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Duke guys crushing the NBA combine

jwill133

Devils Illustrated Hall of Famer
Feb 25, 2016
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https://stats.nba.com/draft/combine/

Some very early combine results.

Trevon Duval had the 2nd highest veritical leap at the combine, tied with 2 others. Grayson had the 3rd highest vertical, tied with Diallo (last year's highest vertical.)

Standing vertical: Trevon Duval also had the 2nd highest. SHOCKER here: Gary Trent had the 3rd highest standing vertical jump.
 
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Grayson apparently testing very well athletically according to Givony. He would be a perfect pick for a late first round team like Boston. You get a combo guard ready to come off the bench day 1. The four years at Duke will serve him great during this interview/workout process.
 
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I’m not surprised by Trevon & Grayson’s jumping... but I’m shocked at Gary having the 3rd highest standing vertical..
 
Here’s a couple other interesting things I saw..

Wendell is under 6’9” without shoes (but his wingspan is 7’4.5”).. he also has almost the smallest hands of any of the forwards (and shorter or same length as several of the guards).

Trevon has longer hands than Grayson, Gary, & Wendell!
 
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"Grayson apparently testing very well athletically according to Givony. He would be a perfect pick for a late first round team like Boston"

Grayson to the Celtics wuld be cool. He reminds me of John "Hondo" Havilcek, one of their all-time greats. I doubt that Havilicek had Grayson's vertical. Hondo has a firey competitive spirit and a motor that simply wore people out.
 
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I’m not surprised by Trevon & Grayson’s jumping... but I’m shocked at Gary having the 3rd highest standing vertical..

He always looked like he could post up smaller guards due to his size, strength and athletic ability and he had a good mid range game because he could stop and rise up quickly to shoot - but it never really developed or was a point of emphasis of our offense. Plus he didnt really show these skills as often as he wanted to shoot the 3. I thought it was a missed opportunity for last year - for him and the team. He will be a good NBA player I think.
 
Did MB35 not participate?
He did not participate. The top 3-5 guys rarely do participate. I’m assuming this is advice given by the agents. No sense in hurting that draft stock.

For example, Tatum and Ingram did not participate in the combine the past 2 years.

Wendell Carter JR did participate, however.
 
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How about Grayson to Boston and JJ signing there! :) I’d take one and become a Celtics fan lol. Don’t really have a favorite team in the NBA . It used to be the 76ers with AI. I have favorite players that usually have me puling for a specific team. I know I’m pullimg for anybody other then the warriors I can say that .
 
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He did not participate. The top 3-5 guys rarely do participate. I’m assuming this is advice given by the agents. No sense in hurting that draft stock.

For example, Tatum and Ingram did not participate in the combine the past 2 years.

Wendell Carter JR did participate, however.

Yeah the top 3 guys usually just works out for the team with the top 3 picks.
 
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How about Grayson to Boston and JJ signing there! :) I’d take one and become a Celtics fan lol. Don’t really have a favorite team in the NBA . It used to be the 76ers with AI. I have favorite players that usually have me puling for a specific team. I know I’m pullimg for anybody other then the warriors I can say that .

It's causing me a problem too. Always been a Hawks fan and looks like they may get Bagley, but with Boston already having Kyrie and Tatum, it's hard not to pull for them. If they sign another Dukie, that's going to make it really tough not to be a fan.
 
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Given the plethora of future draft picks the Celtics have (A LOT of picks, most importantly the Kings UNPROTECTED pick next year, good chance it's top 3, HELLO RJ OR CAM). Along with an already full, young roster. I'd be willing to bet that the Celtics use this year's 27th pick on a Euro guy to "draft and stash."

Makes sense, they keep a guy off their books for a few years while maintaining his rights. Or I bet they trade the pick.

Philly at pick 26 or GS at pick 28 would be very interesting for Grayson too. Atlanta also has pick 30, Grayson and Bags???
 
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I was curious where Grayson's vert ranks on the all white boy list since 2000. You're welcome.

44.0 Pat Connaughton 2015
43.0 Matt Santangelo 2000
42.0 Donte DiVencenzo 2018
40.5 Miles Plumlee 2012
40.5 Grayson Allen 2018
39.5 Jake Layman 2016
38.5 Chase Budinger 2009
 
I was curious where Grayson's vert ranks on the all white boy list since 2000. You're welcome.

44.0 Pat Connaughton 2015
43.0 Matt Santangelo 2000
42.0 Donte DiVencenzo 2018
40.5 Miles Plumlee 2012
40.5 Grayson Allen 2018
39.5 Jake Layman 2016
38.5 Chase Budinger 2009
Solid research. Everyone is lucky Nick Horvath didn’t test at the combine, that vert would have been 50, easy!
 
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Solid research. Everyone is lucky Nick Horvath didn’t test at the combine, that vert would have been 50, easy!

I find it odd that Gerald only jumped 35.0 and Dahntay Jones 39.5. There must be some technique to this vert measurement, or adrenalin must play a role because those two seemed like they could get up higher than Grayson and Miles. Wait, is this related to Yanny/Laurel?
 
I find it odd that Gerald only jumped 35.0 and Dahntay Jones 39.5. There must be some technique to this vert measurement, or adrenalin must play a role because those two seemed like they could get up higher than Grayson and Miles. Wait, is this related to Yanny/Laurel?

What stood out to me with those two was their hang time. That should be the next combine measurement.:)
 
Danny Ainge must have a soft spot for Grayson. He loves guys who compete like their lives are on the line. And honestly he probably likes the tripping nonsense. Who knows?
 
I was curious where Grayson's vert ranks on the all white boy list since 2000. You're welcome.

44.0 Pat Connaughton 2015
43.0 Matt Santangelo 2000
42.0 Donte DiVencenzo 2018
40.5 Miles Plumlee 2012
40.5 Grayson Allen 2018
39.5 Jake Layman 2016
38.5 Chase Budinger 2009

One of the reasons why Miles went in the 1st round
 
I was curious where Grayson's vert ranks on the all white boy list since 2000. You're welcome.

44.0 Pat Connaughton 2015
43.0 Matt Santangelo 2000
42.0 Donte DiVencenzo 2018
40.5 Miles Plumlee 2012
40.5 Grayson Allen 2018
39.5 Jake Layman 2016
38.5 Chase Budinger 2009
I didn’t realize DiVencenzo got up like that. Nor did I know that about Connaughton. That guy is a stud athlete. I think he was a first round pick for baseball too.
 
I find it odd that Gerald only jumped 35.0 and Dahntay Jones 39.5. There must be some technique to this vert measurement, or adrenalin must play a role because those two seemed like they could get up higher than Grayson and Miles. Wait, is this related to Yanny/Laurel?
I tried to think of a better dunker than Dahntay it Gerald, and...I don’t know?

Corey Maggette but we only got 1 year of coming off the bench dunks. Oh wait, we got Zion.
 
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Danny Ainge was a hard nosed guard in his days with those great Celtic teams of the 80's...I can see Grayson being the same type player.FYI..a lot of people did not know that Danny Ainge.also played Major League Baseball,he was a 3rd base man for Blue Jays in the early 80's before he switched to Basketball full time
 
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Danny Ainge was a hard nosed guard in his days with those great Celtic teams of the 80's...I can see Grayson being the same type player.FYI..a lot of people did not know that Danny Ainge.also played Major League Baseball,he was a 3rd base man for Blue Jays in the early 80's before he switched to Basketball full time


He's a lot like Ainge. Danny would not back down from anyone (remember Tree Rollins) and neither will Grayson. OFC
 
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Danny Ainge was a hard nosed guard in his days with those great Celtic teams of the 80's...I can see Grayson being the same type player.FYI..a lot of people did not know that Danny Ainge.also played Major League Baseball,he was a 3rd base man for Blue Jays in the early 80's before he switched to Basketball full time
Damn I had no idea Ainge played MLB.
 
