Raptors Pre-Draft Workouts - Payne, Stokes and Adams Put Through Paces

Nicely done Raptors, nicely done.

Late last week we presented our top 10 list of draft prospects who we still were hoping Toronto brought in for a look before the big day. Of those 10, three can now be crossed off the list based on today's scheduled workout, and with another session later this week, we're guessing at least a few more of those names will be gone.

Let's jump into today's very intriguing session, one we'll be attending in fact.:

Roy Devyn Marble - 6-6, G - Iowa: The four-year Senior averaged 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists for the Hawkeyes last season.  Marble shot 42 per cent from the field last year including 35 per cent from long-range. He was named First Team All-Big Ten and was a two-time team captain.

Verdict: Marble had a very solid senior campaign despite his team's overall performance.  While the Hawkeyes started their season looking like a potential Final Four club, they fell apart in the second half of the campaign, losing seven of their last eight games.  Their club could score with the best in the league, but they simply could not get stops and in the end, what appeared to be a dream season ended prematurely at the hands of Tennessee in the tourney.

Marble isn't solely to blame for this obviously, but he wasn't exactly a lock-down defender in college either.  His intrigue stems more from his versatility as he's got solid size for the 2-spot in the league, is a very capable shooter coming off screens (an in-demand skill in the L) and is a fairly good ball-handler and facilitator for a wing.  He may not hear his name called on draft night, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him carve out a role in the NBA down the road.

Sean Kilpatrick - 6-4, G - Cincinnati: The focal point offensively for the Bearcats last sesaon, Kilpatrick averaged about 21 points and 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game last year.  He was a First-Team All-American on various lists, and was one of the country's most dangerous offensive players.

Verdict: Besides Duke and Tennessee, Cincinnati is another club I find myself drawn to each season, mostly because of the scrappy way coach Mick Cronin has them playing. Kilpatrick put up big offensive numbers as the go-to-option for his club last year, and he did it despite being undersized, and not the most efficient player.  He shot only 42 per cent from the field and 35 per cent from long-range so he's not a dead-eye shooting threat, and he'll be dealing with the "Combo" label from Day 1.  But much like Kemba Walker, Kilpatrick just finds ways to put the ball in the hoop, using his strength and craftiness to get into the paint.  Like Marble, I'm not sure he'll hear his name called on draft night, but he's got the tools to continue his pro career overseas.

Here's his pre-draft workout video for DraftExpress.com:

Jordan Adams - 6-5, G - UCLA: The Sophomore averaged 17 points and 5 rebounds for the Bruins last season while shooting a very efficient 49 per cent from the field, and 84 per cent from the free-throw line.  One of the top-scoring shooting guards in this draft class, Adams was named First Team All Pac-12 last year.

Verdict: Adams is one of the most intriguing players in this draft. He's not overly big for his position, nor athletic, but he's an extremely efficient scorer and a very capable defender thanks to quick hands and an outstanding wingspan. I said capable however because at times last season he simply wasn't very engaged at that end of the court despite racking up steals faster than anyone else in team history.

He's also a very good rebounder for his position, solid facilitator (possesses a positive pure-point rating), and posted a PER of nearly 30 last year.  Adams' name doesn't show up on many of the current mock drafts in terms of first-round options, but any draft board done based solely on advanced stats has him as a top five option and based on his skill-set and college metrics, you can see why.  I'm excited to get a look at him up close today and would love to see him around at 37 when Toronto makes its first second-round pick.  I just don't think he'll last that long so the Dinos may have to make a pre-emptive strike at 20 if they're sold on his NBA potential.

Here's Adams' Draftexpress.com scouting video:

C.J Wilcox - 6-5, G - Washington: Another Pac-12 prospect, Wilcox averaged about 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists for the Huskies last season in his Senior campaign.  He shot 45 per cent from the field, including a very solid 39 per cent from long range.

Verdict: Wait, is this Terrence Ross Part II? While he's not the athlete that Ross was coming out of Washington, nor does he quite have the same physical attributes, like Mr. TdotFlight, Wilcox is one of the best shooters in his draft class.  Wilcox made 43% of his catch and shoot jumpers on the season, which was second best among prospects based on DraftExpress.com's database, and was deadly from a number of different spots on the floor, and shooting situations.

The problem is there's not much more than that to see in my opinion.  If you watched him during his tenure with the Huskies, you rarely saw a player who took over games despite some of his physical and technical advantages.  He was more of a complimentary piece in the NCAA so it's hard to see him suddenly making the leap to key contributor in the NBA but as far as second-round picks go, he's definitely worth a look and I'm glad to see Toronto bringing him in for this workout session.

Adreian Payne - 6-10, F - Michigan State: Payne averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds as well as nearly a block per game for the Spartans last season. A potential "Stretch 4" at the next level, Payne also took over three long-range shots per game, hitting an outstanding 42 per cent of those.

Verdict: Payne is obviously the marquee name on this list and it's great to see Toronto getting a look at him up close. He struggled with mono towards season's end but sounds to be good to go now, and should be a very viable option for the Dinos at 20...assuming he's still on the board.  We've previewed him at length already so I won't dwell, but here is his Draftexpress workout video:

Jarnell Stokes - 6-8, F - Tennessee: Named to the SEC All-Conference First Team, Stokes averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds 2 assists and nearly a block a game last year for the Vols.

Verdict: After Payne, Stokes is my favourite player in this workout. He's a big body but he's not simply a wide load, pairing some very nice basketball skills with excellent physical strength.  He's undersized as an NBA big man but makes up for it with excellent wingspan, and a non-stop motor.  A bit of a Charles Barkley type, Stokes is likely the premiere offensive rebounder in his draft class, and a dominant low-post prospect.  He doesn't have much mid-range game as of yet but that's something the team that drafts him can work on.

At worst I think he'll be a DeJuan Blair type who can come in on off the bench and provide energy and second-chance points for a club and therefore, I'm hoping he lasts until Toronto's 37th selection overall.

Here's his scouting report video from Draftexpress.com: