LEXINGTON, Ky. _ When the clock strikes midnight Sunday night, college underclassmen can no longer enter their names in this year's NBA draft. Those who met the NBA's deadline _ six Kentucky players in this group _ will continue the process of trying to improve their draft stock.
So how does a player do that? What are the do's and don'ts associated with enhancing how you are perceived by NBA scouts and general managers?
One enduring truism involves the need to show at least one exceptional basketball skill.
"Whomever you're looking at has got to have at least one, and hopefully two, hooks that you can say he does that, at least potentially, at the NBA level," said Del Harris, a longtime NBA coach.
It can be shooting. Or rebounding. Or passing. Or defending. Or rim protecting.
"He has to have something that can make him be a factor in an NBA game," Harris said.
Former UK All-American Kenny Walker likened one of the Kentucky players who put his name in this year's draft, Wenyen Gabriel, to ex-Cat Jules Camara: long, willing defender, enthusiastic player.
"But we haven't seen him be dominant in one particular thing ...," Walker said of Gabriel. "I think he needs to ... find something he can be really dominant in. I think he made a lot of strides from his freshman year to his sophomore year.
"Obviously, if he can come back one more year and make improvement, maybe put on a little weight, we know for sure he'll be more than ready at that time."
Gabriel announced he would not hire an agent, which leaves open the possibility of returning to UK next season.
Harris, who is now vice president of the G League's Texas Legends, acknowledged that it can be difficult to determine if a freshman has such an NBA hook. Many freshmen are not far enough along in the developmental curve.
"That's where experience (as a scout) comes in, the eye test ...," Harris said. "That's why there's still scouts out there."
For examples of players who had that hook although still not fully developed players, Harris cited such ex-Cats as Anthony Davis (shooting, rim protecting), Malik Monk (shooting), De'Aaron Fox (penetrating and finishing) and Willie Cauley-Stein (athleticism for a center/forward).
Yes, athleticism is a hook. But is athleticism more important than basketball skill? Or less important?
"It's a skill game now," said Kevin Grevey, a former UK All-American who now scouts for the Los Angeles Lakers. "Athleticism sure helps. But we need to see a guy who's skilled."
To support his point, Grevey cited Steph Curry, who is highly skilled but no one's idea of an athletic marvel.
"Great athleticism is not a highlight we're looking for anymore," Grevey said. "We want a high (basketball) IQ guy who can play the fast space-and-pace game."
Another of the Kentucky players in this year's draft, Hamidou Diallo, came to mind. He made a bit of athletic history last year. He had the second-highest vertical leap ever recorded at an NBA Combine. But basketball skills _ shooting, passing, ball-handling _ are important, too.
When asked if athleticism was one of those NBA hooks, Harris said, "athleticism alone? No. Those (kind of players) are easy enough to find. You have to have athleticism with something. ...
"There are so many athletic kids between 5-10 and 6-7 that you better be able to something besides (being athletic)."
If that basketball skill is missing, "go out for track and field," Harris said.
