tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8341706846308561543.post-91581777244256552462008-06-02T22:38:00.000-07:002008-06-02T22:52:06.524-07:00If you have been following the NBA Pre-Draft camp these past few days you wont be surprised to hear that Malik Hairston has made considerable strides in his effort to solididfy getting drafted in this month's NBA Draft.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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).<br /><br />Here is the recent article done by DraftExpress which is the best source for NBA Draft news.<br /><br /><blockquote><p>A player no one fathomed would step foot on this setting (besides possibly<br />to conduct a physical) when he entered the NCAA four years ago as a top-10<br />player in an incredible class, <a href="http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Malik-Hairston-214/" target="_blank">Malik Hairston</a> did a pretty good job reminding people in<br />Orlando why he was so highly regarded to begin with.<br /><br />Smart, efficient, unselfish, skilled and sporting much sleeker physique<br />(credit Joe Abunassar for helping him lose 20 pounds) than he did two months<br />ago, <a href="http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Malik-Hairston-214/" target="_blank">Malik Hairston</a> quietly, but effectively showed that he has<br />every right to be considered one of the top players at the pre-draft camp. His<br />court vision and all-around feel for the game was the most noticeable thing here<br />comparing him with other players, as he repeatedly found his teammates with<br />beautiful bounce passes off the dribble in every game he played in (even if for<br />some reason he wasn’t credited with at least a half-dozen assists in the<br />box-score).<br /><br />His ball-handling skills look better than we remembered, as he’s extremely<br />effective picking his spots and blowing past his man with his surprising first<br />step, even if he tends to struggle a bit with his left hand and some of his<br />advanced moves. His excellent strength helps him out considerably in this area,<br />and he was getting much better lift elevating around the basket than we<br />recalled. He rarely turns the ball over, which is a big plus considering what<br />his role will be in the NBA.<br /><br />Hairston is a good shooter, as evidenced by the 53% he shot from the field<br />and 43% from behind the arc at Oregon, even if he didn’t really make it a focal<br />point to show off NBA range here. He does a good job moving without the ball and<br />is capable of coming off short screens and getting his shot off. He’s extremely<br />dangerous with his feet set, but is just average at best shooting off the<br />dribble. To his credit, though, he knows how to pick his spots and rarely will<br />take bad shots. He will have to improve his mid-range game considerably if he<br />intends on becoming a legit offensive option for his team in the NBA.<br /><br />Defensively, Hairston has good length and knows how to play solid on-ball<br />defense when he puts his mind to it. He has excellent timing and strength, but<br />is slightly undersized to play the small forward position, and doesn’t bring<br />fantastic lateral quickness to the table to compensate. He is also not the most<br />aggressive or aware player you’ll find in terms of his team defense.<br /><br />Hairston probably didn’t blow anyone away with what he showed at the<br />pre-draft camp, and thus is still most likely a second round pick at this point,<br />but he did show that he clearly has what it takes to make it in the NBA,<br />particularly in terms of his aggressiveness, which has always been a question<br />mark. Teams aren’t going to have to teach him how to play basketball, and he<br />still has room to continue to improve on his all-around skill-level, as he’s a<br />very young senior at just age 21. He’ll never be the star he was once billed as,<br />but he definitely has a chance to be a very good role player.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Orlando-Recap-First-Team-All-NBA-Pre-Draft--2909/">Link</a><br /></p></blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8341706846308561543-9158177724425655246?l=ducksattack.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Mopshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14354252558166753870noreply@blogger.com2