Pacers working out potential lottery picks Taylor Hendricks, Jarace Walker on Wednesday
INDIANAPOLIS -- Central Florida forward Taylor Hendricks and Houston forward Jarace Walker will work out for the Pacers in individual draft workouts on Wednesday -- Hendricks in the morning, Walker in the afternoon -- the Pacers announced Tuesday. They are the second and third players this draft cycle to get individual workouts rather than workouts in a group setting after Villanova forward Cam Whitmore had an individual workout with the Pacers last week.
Walker and Hendricks both fit the Pacers most glaring needs. They are both power forwards and strong, multi-positional defenders. The Pacers were undersized at power forward last season and they had defensive problems across the board, finishing 29th of the 30 teams in points allowed.
Hendricks, a 6-9, 210-pounder, averaged 15.1 points per game and made 61 of 155 3-point attempts (39.4%) in his one season at Central Florida and also grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game and registered 1.7 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. He's an excellent rim protector but can also keep guards in front of him.
Walker is a little shorter than Hendricks, measuring at 6-6 1/2 at the combine, but his 7-2 1/2 wingspan is longer than Hendricks and it helps him keep smaller players in front of him. He's also an explosive athlete, posting a 38-inch max vertical leap at the combine. Walker helped anchor a Houston defense that finished second in Division I in scoring defense and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. He averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game as well as 11.0 points and 6.8 rebounds for Houston, earning American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors.
Among the other players the Pacers appear to be considering for the No. 7 pick are Whitmore, guards Amen and Ausar Thompson from the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite league, Arkansas guard Anthony Black and Kansas wing Gradey Dick.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers: Taylor Hendricks, Jarace Walker get individual workouts
