Bucks Pre-Draft Workouts: 5/16:

The following players are in attendance for today’s workout:
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• Hamidou Diallo (G, Kentucky)
• L.J. Peak (G, Georgetown)
• Sterling Brown (G, SMU)
• Nigel Hayes (F, Wisconsin)
• Jalen Moore (F, Utah State)
• Deng Adel (F, Louisville)

From Scott Phillips at NBC Sports on Hamidou Diallo. He impressed with athletic testing at the combine. Supposedly questions about his jump shot:

Kentucky redshirt freshman guard Hamidou Diallo is attempting to become the first “none-and-done” player of all time. He spent the second semester this season on the Wildcat roster while going through practices, but he was redshirted to prepare for next season. But Diallo decided to gather information by going through the NBA Draft process and participating in Combine testing.

And as a former five-star prospect who is an elite athlete at shooting guard, Diallo really showed well for himself by going through this process.

Diallo had plenty of buzz in Chicago with his 44.5″ max vertical leap — which would be the highest mark of any player drafted into the NBA since they started testing for this. Also second in shuttle run time (2.79) and third in three-quarter court sprint (3.11) at this year’s combine, Diallo showed that he could be a mega athlete at the next level while he could be steadily climbing up boards.

For perspective, Diallo’s max vertical was three inches higher than Zach LaVine while also running slightly faster. And Diallo also measured well as he was 6’5″ with a 6’11” wingspan. (H/T to Julian Applebome at Draft Express for that great Diallo/LaVine tidbit.)

It was also smart of Diallo to pull out of of the five-on-five portion of the Combine because it might have exposed some flaws in his overall skill level. Diallo might still need to work on the inconsistent jumper that he showed in high school and he might also stand to improve his handle with the ball. But by skipping out on playing at the combine, Diallo protects himself to a degree as only teams who are serious about him will get to see what he’s capable of in private workouts.

All it takes is for one team to fall in love with Diallo during a workout and suddenly he sneaks into the first round of the NBA Draft. That’s not necessarily a foregone conclusion at this point, but Diallo has a lot of people saying good things about him at this point in the process.

Diallo seems to fit with who the Bucks have taken of late. Athletic player without college experience like Giannis and Maker. Vaughan also a real young guy drafted.

Athletic ability is off the charts, but he would need to show some ability to shoot because that is what the Bucks lack. I think the Bucks like this kid, and most of the players where the Bucks pick are crap shoots. It will be interesting to see who drops to the Bucks.

Diallo says the Bucks have "high interest" in him. I have never seen Diallo play, so not sure what type of shooter he is. NBC sports says his shot needs work. Nigel Hayes, who is familiar with Diallo, says Diallo can shoot. Bucks really do not need more unreliable perimeter shooting. If Diallo's shot is decent now, it might be worth the risk at #17 (hoping he can improve over time).

http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports...out/323906001/