
Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis of Kansas (YouTube/CampusInsiders).
The Los Angeles Clippers hosted pre-draft workouts for the fifth week in a row, and this time, they had a couple of Kansas teammates working out together in SG Wayne Selden and SF Perry Ellis. Kansas reached the Elite 8 in 2015-2016 before losing to eventual champion Villanova.
Selden, a junior, is a big-bodied guard at 6’4″, 232 pounds. But he doesn’t get to the FT line enough (3.1 attempts per game in 2015-2016), isn’t a good rebounder (3.4 per game), and isn’t a playmaker defensively (75 steals in 109 career college games despite 29.5 minutes per game). Selden did average 2.6 assists against only 1.9 turnovers per game, while making 74-of-189 threes (39.2 percent). Despite his range, Selden’s free throw shooting (61.2 percent) leaves a lot to be desired.
Ellis, a senior, worked out as a SF at 6’7″, 218 pounds. Ellis does get to the free throw line (4.7 attempts per game in 2015-2016), while scoring 16.9 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting from the field. Ellis also averaged 5.8 rebounds per game as a senior, while making as many three-pointers in 2015-2016 (28-of-64, 43.8 percent) as he did in his first three years at Kansas combined (28-of-66, 42.4 percent). Ellis doesn’t make plays defensively (90 steals and 72 blocks in 144 career games at Kansas and he never developed as a passer (only 1.3 assists per game as a senior).
The Clippers worked out two other wings in Seton Hall SG Isaiah Whitehead and SF Brandon Austin, who last played collegiately at Northwest Florida State College in 2014-2015. Whitehead is a 6’3″, 210-pound sophomore who is coming off a productive season that saw him average 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 2.4 threes (36.5 percent) per game. But Whitehead made only 37.9 percent of his field goal attempts.
Austin was the subject of an Outside the Lines report in November 2015, as he was accused of sexual assault incidents at Providence and Oregon. Austin was not charged in either investigation, and Austin spent four games with the Orangeville A’s of Canada’s National Basketball League. Austin won a junior college championship in 2015, but he struggled in Canada, totaling only 42 points on 44 shots while dealing with a groin injury.
The Clippers also worked out two senior centers in Tonye Jekiri of Miami and Kaleb Tarczewski of Arizona. Jekiri averaged 8.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in 2015-2016, but all of his numbers dropped from his junior year. Tarczewski nearly averaged a double-double in 2015-2016 (9.4 points, 9.3 rebounds) while making 53.3 percent from the field and blocking 1.4 shots per game.
The NBA Draft is Thursday, June 23rd – here are the other pre-draft workouts the Clippers have had:
Clippers 2016 Pre-Draft Workouts (May 18)
Clippers 2016 Pre-Draft Workouts (May 25)
For some reason I keep wanting to make a joke about being “tied” up with Perry Ellis for Fathers Day.
After giving a title to the Cavs, maybe Lebron can do the impossible and give a title to the Clippers. He’d fit in good and Bill Simmons said he can come to LA now that Cleveland has a title.
I like Wayne Selden and think he’s getting short shrift. His numbers were damn good in college.
Pingback: Clippers Enter 2016 NBA Draft with 25th and 33rd Overall Picks - Los Angeles Clippers Blog - News, Commentary for NBA Clipper FansLos Angeles Clippers Blog – News, Commentary for NBA Clipper Fans