Local prospect Richardson stands out in Grizzlies' pre-draft workouts
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Reading too much into the Grizzlies' pre-draft workouts would be like reading too much into Matthew Dellavedova's Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals or Tim Tebow's touchdown pass to beat the Steelers in the 2012 NFL playoffs.
Still, Josh Richardson's second appearance at a Grizzlies predraft workout is starting to become an interesting read. The Tennessee Volunteer, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, made his second stop at FedExForum on Friday.
"Josh is extremely athletic. He's long, got long arms," Grizzlies assistant coach Jason March said. "We put him through some of the same stuff we already saw him in, wanted to see him again and put him against smaller guys to see if he could stay with some quickness, like against Andrew (Harrison) with a little bit bigger body and plays the physical game a little bit. He answers a lot of questions real quick because he's so athletic. You can out him in a lot of different things."
There were no bigs in the six-man workout, but Richardson got a chance to flash some ability there.
"He was great with that. He can do multiple things," March said.
Richardson averaged a career-best 16 points per game last season and played more than 36 minutes per. He shot 46.1 percent from the floor and a career-best 35.9 percent from deep. The defensive standout also averaged 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
No bigs, but a chance for the six guards, four of them senior draft entrants -- Georgia State's Ryan Harrow, UC Davis' Corey Hawkins, Western Kentucky's Trency Jackson, Eastern Washington junior Tyler Harvey and Kentucky sophomore Andrew Harrison -- to show they can fit into the new-look NBA style.
"It was good. It was a very tough workout. They went hard. It was a lot of one-on-one stuff," March said. "We made them compete against each other. We even had small guys setting ball-screens. You tell them that's the way the league is going right now. You've got guard-on-guard screens and what-not."
March said the guard-specific workout was geared more toward ball-handling and finishing at the rim against contact.
Memphis needs scoring, and despite the need for immediate draft help Harvey can finish. He led college basketball in scoring last season with 23.1 points per game. A volume shooter, but a volume scorer, Harvey made 46.9 percent of the 15-plus shots he took per game and better than 43 percent on 3-pointers. He is also an 85-percent free-throw shooter and was the nation's best shooter off the dribble.
Harvey isn't big (6-foot-4, 181 pounds) and will have to show an ability to defend at the perimeter, but no one is doubting his shooting ability. He has the knack for coming off screens and dare it be said, has a Steph Curry-esque quick trigger and a Curry-like flair to make off-balance 3-pointers. His shot will get him an NBA shot.
"He can shoot the ball very well. He shoots it with ease, effortless," March said. "He really shoots it with little effort. He comes off of screens very well, uses his length very well. I think he's got a bright future."
Even March snickered at the ease of Harvey's shot. The small-school guard is predicted by Draft Express to go No, 59 to the Atlanta Hawks. March said he feels he's definitely a draft pick.
Harrison may be the most recognizable name of the group, exiting college ball after two seasons -- and two Final Four runs.
"Very polished player. You can see he's been around. He's played a lot of basketball," March said, "You can see his skill level. Nothing bothers him. You tell him what to do and he answers the questions right away. It doesn't take a lot of thinking for him."
Last season he averaged 9.3 points on a wealth-sharing Kentucky team, shot 37.8 percent and 38.3 percent from deep. He averaged 2.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
"When you come in and work. Our head coach (Dave Joerger) is over here and (general manager) Chris Wallace is over here, they see these guys compete," March said. "Everyone's talent level, I'm not going to say it's the same by any means, but we already know what they've got. We want to see them come on and compete."
Speaking of hard work, the 6-foot-2 Jackson is an interesting prospect for the Grizzlies. Unlikely to get drafted, Jackson is an athletic specimen who happens to also be a 40.3-percent 3-point shooter, a number he improved from 32 percent as a junior.
