Frank Kaminsky
As reported by The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro, Kaminsky spun into Whittington and the two butted heads, resulting in five stitches for Frank the Tank in his first NBA workout:
This is what Frank Kaminsky got for his 1st draft workout - 5 stitches for a spin move into Greg Whittington's head. pic.twitter.com/5E6zXPPETW
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) June 4, 2015
“It was his first workout and he gets stitches, so welcome to the NBA,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said.
However, even though Kaminsky wasn’t available to address the media and had to miss the 3-on-3 portion of the workout, the Suns still got a look at what this versatile seven-footer can do.
“He still came back, they butterflied it up and he still shot, so we saw that,” Hornacek said. “We saw some of the early 1-on-1 stuff…he showed that he’s got great skills. He’s a big man who can handle the ball, he can pass it, he can step back and shoot it. From what we saw, he just knows how to play the game.”
While he’s not known for his athleticism, Kaminsky’s 7’0″, 231-pound frame translates to the NBA level, especially with his ability to stretch the floor. As the winner of the National College Player of the Year award his senior season, Frank the Tank averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from three-point range.
If he can get stronger and play the stretch-4 or stretch-5 position, he’d be an asset to a Suns team that needs help at power forward and with their three-point shooting.
“I think that’s gonna be a growing trend with most teams trying to shoot threes, always looking for those stretch-fours,” Hornacek said. “That’s a commodity in the NBA, so I think we’ll start to see more of those big seven-footers that can shoot like that.”
Hornacek also praised Kaminsky’s footwork when attacking the basket, something that was on display all season long as he led the Badgers to the NCAA title game. Though he’s known for his goofy personality, Kaminsky is clearly a skilled big who can create off the dribble and has a soft touch near the basket.
An intelligent and skilled player like Kaminsky doesn’t come around often and if he’s still on the board when the Suns pick at No. 13, he’ll definitely be an option.
Next: Trey Lyles