Iman Shumpert had heard enough to know his decision to leave Georgia Tech and enter the NBA draft wasn’t the safest option. No less an expert than NBA co-director of scouting Ryan Blake projected him to be taken in the second round or not at all.
“But even with playing basketball, if you don’t take risks, you’re not going to be successful,” Shumpert said May 3, the day he announced his decision to skip his senior season and turn professional.
Shumpert’s bet that he could improve his position through predraft workouts appears it will pay off. Multiple mock drafts predict Shumpert, a second-team All-ACC guard last season for the Yellow Jackets, will be taken in the first round Thursday night. Shumpert’s agent, Happy Walters, said Wednesday that he was “cautiously optimistic” that Shumpert will go somewhere between 13th and 25th.
“It means a lot to me,” Shumpert said of his improved draft stock. “It’s something that I set out to do and knew was going to happen.”
Shumpert’s elevation into the first round would be critical, as it secures a guaranteed contract. As a second-rounder, he would be promised nothing except for a chance to make the team.
According to a report in the Arizona Republic, the Phoenix Suns are considering him with their No. 13 pick. The team likes his versatility to play point and shooting guard and his defensive ability.
“As far as an athlete, he’s at the top of the list athletically in the draft,” Suns player personnel director John Treloar said at a news conference Tuesday in Phoenix.
At the NBA combine in May, Shumpert floored scouts by recording the highest standing vertical jump (36.5 inches) and the most bench press reps (18, at 185 pounds) among guards.
“I think because of his size and athleticism, his physical maturity at a relatively young age, that kind of separates him from other players of similar position that are coming out,” Hawks assistant general manager David Pendergraft said.
His private workouts also reportedly went well. The 6-foot-4 Shumpert worked out for Phoenix, Houston (No. 14 and 23) Indiana (15), New York (17), Denver (22), New Jersey (27), Chicago (28 and 30), San Antonio (29), Miami (31) and the Los Angeles Lakers (41). The Nuggets brought him in twice.
Shumpert, who led the Jackets last season in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, received feedback at his workouts that he needed to improve his decision making and shot selection, but that he had vast potential.
Pendergraft found Shumpert’s defensive consistency at Tech lacking, but said, “He’s got all the tools to be a really good defender.”
After training at the IMG Basketball Academy in Florida since leaving Tech, Shumpert returned home to Chicago on Tuesday and will watch the draft with his family Thursday night. On Tuesday, he confessed to already being nervous.
“I think I played well throughout the process and did a lot to help myself,” Shumpert said, “and now, let the chips fall where they may.”
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