Evaluating Players in the Third 2018 Combine Scrimmage Game

May 19, 2018

I decided to take the opportunity to watch the third combine scrimmage game that was played on May 18th. The top performers of this match looked to be Kevin Hervey, Gary Trent Jr., Omari Spellman, and Devonte’ Graham, and Team 2 Gray was able to handily defeat Team 3 White to get a double-digit victory. Here are my thoughts on how various prospects fared on this day. For those that are looking for the box score, click here.

Texas-Arlington’s senior forward, Kevin Hervey played very well in this game, as he showed off strong all-around skills to help get his team the win. The most impressive thing was that he shot the ball really well to knock down a flurry of threes from beyond the arc.

Hervey did a tremendous job of shooting the basketball to space the floor for his team. He showed a knack for making spot-up threes off the catch, and he also dribbled up to make a pull-up three in transition. Hervey can move to spots to get open, and he also has a fairly quick release that enables him to easily get his shot off. Also, he dribbled back to go behind the three-point line another time, and he was able to draw three free throws after hoisting up a corner three.

Plus, he did a good job of scoring off the dribble, as he managed to score on a floater, and he also drew free throws on a drive in transition. Hervey also managed to draw free throws on a strong put back, as he showed a very good motor to get the offensive board. Also, Hervey was able to make a long two from the baseline, and he also drew free throws on a pull-up, mid-range shot. He did attempt a fadeaway jumper in the post, but he missed on that occasion.

In addition, Hervey displayed good playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that passed the ball well, and he would throw long, accurate passes to set up scores for his teammates. He also would get his fair share of rebounds, as he would haul in multiple boards on both ends of the floor. Also, Hervey played good defense in this game. He was able to rip a ball away when defending in the post to get a steal, and he also intercepted a pass to force another turnover. He also managed to successfully contest a three-point shot. He did commit a blocking foul when defending a fast break drive, but generally Hervey did a good job of making plays on the defensive end.

In general, Kevin Hervey had a really good showing to help lead Team 2 Gray to a blowout victory over Team 3 White, and he is an athletic, skilled combination forward that can score the basketball in a variety of ways. With his skill set, he could end up being a solid pick for an NBA team in this year’s draft.

Duke’s 6-5 freshman guard, Gary Trent Jr. had a strong showing in Team 3 White’s loss to the opposing team, as he shot the ball really well, and he played well on both ends of the floor. Trent did a great job of knocking down jumpers to effectively space the floor for his team. He showed a knack for making pull-up jumpers, and he also would make spot-up threes off the catch.

In addition, Trent excelled at scoring on aggressive drives to the hoop. He managed to throw down an emphatic dunk once, and he also used a spin move to score on a drive in transition another time. Plus, he also did a good job of scoring in the post. When posting up outside of the apint, he managed to draw free throws on a fadeaway jumper.

Also, Trent played unselfishly, and he can make an assortment of passes to set up scores for his teammates. He can find them on the move, and he will throw accurate passes to notch assists. He also played solid defense. Trent would play passing lanes to get steals and deflections, and he also drew a charge on a fast break drive to get a stop for his team. In summary, Gary Trent Jr. did a very good job of shooting and scoring the basketball to get many points to help Team 3 White, and he also made good passes and defended well when he was on the court. He had a very good combine this year, as this could help him solidify a spot for him to be taken in the first round by an NBA team on draft day.

Villanova’s redshirt freshman center, Omari Spellman put forth a solid performance, as he played well in all facets of the game to help lift Team 2 Gray to a double-digit victory over their opponents. Spellman showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays, as he excelled as a finisher around the basket. He often would score on tip-ins to help his team after leaping up to grab offensive boards, and he also ran the floor to throw down a powerful dunk on a fast break.

He also shot the ball well, and Spellman was able to knock down an open spot-up three off the catch. He also flashed some low post scoring skills, as he drew free throws on a face-up jumper after posting up. However, he missed on a step-through move on a separate possession. He also displayed good playmaking skills. Spellman did a good job of passing out of the post, and he would make the extra pass to collect a wealth of assists. He is a patient player that sees the floor well as he possesses good court sense. But he did commit a couple of turnovers, as he threw an inaccurate low entry pass that skipped out of bounds, and he also shuffled his feet while looking to pass another time that led him to commit a traveling violation.

He did a very good job of collecting rebounds when he was on the court. Spellman was quite active at crashing the glass to help his team on both ends of the floor, and he also would come away with tough offensive boards in traffic. In addition, he showed a knack for scoring on second chance points after getting offensive rebounds. Spellman also played solid defense. He really shored up the interior defense by displaying his shot blocking prowess inside the paint, as he managed to swat a floater off of a drive, as well as another in the post to force misses.

He also did a very good job of playing passing lanes, as he would tip passes to teammates to help his team get steals, and he also poked a ball off of an opponent to force another opponent. Also, Spellman used his length and timing to successfully contest a three-point shot another time. In summary, Omari Spellman played very well, as he excelled in all facets of this game. He is an athletic, skilled center that can help his team in many different ways, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the late first to the second round range of the upcoming draft.

