Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough and head coach Earl Watson prepare for the June 22 NBA draft, taking a look at two young guards during a workout on Monday.
Guards are first to work out for team before draft
Kobi Simmons and Josh Hart are opposites when it comes to basketball experience.
Simmons, 19, played just one season at Arizona, averaging 23.5 minutes in 37 games. Hart, 22, played four years at Villanova, suiting up 146 times, finishing with a national championship and All-America honors.
Both guards on Monday worked out for the Suns, the organization’s first official workouts for the June 22 NBA draft. The Suns have the No. 4 pick, as well as two-second round selections. Both Hart and Simmons are likely destined for the second round, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hart went earlier.
The two represent different elements of the draft: Simmons is raw, while Hart is polished. Simmons can help in the future, while Hart can help right now. Which quality is valued more depends on the team and where it stands.
“This is my fifth (workout),” Simmons said at the end of Monday's session. “They’ve been great. It’s a process. Every day I just thank the Lord. It’s a blessing that every one of these teams wants to see you in front of them. That’s just the mindset I continue to have.”
Simmons (6-5, 166 pounds) is trying to show he can play the point. At Arizona, he played mostly off the ball, averaging 8.8 points and 2.0 assists. He didn’t shoot well – 43.2 percent from 2point range and 32.7 from 3 – but his explosiveness was hard to ignore. In his first college game, Simmons scored 18 points against Michigan State, helping the Wildcats rally from an early doubledigit deficit. In a January win over UCLA, he posted 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.
At the same time, Simmons’ season didn't end well. Once wing Allonzo Trier returned from suspension, his role de-
creased. Simmons averaged just 6.1 minutes over Arizona’s final seven contests, falling nearly out of coach Sean Miller's rotation. After the season, his decision to test the draft process wasn't much of a surprise.
“It was really tough,” Simmons said of his decision, adding that he didn’t consider transferring. “I loved my time at Arizona. … I just felt like I was ready. My mindset, I felt like now was the time.”
Simmons played the point at the NBA combine earlier this month. He also played it at times throughout high school. In fact, Suns assistant general manager Pat Connelly saw Simmons – then with a U.S. Select team – play the position in 2015 during a tournament in Treviso, Italy.
“It was very intriguing,” Connelly said.
“Obviously, he played off the ball at Arizona, which was best for his team. Today, it’s 3-on-3 so the reads are limited, but he looked solid playing the pick-androll. Obviously, he’s extremely athletic so his continued growth in that position will be something to evaluate.”
For Hart, this was his fifth workout, following stops at Indiana, Brooklyn, Orlando and Utah. He’s changed his shot since he last played in college, getting the ball out in front more and removing a hitch, something he said has caused growing pains.
Monday, Hart (6-5, 209) didn’t feel like he shot well, but he finished strong, hitting 9 of 10 while racing from one corner to the next. He also beat his workout partners (six total) in Phoenix’s workoutending sprint drill, a three-minute exercise that measures how many times a player can touch the baseline while running the length of the court.
Hart turned it on in the last minute to finish with 28. The team record following a workout on the Suns practice court: 29.
“I think it would be foolish if someone uses (my experience) against me,” said Hart, last season’s Big East Player of the Year after averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. “In my eyes, fouryear guys are more physically mature. They’re more mature mentally. I think I can make an impact immediately. You don’t have to sit me on the bench and say, ‘OK, let’s see what happens in a couple years.’ You know what you’re going to get with me.”
When it comes to the draft, Connelly said the balance between the present and future is something every team has to weigh. Much likely depends on where the team is both with its core and within its conference.
“It’s always kind of a push and pull,” Connelly said. “Some guys that play four years still have a ton of potential. Some
“I loved my time at Arizona. … My mindset, I felt like now was the time.” KOBI SIMMONS NBA PROSPECT
guys that play for a year kind of get by on potential. It’s always kind of an interpretation based on what you see, what you’ve seen in the past and how you evaluate them.”
Notes
» Cincinnati guard Troy Caupain, Utah forward Kyle Kuzma, Baylor forward Johnathan Motley and Tidjane Keita of France also worked out. Kuzma (6-9, 223) shot well from 3 during the workout’s final 15 minutes, something he did at the NBA combine as well. “Kuzma's been impressive,” Connelly said. “He had a great camp in Chicago. He's lost weight. I just saw him work out in Chicago at his agent pro day on Friday and he's shooting the ball really well.”
» The Suns continue workouts Tuesday. The team generally doesn’t announce participants until the morning of the workout, but Vanderbilt stretch forward Luke Kornet and Texas center Jarrett Allen both told azcentral sports they are scheduled to participate.
Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Contact him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.