Draft workout notes: Damian Jones, Diamond Stone, coaching note, and more

The Toronto Raptors held their latest set of pre-draft workouts with media availability on Monday, opening their doors at the end of dual sessions. Yes, dual sessions! After six prospects worked out together, a separate individual workout was held for Domantas Sabonis. We’ll cover off Sabonis on his own in a separate post, because the names in Workout One were interesting enough on their own.

Those names, like with the six-man workout last week, focused mostly on potential options with the No. 27 pick. Whereas Sabonis isn’t likely to be around at that point, the other group included players ranging from potentially in the late lottery to all the way off the draft radar, providing for a nice mix of skill sets and allowing the team to once again gather information to serve multiple potential ends (using the second pick, acquiring a second-rounder, filling the summer league/D-League rosters, and so on).

“We don’t have a second-round pick right now. So we’re essentially looking at first round guys and then everyone else, is kind of the way we’re approaching it,” assistant general manager Dan Tolzman, who is likely getting sick of me at this point, said. “We’re trying to find guys that, if there’s a chance that this guy can go undrafted, is this a guy that would consider the D-League route? You start looking at players a little bit differently that way.”

But again, it’s not as if these names were uninteresting, and there was a fun mix of player types, especially when Sabonis is figured in. Specifically, there are a few high-athleticism types and a few that rely on different skills, creating a nice contrast of styles across the day.

“I wouldn’t say we put an emphasis on one over the other. I think you look at the players through different lights,” Tolzman said when specifically asked about Sabonis’ athleticism. “You cater to his strengths. You need to put him in situations – you’re not gonna be throwing back-door alley-oops to him all the time. The other guys, if that’s what they do, yeah, you put them in that situation. I wouldn’t say we’re looking for one or the other or anything like that, but you take it into account.”

Makes sense, right? Alright, into individual notes.

Player Notes

Here’s the full list of players who attended the workout:

Brandon Austin
Chad Ford Rank: Unranked, DraftExpress Rank: Unranked

With a complicated backstory that this post can’t really do justice, Austin’s a bit of an eye-catching name to see on the workout sheet. I recommend catching up on the story here, here, and here. You can make your own judgments from there, or not.

Winston Shepard
Chad Ford Rank: 152, DraftExpress Rank: Unranked

The Raptors love them some long, wiry, versatile defenders who maybe don’t have the best jump shots yet. Shepard fits the bill (we don’t have a recent wingspan measurement on him, mind you), and he could be a weapon in transition. He’s a pretty decent passer and ball-handler for a wing, too, averaging three assists as a senior. The overall offensive production isn’t really there, but as a potential undrafted summer league invitee, there are certainly less interesting names.

Jake Layman
Chad Ford Rank: 52, DraftExpress Rank: 49

There was a time last March when it looked like Layman may have been best served entering the draft a year early. Fast-forward a season, and it’s not even certain he’ll hear his name called. He can definitely shoot, though, knocking down just shy of 40 percent of his threes as a senior, and the stroke is pretty (like, Rashida Jones pretty). The question becomes whether he can offer enough elsewhere – he was a capable, versatile defender in college and has the size and athleticism to potentially guard either forward spot, but his wingspan measured equal to his height (6-foot-9), he’s not particularly strong, and in four years he never really developed into a shot-creator. “3-and-D” prospects are still pretty trendy, so maybe the fact that Layman’s already comfortable in a secondary role is actually a plus. And if anyone throws out “sneaky athletic” for Layman, they’ll catch these hands – there’s nothing sneaky at all about it. The dude just floats.

Damian Jones
Chad Ford Rank: 24, DraftExpress Rank: 22

The lone prospect in the group who may not be around at No. 27, Jones has held steady just outside the lottery since as far back as last January. Going back for a junior season doesn’t seem to have hurt him much despite mostly stagnant production, although it didn’t answer the biggest question mark around him, his inconsistency. There’s loads to like with Jones, given his size, athleticism, and shooting range, and while I’m not really one for player comparables, Chad Ford throwing out a “think DeAndre Jordan” about the size-athleticism combo raises the eyebrows. I’d venture a guess that the biggest focus of this workout was seeing how Jones responded to the intensity (I’m told each of the team’s workouts have been intentionally gruelling), and Jones saved a little something for the workout-closing 10-dunk drill by throwing down some vicious dunks to end his day.

“Oh yeah, you know, show ’em a little something,” Jones said, laughing. “You know, try to show some athleticism.”

The most interesting note from speaking with Jones, who’s worked out with Phoenix, San Antonio, and Atlanta, was that he wants to be a power forward despite measuring just shy of 7-foot in shoes.

