Chad Ford raves about Willie, Devin and Dakari

by:Mrs. Tyler Thompson06/09/15

@MrsTylerKSR

[caption id="attachment_171915" align="alignnone" width="600"]Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics[/caption] There's only a few weeks left until the Draft and at this point, it's getting difficult to keep up with all of the Draft Cats' workouts. Fortunately, it seems like every former Cat is making the most of their opportunities and impressing the scouts, and yesterday, Chad Ford posted a lengthy column praising three in particular: Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker, and Dakari Johnson. Here are his thoughts on their performances over the past week.

Willie Cauley-Stein

"He's freakishly athletic, and he moves laterally as well as any big man I've ever seen (that includes Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond). He's bouncy and just glides up and down the floor. There's a reason teams think he might be able to guard all five positions on the floor, and everything he did in Los Angeles confirmed that ability."
Ford added that Willie's "bulked up considerably" since the season, but is still a work in progress when it comes to ball handling and creating off the dribble. Ford expects the Knicks to take Willie at #4 or the Kings at #6.

Devin Booker

Although Booker is labeled as a shooter, Ford said he's been making an effort to show he's more than that with his athleticism.
"Booker's athletic scores were a surprise at the combine. He ended up with the fastest shuttle run (2.75 seconds), fastest lane agility score (10.27 seconds) and a solid 34.5-inch maximum vertical. While the vertical didn't wow anyone, the other two scores did. His athleticism showed in the workout, as well. He gets terrific elevation on his jump shot and showed quickness off the ball and explosiveness at the rim."
I have a feeling Ford's talking about that vine that went around last week of Booker's windmill dunk.

Dakari Johnson

Ford said Dakari's lost weight and could be a valuable backup center in the league for years to come:
He has the requisite size and strength to man the middle, is a good rebounder and in the workout, I watched as he showed a nice midrange jumper, as well. Conditioning has been an issue in the past, but on Saturday, Johnson looked as trim as I've ever seen him.
That's just a sampling of Ford's thoughts on the three. To read them all, head on over to the Worldwide Leader. [ESPN]

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