Lamar Wilkerson isn’t looking at projections.
The Indiana men’s basketball alum spoke to media after a pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors, and he said he’s told his agents he does not yet want to know about his chances at being selected in the NBA Draft or earning a two-way contract opportunity. He’s letting them handle that aspect for now, while he focuses on his workouts and soaking in the pre-draft experience.
“I’m just enjoying it right now,” Wilkerson said on Monday. “I just want to go in here and just live in the moment.”
Wilkerson is looking to take his prolific 3-point shooting ability to the NBA. He drilled more threes in a single season than any Indiana player not named Steve Alford during his lone year in Bloomington, and set a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall record with 10 against Penn State in December.
The guard isn’t showing up in mock drafts as a likely second-round pick, but could get a two-way contract or a G-League opportunity to prove himself.
Wilkerson sees himself as more than just a shooter at the professional level.
“I’m an every day guy. I bring energy on both sides of the ball,” Wilkerson said. “Of course, the reason the got me here is shooting the ball and being able to make shots. So continuing to be me, but also incorporating the stuff that the teams want to see.”
Particularly, he’s trying to showcase what he can do defensively through the pre-draft workouts.
“I’ve always been labeled as a scorer,” Wilkerson said. “But I’m trying to be a two-way playmaker. That’s what I’m trying to get better at.”
Wilkerson’s workout with the Warriors was his fourth pre-draft workout, and he said he has eight or nine remaining before June 18th. The first round of the NBA Draft is on June 23, with the second round on June 24 this year.
After starting his collegiate career at the junior college level, before transferring to Sam Houston State and finally landing at Indiana for his final year, the Ashdown, Ark. native has had to work his way up. That’s given Wilkerson some reassurance, knowing that people have taken different paths to get to the NBA.
“Everybody’s got a different story. Everybody’s got a different journey,” Wilkerson said. “If I have to take the longer route to be able to wear the NBA on my chest, that’s fine. I’m just going to be grateful for the moment, be grateful for the opportunity, and then just make the most of it.”
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