“I want to be a four. I have the game, the outside shot and some ball-handling skills. But whichever way I fit, it works for me. I can play the five or the four,” he said. He noted his outside shot is something he’s working on to try to add to that versatility and become the unique type of rim protector-plus-floor spacer combo (the Myles Turner model). “Oh yeah, plus the dunks.”

Jones, by the way, has an 80-grade laugh. It’s infectious.

Diamond Stone
Chad Ford Rank: 32, DraftExpress Rank: 33

There was some question as to whether Stone would stay in the draft after his stock fell a bit during the course of the season, but he’s reportedly hired an agency. He’s one of the more interesting names late in the first round (Ford pegs his range as a very broad 20-40), as his talent level is through the roof. The issue is that he doesn’t really have the requisite athleticism of a typical modern big, and while he’s solid and physical, he didn’t measure particularly well at the combine (he’s not small, but the measurements were less than maybe was anticipated).

Still, given his developing range, footwork in the post, passing ability (he agreed this may have been under-utilized some at Maryland), and good shot-blocking instincts, there’s enough skill here to intrigue despite the limitations. And on that athleticism note, he posted the best time (22 seconds) I’ve been in the gym for yet in the 10-dunk drill (pick a ball up off the ground, dunk, pick a ball up off the ground, dunk, etc) which is pretty impressive.

Stone, who has also worked out for Atlanta, Charlotte, and Phoenix, spoke about his developing range and trying to establish himself as an inside-out threat.

“I have a left, right hook, running hook, great footwork on the post,” Stone said. “But as the game’s evolving, you know, I have to be able to step out, hit the three, step out, hit the mid-range. I can’t be too predictable. Once I get that mid-range and that 3-point a little bit more consistent, I think that I’ll be really dangerous.”

I didn’t get to see enough of his shooting to judge how that’s coming along, but it would be an intriguing addition to the profile.

Stephen Zimmerman
Chad Ford Rank: 42, DraftExpress Rank: 35

At one point this season, Zimmerman was sniffing the lottery in mock drafts. That fall from grace could mean one of two things: A chance to buy low, or that he was previously overrated and earned the fall. He’s a skilled 7-footer with a nice inside-out game and the ability to get out in transition, and he’s a solid shot-blocker. Big men who are 19 almost universally have flaws, though, and Zimmerman’s pertained to the interior (strength, post moves) and, not surprisingly, consistency. He’s a project – especially physically – so the Raptors taking him would likely mean ample time with Raptors 905 and a continued search for a backup center (or hey, Bebe). It’s going to be tough for teams late in the first, who largely can’t commit minutes to a rookie anyway, to see “shot blocking and floor spacing” checked off and not take a long look.

Assorted

*Rex Kalamian is staying on Dwane Casey’s staff for 2016-17, per Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. The Raptors previously gave permission for Kalamian to interview with the Houston Rockets, and there were said to be multiple other teams interested in his services. The Raptors, however, have since denied teams permission to interview Kalamian and Andy Greer and, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, are working to secure both for the long-term. Failing that, the team holds options on both for next season, while Nick Nurse is still under contract.

*That doesn’t mean the organization still isn’t at risk for a bit of brain-drain at some point this offseason, though.

*Negus Webster-Chan was working out at the facility in between the two primary workouts. He’s from Scarborough and played at Hawaii (with Stefan Jankovic, who was in twice last week), and could be on the Raptors 905 radar.

*Here’s Tolzman on the “10-dunk” drill I’ve mentioned a few times during this process: “Those aren’t so much, we’re not looking for explosion or anything like that. You’re looking a lot at the footwork of drills like that, getting down, getting the ball, not traveling, keeping their balance right and their center of gravity low. Those kind of things are more what you’re looking for as much as the explosion.”

*ONE IMPORTANT NOTE ON THIS PROCESS: We’re going to hear a lot of names rumored or reported to be coming in/meeting/working out/etc. I’m not always going to pass them on, especially this early in the process. A lot of it is due diligence and doesn’t mean a ton (Jaylen Brown, for example), and they’re also just low-value posts (“Rumor: Player X to work out”). And sometimes there will be (good) reasons the team doesn’t want the names public. Obviously, feel free to comment and discuss those rumors (Hoops Hype is a good source for rumor aggregation) in the comments/forums, I just may not always throw a post up. Closer to the draft, that information becomes a little more important.

*The Raptors may or may not have media availability for workouts again this week, it remains to be determined. So far, they’ve brought in 21 players to BioSteel, and, of course, they’ve surely done some off-site or private workouts that were kept quiet for a reason.