Given the plethora of future draft picks the Celtics have (A LOT of picks, most importantly the Kings UNPROTECTED pick next year, good chance it's top 3, HELLO RJ OR CAM). Along with an already full, young roster. I'd be willing to bet that the Celtics use this year's 27th pick on a Euro guy to "draft and stash."

Makes sense, they keep a guy off their books for a few years while maintaining his rights. Or I bet they trade the pick.

Philly at pick 26 or GS at pick 28 would be very interesting for Grayson too. Atlanta also has pick 30, Grayson and Bags???

If the Celts get a top 2-3 pick next year, it is Bol Bol. They are going to need to replace the aging Horford at SOME point. Bol Bol looks like an elite rim protector and rebounder, with intriguing perimeter shooting potential.
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If the Celts at Bol Bol next year, they'll be set up for a decade of serious title contention.
 
If the Celts get a top 2-3 pick next year, it is Bol Bol. They are going to need to replace the aging Horford at SOME point. Bol Bol looks like an elite rim protector and rebounder, with intriguing perimeter shooting potential.
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If the Celts at Bol Bol next year, they'll be set up for a decade of serious title contention.
I’m not totally sold on Bol Bol, but that’s partially because he isn’t playing for Duke next year.

His game does seem to fit the direction the NBA is heading though.
 
I’m not totally sold on Bol Bol, but that’s partially because he isn’t playing for Duke next year.

His game does seem to fit the direction the NBA is heading though.

Next year, the Celts can afford to over draft a guy based on need. Kind of like how the Spurs drafted Kahwi higher than many pundits had him rated. They needed a defensive stopper to deploy against the plethora of Western Conf wings (with LBJ at the end of the rainbow). That he turned into a top tier offensive player and MVP candidate was just gravy.
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The Celts are set on the wing and at PG (in some way, shape, or form). As great as Horford has been for them, he is in his mid 30s, and they say "fall off a cliff" rather than "stroll down the gentle decline" for a reason. Point being, that sometime in the next 3ish years they are going to NEED a defensive big man. Next year they can take a guy and have 1-2 years to get him up to speed.
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I really wouldn't be surprised if they Tatum some other team next year, trading a top 1-2 pick for a slightly later pick and some other pieces.
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A lot of that will depend on Bol Bol, as well as Little, Reddish, and RJ. Given what Jaylen Brown and Tatum are doing, those 3 wings might be hot properties next year. A team drafting 4th or 5th might be willing to give up a lot to move up to 1st or 2nd.
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That said, if Bol Bol really turns into a fairly mobile big that swats tons of shots while displaying a quality perimeter shot, the Celt might not be able to gamble on him being there at 4-5. They might want to grab on with both hands to the defender they'll need for the next decade.
 
What I find very interesting when it comes to Duke and the one and done's going forward with their careers in the nba, is that of the three classes up to now, the one's that aren't doing as well in the league happen to be the class of 15 that had the best success at Duke. Bagley is expected to be really good, and Carter is thought to do well too. Coincidence or not?

What I don't think is arguable though is the group in 15 were studs but didn't have to have the ball in their hands. Okafor dominated early, and faded a tad toward the end. You couldn't tell if any one of those three had 5 points or 20 points. Not so sure about a couple on the last two teams.
 
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What I find very interesting when it comes to Duke and the one and done's going forward with their careers in the nba, is that of the three classes up to now, the one's that aren't doing as well in the league happen to be the class of 15 that had the best success at Duke. Bagley is expected to be really good, and Carter is thought to do well too. Coincidence or not?

What I don't think is arguable though is the group in 15 were studs but didn't have to have the ball in their hands. Okafor dominated early, and faded a tad toward the end. You couldn't tell if any one of those three had 5 points or 20 points. Not so sure about a couple on the last two teams.

