A huge contingent of NBA talent evaluators descended upon Lexington for John Calipari's annual Kentucky pro day, now in its fifth year.
It's always interesting to take a look at the measurements and athletic testing the team puts out every year, as they are usually conducted in a professional manner that holds up well historically.
The NBA scouts we spoke with in the gym sounded pleased with the fact that they were able to see a lot more competitive 5-on-5 full-court action on both days, giving them a good read on where Kentucky's prospects stand heading into the season.
Using our powerful historical measurements and athletic testing database, which holds thousands of players over more than two decades of events, we can start to make comparisons for how players stack up physically.
Here are some of the more interesting takeaways:
• Keldon Johnson measured 6-foot-6¼ in shoes with a 6-foot-8¾ wingspan, a 211-pound frame and massive hands. If his historical composite is a better indicator than his mark this week, Johnson's closest physical comp is DeMar DeRozan, with Andrew Harrison, Glenn Robinson and Danny Green falling in a similar range. A prototypical NBA wing from a physical perspective, Johnson also posted a 36½-inch maximum vertical leap and performed well in both the shuttle run and ¾-court sprint. The McDonald's All-American seems like a strong candidate to hear his name called in the lottery of the 2019 NBA draft if he can deliver on the lofty expectations he'll face in Lexington.
• With only one set of measurements on record from a few years ago, Ashton Hagans will surely benefit from the numbers he posted at Kentucky's pro day. Now standing 6-foot-3½ with a 192-pound frame and a 6-foot-6¼ wingspan, Hagans has nearly identical dimensions to Russell Westbrook at the same age and compares favorably to many successful NBA combo guards, including C.J. McCollum and Kris Dunn. Also testing well in terms of agility and explosiveness, the 19-year-old Hagans has a promising physical profile.
• Tyler Herro measured slightly below expected at 6-foot-4 barefoot, down from the 6-foot-5 he measured in April at the Nike Hoop Summit. His wingspan came in as expected based on previous measurements at 6-foot-4½. Herro's dimensions are most like those of J.J. Redick, Gary Neal, Beno Udrih and Jeremy Lin, among current or former NBA players. Registering a 33½-inch maximum vertical jump and showing well in lane agility and shuffle testing despite his 12.4 percent body fat, Herro is a player worth keeping an eye on this season, as his ability to carve out a niche helping space the floor for the Wildcats could give Calipari's offense a considerable boost.
• P.J. Washington's measurements were virtually identical to the ones he posted at the 2018 NBA draft combine. Posting a 31-inch standing vertical leap, he leapt some four inches higher than in Chicago a few months ago, but he could not replicate the incredible 43-inch mark he posted prior to his freshman year, which likely wasn't a fully accurate measurement. Standing 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a 228-pound frame, Washington compares physically to Rudy Gay, Jerami Grant, and Kawhi Leonard. Taking into account his athletic testing results brings up the name Noah Vonleh as his top comp. Washington has enviable physical tools and will almost certainly hear his name called in the first round if he can find a way to use his tremendous measurements to better perform defensively and on the glass, which didn't happen consistently enough last year.
• Nick Richards measured a hair taller than 7 feet in shoes, with a gigantic 7-foot-5 wingspan, 9-foot-2½ standing reach and a chiseled 244-pound frame, right on par with his numbers from last fall and all in the 90th percentile or above among players in our database. His 36½-inch maximum vertical leap is tremendous for his size and nearly identical to that of former Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein, with whom he also bears a striking similarity in terms of size and length. Only four centers in our database have ever posted a higher maximum vertical leap than Richards while standing over 7 feet in shoes: Cody Zeller, Joakim Noah, Yi Jianlian and Deandre Ayton.
• Immanuel Quickley posted a team-best 37-inch maximum vertical leap while measuring 6-foot-3 in shoes with a 6-foot-7¼ wingspan. The consensus top-20 recruit has had some notable performances on the defensive end during his prep career and already compares favorably to former All-Defensive First Team selection Avery Bradley at the same age.
• Jemarl Baker warrants mention here because of his performance in the athletic testing portion of Kentucky's pro day. Missing last year's testing with a knee injury that required surgery, Baker posted the team's fastest lane agility and ¾-court sprint times. His 10.24 lane agility finish ranks among the top-20 marks in our database all time. Standing 6-foot-4 in shoes with an improved 192-pound frame and a 6-foot-7 wingspan, the consensus top-80 recruit is a bit of an unknown commodity heading into this season, but he has the potential to add something to this year's Kentucky team as a shooter.
• Measuring 6-foot-10 in shoes with a 7-foot-¼ wingspan, an 8-foot-10½ standing reach and a 225-pound frame, E.J. Montgomery has grown a bit and packed on some muscle to his frame over the past few seasons, even if he still has plenty of room to fill out. With the size and improving strength to play either frontcourt position at the NCAA level and beyond, the 19-year-old Montgomery has similar dimensions to Ed Davis and Jon Leuer when they were measured at the NBA draft combine at an older age. Montgomery did not participate in the athletic testing portion of the pro day, but he will compete in competitive action.
• Measurement information for Reid Travis has not been publicly available since the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit. At 6-foot-8 with a 238-pound frame and a 7-foot-¼ wingspan, the Stanford transfer has not changed over his collegiate career, as he was a bit of an early bloomer physically. With that said, his 6.4 percent body fat is among the lower marks ever recorded for a player his size and his 36½-inch maximum vertical jump and 18 reps are a good reflection of the powerful athleticism he brings to the center position.
• Quade Green has transformed his body from last season, shedding around 14 pounds. He's coming into the season weighing 170 pounds, so it will be interesting to see just how much Green's contributions on the floor benefit from the work he put into his body in the offseason.