn't be a problem for him.
And in the drills I saw, he showed off a very solid 3-point jumper, great mobility for his position and a motor that goes nonstop. He's in great shape and he played incredibly hard.
Maker has the size, physical tools and determination to be a very good NBA player. But does he have the game?
Both Murray and Ingram say he does. They've worked out with him in 3-on-3 and even some 5-on-5 settings and vouch for him that he belongs. Until he gets on the floor in competitive situations against other top prospects, it's going to be tough to tell.
Maker is itching to get the chance to show that. He wants to move beyond his mixtapes. He knows he has a lot to learn, but he wants to prove that he can earn his keep in the league.
He has spent countless hours in the gym, and then at night is breaking down video of everyone from Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant to Dirk Nowitzki.
But at least one GM says he thinks that his best chance to be a star will take him on a different path than those players.
"I think he'll eventually be a 5 in our league," the GM said. "He's got the size. He plays really hard. He's a tough kid. I think his defense will come along a lot quicker than the offense.
"I'd have him watch Tyson Chandler video. Rudy Gobert. Those guys were thin, too. He can do more than those guys can on the perimeter, I'm just not sure his NBA coach will want him to."
For a young man who is still seeking his identity as a player, is he really ready for the NBA?
"I will be ready," Maker said. "I will be. I'm preparing for it every day."
Workouts will be key for him. But if his workouts go as well as players like Ingram and Murray say they will, he might go in the first round. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Nuggets all have multiple picks. One of them might be willing to take a shot.
If they don't? Someone will likely grab him in the second round -- there's just too much intrigue to bypass.
Wade Baldwin IV, PG, So., Vanderbilt
Baldwin has been working out in Chicago and the thing that stands out the most about him is his size. He's 6-foot-4, 204 pounds with a crazy 6-foot-11 wingspan. He's strong and athletic and plays with a reckless abandon in workouts.
Baldwin is a Russell Westbrook fan and it shows on the court.
"I'm trying to be Russell Westbrook with a pinch of a higher basketball IQ," Baldwin said.
Clearly Baldwin isn't lacking in confidence.
When I tell him that I don't think anyone is going to top Westbrook athletically, he quickly interjects.
"But I'm gunning for it, though. I'm coming for him, though."
And believe it or not, according to the combine numbers, he's there. Not only did Baldwin measure slightly taller and with a much longer wingspan (6-foot-11½ compared to Westbrook's 6-foot-7¾), but he actually tested better on the vertical (32-inch standing and 38-inch max, compared to a 30-inch standing and 36½-inch max for Westbrook) and in every other test besides the three-quarter-court sprint.
But after watching Baldwin on the court, I'm not buying it. Westbrook is a much better athlete between the lines than those numbers indicate.
So, why is Baldwin obsessed with Westbrook?
"Game intensity," Baldwin said. "We're the same size. We were both two-and-done. Just his approach to every game. He makes his mistakes. He makes a lot of boneheaded plays. But he goes so hard, you have to respect it. He's such a great player, great competitor. And I hear he's a great person, too."
While no one has worried about Baldwin off the court, his leadership on the floor and in the locker room at Vanderbilt has been questioned by both NBA scouts and his college coaching staff.
Baldwin spent a lot of time in his interviews at the combine combating the perception that he'll be tough to coach. He has handled the questions with honesty. He said he was frustrated. He's competitive. He hated losing. And he was hard on himself and others.
But he sees that as a strength as well. The elite players in the NBA all have a huge competitive streak that wills them to win.
That's what he wants to show.
"I need to show them everything," Baldwin said. "Personality. Character. Understanding the game. Seeing things on film.
"I think a lot of guys coming out don't know how to look at film the proper way. That's a huge aspect I learned at Vanderbilt and with my father. It gives me a little bit of an edge. I can visualize and see things before I get out there to play.
"And just the competitiveness. I'm the most competitive guy when it comes to competition. Especially when it comes to basketball, I'm coming for your head."
Demetrius Jackson, PG, Jr., Notre Dame
Baldwin has been working out every day against the guy he's likely to go head-to-head against in most of his workouts -- Demetrius Jackson. Their contrasting styles make them interesting workout partners.
Jackson uses speed and quickness, and Baldwin uses size and power. Jackson is known as the nicest, most unselfish guy, and Baldwin can be tougher on teammates. Baldwin might be a little more advanced offensively, whereas Jackson is a tenacious lock-down defender.
