WALTHAM, Mass. – The resume Malcolm Brogdon has put together leading up to next month’s NBA draft has been years in the making.
His four-year career at the University of Virginia ended with him being one of the more decorated players in school history, a unanimous First Team All-American as a senior who became the first player in ACC history to be named league Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
But all those accolades mean little these days as Brogdon hits the NBA workout circuit trying to convince teams that his wealth of big-game experience is of greater value to them than the potential they may see in a draft that once again is loaded with teenagers.
For Brogdon, the workouts serve as an extension of what teams have seen from him throughout the course of his college career.
“I’m going out into these workouts calm and collected,” Brogdon said after working out for the Celtics on Wednesday. “Going out here knowing I have what it takes and this is another opportunity to prove myself.”
Most mock drafts have Brogdon being selected somewhere in the second round. However, league executives told CSNNE.com at the Chicago combine last week that there’s a chance that Brogdon could slip into the latter stages of the first round – well after several younger, less-proven prospects have been selected.
Well aware that so many younger, less accomplished players are projected to go before he’s called, Brogdon readily admits that only adds to the motivation he has to do well in workouts.
“When you have a really good season, and still you’re right below guys or you’re underestimated, you have a chip on your shoulder,” he said. “You have a lot to prove every time you step on the court.”
While no one questions Brogdon’s strong senior season for the Cavaliers, which ended with an NCAA tournament loss to Syracuse in the Elite Eight, there are concerns about his game that teams would like to see addressed in some capacity in workouts.
At 6-6 with a solid 223-pound frame, Brogdon has the physical tools and the mindset to be a reliable defender at the next level. But when it comes to scoring, Brogdon doesn’t wow you with his athleticism and has yet to show any particular tangible offensively that he brings to the table that would stand out at the pro level.
That’s in part why he’s looking to show teams that he can be a reliable 3-point shooter, which would accompany a strong defensive skillset.
“My shooting, my 3-ball has gotten better range,” said Brogdon, who shot 39 percent on 3s as a senior at Virginia. “And I will continue to play lock-down defense. I don’t want anyone to score on me.”
And it is that ability to defend at a high level (he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year each of the past two seasons) that makes him a legit candidate to be taken near the end of the first round.
One of the drawbacks with drafting on potential is you never know how long it’ll take before it materializes at the NBA level to a point where it’s even useful.
But the success of four-year guys like Golden State’s Draymond Green, or to a lesser extent, Miami’s Josh Richardson this past season, gives hope to seniors in this draft like Brogdon.
Green, a second-round pick of the Warriors in 2012, is an All-Star who has been instrumental to Golden State’s success, which includes winning an NBA title last season. And Richardson, a second-round pick in last June’s NBA draft, was a factor in helping the Heat advance to the second round of the playoffs, which ended with a hard-fought seven game series against Toronto.
“For me,” Brogdon said, “a four-year guy coming in, a team that drafts me has a guy that’s mature, a rookie that doesn’t have to be told things twice, that’s going to handle their business on and off the court, that’s’ going to learn and pick up things quickly and be able to contribute right away.”