Kansas’ senior point guard, Devonte’ Graham also had a solid showing, as he helped Team 2 Gray to a win over Team 3 White. He excelled as a shooter, scorer, and facilitator, and he also showed off some defensive skills when he was on the court. Graham showed a penchant for knocking down jumpers to effectively space the floor for his team. He really excelled at making threes both off the catch and dribble, and he also managed to calmly knock down a pull-up, mid-range jump shot. Graham also was able to score on a drive in transition. But on a separate play after using a ball fake, he ended up missing on a half-court drive when taking it to the rim.

He also displayed decent playmaking skills. Graham is an unselfish player that will move the basketball to set up scores for his teammates, and he can find teammates off the dribble. However, sometimes he would throw inaccurate passes that would end up getting intercepted by the opposition. He also exhibited decent defensive skills. Graham was able to jump a pass to get a steal, and he also managed to find a loose ball to help his team collect another. Another time, he managed to poke a ball away that went out of bounds. However, sometimes he can struggle to defend in one-on-one situations, which can lead him to commit fouls.

In summary, Devonte’ Graham played well to lift his team to a victory, as he shot the ball well to help his team on offense. He is a smart playmaker that can calmly run a team, and he also shoots the ball well, as he could end up going in the late first to the second round range on draft day.

Auburn’s 6-11 sophomore center, Austin Wiley had a fairly good showing, as he excelled as an inside scorer and interior defender to help Team 3 White in this game. He did a good job of scoring in the low post. Wiley is a powerful player that can score on drop step moves, and he also managed to throw down a couple of dunks around the basket. He also scored on a jump hook, and he showed a penchant for drawing free throws. But sometimes, he would struggle with his shooting touch, as he ended missing on a couple of jump hooks.

Wiley also possesses a good motor, and he was able to score on a tip-in off of an offensive rebound. He also displayed adequate defensive skills. Wiley managed to swat a shot off of a drive out of bounds, and he would actively contest shots to force misses. But sometimes, he can play too aggressively on this end, which can lead him to commit fouls.

Overall, Austin Wiley played fairly well when he was on the court, and he excelled as an interior player on both ends of the court. He is a mobile, physical big man that can get numerous scores around the basket, and he could end up being a second round pick this year.

South Carolina’s Brian Bowen had a fairly good game, as he was able to collect a double-double to help Team 2 Gray get the win. He would make hustle plays on both ends of the floor, and he also showed off some shooting skills on offense. Bowen did a very good job of scoring on hustle plays. He would often could tough offensive rebounds, and he would score on tough put backs afterwards. He also ran the floor to catch a lob pass, as he was able to score in transition.

Plus, he also showed a decent ability to score off the dribble. Bowen was able to make a tough fadeaway jumper off of a drive. However, he had trouble scoring when posting up, and he also had his shot blocked when driving on the break another time. He did make a three in transition, but Bowen had trouble consistently knocking down jumpers when he would hoist up shots that were outside of the paint area.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills. Bowen would play unselfishly as he would look to get the ball to his teammates to set up scoring chances for them. However, he can also be inaccurate with his passes, and he also had a ball poked away to commit a turnover once. Bowen did a great job of rebounding the basketball, as he would frequently haul in boards when he was on the floor due to possessing very good athleticism, motor, and instincts. He also displayed fairly average defensive skills. Bowen would play passing lanes, and he also was able to contest a mid-range shot to force a miss. But sometimes, he can be late on his rotations or get beat off the dribble, which can occasionally lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

In summary, Brian Bowen showed off versatile scoring skills and he also rebounded the ball well. Right now, it’s looking unlikely that the NCAA will make a ruling before or on May 30th, so Bowen will probably end up staying in the NBA draft. If he does so, he could be an intriguing option for NBA teams to take in the second round, as they could stash him in the G-League for a year, and then bring him up whenever they deem him ready to play in the association.

Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie had a fairly good game on this day. He did a good job of making pull-up, mid-range jumpers, and he also made an open spot-up three to show off his ability to shoot the basketball. He also would score on hustle plays, and he was able to score on an emphatic dunk after being left open underneath the basket. However, he struggled to score consistently on drives to the basket, as he really had trouble connecting on floaters.

Okogie displayed fairly good playmaking skills. He did a good job of making passes off the dribble to set up scores for his teammates, and he is an unselfish player that sees the floor well. But sometimes he would get the ball poked away, as he can play too fast at times. He also would help out on the boards, as he would collect multiple boards on both ends of the floor. In general, Josh Okogie had a decent showing in this game, as he excelled as a scorer and facilitator when he was on the floor. He had a solid combine this year, and he could end up being a good pick for an NBA team in the late first to the second round on draft day.

Louisville’s Ray Spalding played fairly well on both ends of the floor, as he is a very athletic big man that can make hustle plays to help his team in games. He did a good job of scoring on cuts and in transition, as he managed to catch a lob pass to score on an alley-oop dunk, and he also dribbled to score on a thunderous dunk on the break. Plus, he showed off decent low post scoring skills, as he can score on jump hooks.

In addition, he generally defended well, as he would block shots from both inside and outside of the paint, and he would poke balls away from opposing ball handlers. In addition, he also managed to catch a pass thrown his way to get a steal. But there was one occasion where he had trouble defending a stronger opponent down low, as he got backed down to allow a score inside.

In summary, Ray Spalding put forth a good performance as he made some good plays on both ends of the floor to help Team 2 Gray get the win. He is an athletic, energetic big man that could project to be a defensive specialist, and he could end up being a worthwhile pick for an NBA team in the second round of the upcoming draft.