And it's Jackson, not Baldwin, who has the better claim to being one of the best athletes in the draft after posting a ridiculous 43½-inch vertical at the combine.
Baldwin emphasizes competitiveness as his dominant trait. Jackson sees the position of point guard primarily as a team unifier.
"I try to be humble," Jackson said. "I'm always thinking of others. Growing up I was a shy kid. I think that's something I could work on. Being aggressive all the time.
"But I'm always trying to get my teammates involved. ... I don't think that's a bad thing. ... There's times when I've shot it a couple of times so I think, let me get somebody else involved. That's part of me trying to be a leader."
Joel Bolomboy, PF, Sr., Weber State
Bolomboy was one of the real standouts at the combine, where he tested as arguably the most athletic prospect overall. Bolomboy's appeal should be clear when you combine that with an elite motor, huge wingspan and humble demeanor making him unafraid to do the dirty work.
Of all the prospects in the Chicago workout, Bolomboy was the one who impressed me the most -- and it wasn't his athleticism or motor. It was his shooting, believe it or not.
While he doesn't have the prettiest stroke I've ever seen, it goes in at a surprisingly high rate. He's confident stepping away from the basket now, and while NBA teams won't primarily use him that way, his emerging offensive game should give him a real shot at being a late-first-round draft pick.
Jake Layman, PF, Sr., Maryland
Layman has been teasing us since his sophomore season with a unique combination of athleticism and shooting ability. At times his game would just jump off the court at Maryland. But other times he'd disappear.
Layman seemed to struggle to find his role in college with so many other talented players on the floor -- especially offensively, where he took more than 10 shots only five times all season. That's too bad, because Layman can really shoot. His stroke is pure and it looked terrific in the workouts.
However, his calling card in the NBA might be his defense. Layman's agility allows him to guard both 3s and 4s. He not only can pick up steals, but he's a solid shot-blocker as well.
Perry Ellis, PF, Sr., Kansas
Ellis shows the conundrum that comes with being a college senior. On many nights he was the best player on the best team in the country. He has been Mr. Consistency for two straight seasons at Kansas. He's as fundamentally sound as any player in the country. And despite being knocked as a below-average athlete, he tested much better than expected at the combine.
Yet when you talk to most NBA scouts, they aren't optimistic about Ellis' chances in the draft. Some have him in the second round. Others have him out of the draft all together. Age plays that kind of factor.
In the workout, Ellis showed that the 3-point shot he started working on at Kansas continues to develop. If he can keep extending his range, he can make an argument as a stretch-4 in the league. But he's facing an uphill battle for a guy with such a great college resume.
Kyle Wiltjer, PF, Sr., Gonzaga
Wiltjer faces a similar problem to Ellis. He has been a scoring machine the past two seasons at Gonzaga. He's one of the best shooters among big men in the draft. And his overall feel for the offensive side of the game is elite; he knows how to score buckets.
Like Ellis, he actually tested better than expected at the combine. But his age, awkward build and questionable defensive abilities all give scouts pause.
Wiltjer proved to be the best shooter on the court in the workout I saw. There's always a desire for more shooting in the NBA.
Marshall Plumlee, C, Sr., Duke
Plumlee was the other really intriguing player I saw in Chicago. I'm not sure why he didn't get an invite to the combine. I understand that he's 24 and averaged only 8.8 PPG as a senior, but his size, explosive athletic ability and strength -- combined with a very solid second half of the season for Duke -- have to be intriguing.
You also have to consider that his brother Miles Plumlee didn't fare much better at Duke and the most talented of the Plumlees, Mason, has also outperformed his college projections at the NBA level. With Plumlee clearing the air about his future military service (he'll have some weekend duty in the National Guard, but it won't affect his NBA career), I wouldn't be surprised if someone grabs him in the second round.
Dyshawn Pierre, G/F, Sr., Dayton
Pierre is an off-the-radar guy that showed some things in his workout in New York. He's worth considering as a potential 3-and-D guy.
While his scoring numbers really flatlined after his sophomore season, and his 3-point percentage went down every year, he shot the ball very well in workouts, and defensively he has the tools to be a stopper.
The odds are against him as far as the draft goes, but I definitely think a team will pick him up and give him a try in summer league. If he makes it to the right team and opportunity, he could play in the NBA.