Reports out of Orlando where this year's camp is being held have said Hairston has cut about 20 pounds from his frame and is turning NBA Scouts and Executive's heads with his high basketball IQ and blue collar work ethic.
It is pretty much a given Hairston won't be drafted in the 1st round of the Draft unless he blows away a few teams in individual workouts that will start up in the next few days but after this week it is safe to say early 2nd round is very possible for the senior.
With Hairston only 21 his ceiling for his game hasn't been reached and now 20 pounds lighter and not playing the Power Forward spot and instead focusing on the shooting guard/small forward spots will allow Hairston a better chance of making an NBA roster and being a regular player on a team's rotation.
The latest news out of the NBA Pre-Draft Camp is that Hairston has been named to the Pre-Draft Camp 1st Team allong with Gary Forbes(Umass), Othello Harrington(Ohio State), Brian Roberts(Dayton), and Mike Taylor (Idaho Stampede NBDL).
Here is the recent article done by DraftExpress which is the best source for NBA Draft news.
A player no one fathomed would step foot on this setting (besides possibly
to conduct a physical) when he entered the NCAA four years ago as a top-10
player in an incredible class, Malik Hairston did a pretty good job reminding people in
Orlando why he was so highly regarded to begin with.
Smart, efficient, unselfish, skilled and sporting much sleeker physique
(credit Joe Abunassar for helping him lose 20 pounds) than he did two months
ago, Malik Hairston quietly, but effectively showed that he has
every right to be considered one of the top players at the pre-draft camp. His
court vision and all-around feel for the game was the most noticeable thing here
comparing him with other players, as he repeatedly found his teammates with
beautiful bounce passes off the dribble in every game he played in (even if for
some reason he wasn’t credited with at least a half-dozen assists in the
box-score).
His ball-handling skills look better than we remembered, as he’s extremely
effective picking his spots and blowing past his man with his surprising first
step, even if he tends to struggle a bit with his left hand and some of his
advanced moves. His excellent strength helps him out considerably in this area,
and he was getting much better lift elevating around the basket than we
recalled. He rarely turns the ball over, which is a big plus considering what
his role will be in the NBA.
Hairston is a good shooter, as evidenced by the 53% he shot from the field
and 43% from behind the arc at Oregon, even if he didn’t really make it a focal
point to show off NBA range here. He does a good job moving without the ball and
is capable of coming off short screens and getting his shot off. He’s extremely
dangerous with his feet set, but is just average at best shooting off the
dribble. To his credit, though, he knows how to pick his spots and rarely will
take bad shots. He will have to improve his mid-range game considerably if he
intends on becoming a legit offensive option for his team in the NBA.
Defensively, Hairston has good length and knows how to play solid on-ball
defense when he puts his mind to it. He has excellent timing and strength, but
is slightly undersized to play the small forward position, and doesn’t bring
fantastic lateral quickness to the table to compensate. He is also not the most
aggressive or aware player you’ll find in terms of his team defense.
Hairston probably didn’t blow anyone away with what he showed at the
pre-draft camp, and thus is still most likely a second round pick at this point,
but he did show that he clearly has what it takes to make it in the NBA,
particularly in terms of his aggressiveness, which has always been a question
mark. Teams aren’t going to have to teach him how to play basketball, and he
still has room to continue to improve on his all-around skill-level, as he’s a
very young senior at just age 21. He’ll never be the star he was once billed as,
but he definitely has a chance to be a very good role player.
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2 comments:
Believe it or not, I always felt Malik Hairston has had more NBA potential than anyone else on this team.
And he plays good against good teams. Remember against Florida last year? If he can go inside up against Speights, Horford, Noah, and Brewer, he can go against anyone.
Good luck to him for sure...Malik will be a good role player and now that his measurements check out he should have a great shot at being drafted. Taylor and Maarty's measurements weren't as good as hoped though 6'2" and 6'7" so this will hurt their chances in the draft.
Good luck guys!!
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