Wizards Pre-Draft Workouts: Devin Ebanks and the “7″ Drill

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPsoSOrcrro

The Wizards worked out four players on Wednesday: Jerome Dyson, G, Connecticut, 6’4, 190 lbs.; Devin Ebanks, F, West Virginia, 6’9, 215 lbs.; Magnum Rolle, F/C, Louisiana Tech, 6’11, 225 lbs.; and Devin Sweetney, G, Morgan State, 6’4, 180 lbs..

Ebanks, an early-entry draft candidate after two seasons at West Virginia, was the big name of Wednesday’s group. He’s currently mocked going 23rd overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves by NBADraft.net, 31st overall to the New Jersey Nets by DraftExpress, and is in Chad Ford’s “next five” after the first round.

Many believe Ebanks to be a lottery talent, but his inconsistency, especially on the offensive end and especially in terms of aggression, has kept his stock waning toward the end of the first round to the second round.

Other the other hand, he’s a good defensive player (6′7″ without shoes and a 7′0.25″ wingspan), a nice very nice rebounder, and has the ability to slash to the bucket. Ebanks has been compared to anyone from Rudy Gay, to Shawn Marion, to Jared Jeffries to Corey Brewer.

Maybe he slips to 30 or 35 and the Wizards take him to say, ‘Hey, with Al Thornton at the small forward position and Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young playing two guard, maybe you don’t throw money at the 30-year old Josh Howard and his knee recovery at the SG/SF spot and hope that Ebanks and his 77% free-throw shooting (in ‘09-10) can develop into a decent scorer for an NBA small forward.’ … in addition to Ebanks’ diverse defensive skills, something the Wizard always seem to need, especially on the perimeter.

Then again, maybe he’s another Dominic McGuire. (StatSheet.com comparison) McGuire does have Ebanks beat in several draft combine measureables, aside from wingspan. (DraftExpress profiles with measurements: McGuire, Ebanks)

But Ebanks is a much better ball handler with a lot more offensive potential. Despite his lacking outside shot (he was 3-30 from three point land last season), he does seem to have a decent mid-range game. Also, McGuire was 22 when his NBA rookie season started, Ebanks will be 21.

Someone to keep an eye on in the least.

Ebanks Highlight Video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7vLW94NFmw

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