Oak was built to dominate college ball. Even so, his weaknesses were obvious at the time, and glaring in hindsight. He was so bad on D, and not really a dominant rebounder. Looking at the bare rebounding numbers, around 10 a game, one could easily think Oak was a good rebounder in college. Given our small ball style, and the dearth of bigs in college, and Oak's physical attributes, he should have been hovering up 13+ boards a game. Him getting 10 would have been like Bags getting 7-8. Decent, but not great. Given how much the NBA needs its bigs to rebound and defend, Oak's weaknesses were glaring.
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Wins looks like a guy that will be a solid NBA starter. He happened to have a good year shooting at Duke. I think if he'd come back to Duke to be a soph, his perimeter shooting would have dipped, if only slightly. That is who he was and is as a shooter. Taking a few steps back to shoot in the NBA hasn't done him any favors.
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Tyus's athletic limitations are what they are. He's getting as much out of his natural gifts as anyone in the NBA.
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I think we all underestimated what Quinn meant to that team. Ditto Matt Jones and Amile. Perfect role players.
 
What I find very interesting when it comes to Duke and the one and done's going forward with their careers in the nba, is that of the three classes up to now, the one's that aren't doing as well in the league happen to be the class of 15 that had the best success at Duke. Bagley is expected to be really good, and Carter is thought to do well too. Coincidence or not?

What I don't think is arguable though is the group in 15 were studs but didn't have to have the ball in their hands. Okafor dominated early, and faded a tad toward the end. You couldn't tell if any one of those three had 5 points or 20 points. Not so sure about a couple on the last two teams.

The last 2 years featured OADs that should have been the top options on the team.
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Duke didn't fail because the OADs were lacking. Duke didn't excel because of flawed coaching.
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It is now GLARINGLY obvious that Tatum should have been the first option, and the second option, and the 4th option. Luke should have been the third option. Grayson should have been coming off the bench from January on in his junior year. Last year, K should have adopted a PnR offense that would have lead to a steady diet of point blank looks for either Bags or Carter, or put back chances for Bags or Carter, or finishes at the rim for TD, or WIDE open looks for Grayson and Trent. A "reduced" emphasis on Allen would have lead to a better year statistically. His overall number would have gone down in a PnR scheme, but his efficiency would have skyrocketed. A PnR would have maxed out the team's abilities, but we didn't run that.
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In 15, the scheme matched the abilities of our team, with the correct players being featured/utilized in the correct manner/order. The last 2, and probably last 3, years featured strategies that were sub-optimal wrt to our personnel.
 
The last 2 years featured OADs that should have been the top options on the team.
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Duke didn't fail because the OADs were lacking. Duke didn't excel because of flawed coaching.
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It is now GLARINGLY obvious that Tatum should have been the first option, and the second option, and the 4th option. Luke should have been the third option. Grayson should have been coming off the bench from January on in his junior year. Last year, K should have adopted a PnR offense that would have lead to a steady diet of point blank looks for either Bags or Carter, or put back chances for Bags or Carter, or finishes at the rim for TD, or WIDE open looks for Grayson and Trent. A "reduced" emphasis on Allen would have lead to a better year statistically. His overall number would have gone down in a PnR scheme, but his efficiency would have skyrocketed. A PnR would have maxed out the team's abilities, but we didn't run that.
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In 15, the scheme matched the abilities of our team, with the correct players being featured/utilized in the correct manner/order. The last 2, and probably last 3, years featured strategies that were sub-optimal wrt to our personnel.
Name the sole go to guy on ANY of our 5 title teams? One could say Laettner, but we know who he played along side, so that's not true. He wanted to win so bad he didn't care who scored the points. Name the first option on the 01 and 10 team. There wasn't one. They were a team, and that's my point. The three one and done's on the 15 team played the game like the one's on the title teams before them, and that's exactly why Duke won the title that year.
 
If the Celts at Bol Bol next year, they'll be set up for a decade of serious title contention.
I wish dynasties lasted that long. In the NBA, with how contracts are, 5 year runs are about all you can expect. The Spurs are unique, having that core be good for 10+ years and not get greedy. Brad Stevens will have to make moves to stay at the top for 8 more years.
 
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