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NBA Draft 2014: St. John's Jakarr Sampson works out for Suns, Orlando Sanchez to adidas Eurocamp

St. John's two talented forwards work to impress NBA and other general managers.

By Norman Rose
John Alber

Catching up on NBA workouts for players leaving St. John's: JaKarr Sampson is making the rounds in his attempts to make the NBA. Can he overcome his flaws? Meanwhile, Orlando Sanchez will have an opportunity to show his skills for NBA GMs and managers in other leagues.

Sampson's tour - which started at the LA Clippers' "combine" last week - landed in Arizona, where he worked out for the Phoenix Suns yesterday with a group of second round draft picks.

SB Nation's Bright Side of the Sun site (covering Phoenix) has comments from Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough and head coach Jeff Hornacek.

McDonough commented on Sampson (and Marquette forward Jamil Wilson):

Jakarr Sampson and Jamil Wilson's ability to guard defensively and athleticism stood out.... They all had their moments, nobody dominated the workout.

For more: on the structure and purpose of the Phoenix Suns workout

Sampson, who averaged 13 points and 6 rebounds while playing the second-most minutes for St. John's, hopes that his athleticism and potential draw the eyes of NBA GMs.

One piece of his potential is that, when dedicated, his length and quickness can make scoring difficult on opponents. On a team filled with shot blockers, Sampson blocked a solid 3.6% of opponent shots. At times this season, his defense made scoring for athletic wings more uncomfortable (case in point: Doug McDermott of Creighton, who scored, but needed to work hard for it - disrupting his team's offense in the process).

Is that enough for Sampson, a fringe second-rounder, to get picked? Or to be invited to an NBA Camp?

Sampson has been working out to try and show well in workouts; in yesterday's New York Times, Sampson was mentioned as a training client of the statistically-minded Justin Zormelo.

Focusing on what situations Sampson does well - which Zormelo does for his NBA clients - can only help. But the gaps in Sampson's game are obvious - a struggle creating his own shot, a tendency to finish weakly at the rim in traffic, a lack of range (or a choice to avoid three-pointers.

And those gaps will be difficult to overcome for Sampson in months, despite his talent and athleticism.

Orlando Sanchez to adidas Eurocamp

Orlando Sanchez will be able to show his skill set in Europe at the adidas Eurocamp. The camp begins on June 7 and features drills and games with NBA GMs and GMs from other leagues in attendance. .

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