NBA Combine Recap: Daniel Hamilton

Daniel Hamilton participated in the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago on Thursday and Friday of last week. Here is a quick look at how D-Ham stacked up against some of the top collegiate talent hoping to catch the eye of an NBA general manager.

Measurements

Body fat: 5.95 percent

Hand length: 9 inches

Hand width: 8.5 inches

Height without shoes: 6 foot, 6.25 inches

Height with shoes: 6 foot, 8 inches

Standing reach: 8 foot, 7.5 inches

Weight: 197 lbs.

Wingspan: 6 foot, 9 inches

Analysis: Of any prospect over 6-foot-7, Hamilton was the second lightest at 197 pounds. His wingspan of 6-foot-9 was the lowest of any player standing over 6-foot-7 with shoes on. At the end of the day, do any of these measurements really matter? In this blogger's humble opinion—absolutely not, it's just cattle prodding. Ask Kemba Walker how much size really matters. If Hamilton can prove he can ball, none of this means squat.

Strength and Agility

Lane agility (seconds): 11.48

Shuttle run (seconds): 3.20

Three-quarters sprint (seconds): 3.40

Standing vertical leap (inches): 26.0

Max vertical leap (inches): 29.0

Analysis: Hamilton's max vertical certainly leaves much to be desired. Twenty-nine inches was the second lowest of any recorded leap at the combine. Plenty of guys have succeed in the NBA without pogo sticks for shoes, but for a guy who is on the fringe of the first round, an underwhelming vertical doesn't do Hamilton any favors. However, UConn fans can attest that Hamilton's game was never predicated on freakish athleticism.

Spot Up Shooting

NBA left break: 80 percent

NBA right break: 60 percent

NBA corner left: 20 percent

NBA corner right: 40 percent

NBA top of key: 20 percent

15-feet left break: 40 percent

15-feet right break: 20 percent

15-feet corner left: 60 percent

15-feet corner right: 60 percent

15-feet top key: 40 percent

Analysis: These numbers are based on each player taking five spot-up jumpers from the predetermined locations. Hamilton was streaky at best at the collegiate level with his jump shot so seeing him knock down 22 of 50 isn't a shock. Knocking down less than 50 percent of spot-up jumpers though is the first real area of concern in my opinion. Hamilton projects to be a shooting guard and players without consistent jumpers at that position usually struggle to find minutes.

Scrimmages

Thursday: 1-6 FG; 0-2 3PT; 4 reb; 2 ast; stl; blk; 3 TO, 2 pts.

Friday: 3-8 FG; 1-3 3PT; 4-4 FT; 12 reb; ast, blk, 2 TO, 11 pts.

Analysis: After a rough showing in Thursday's scrimmage, Hamilton flashed exactly why he might have staying power in the association on Friday. D-Ham maybe isn't the most athletic, the highest flyer or the best shooter but the dude straight fills the stat sheet. If I'm running an NBA team I can see a great deal of value in a guy who snag can double-digit boards from the wing, handle the ball and make plays. Shooting will come, so will his upper body strength but what he has going for him right now is that he is a solid, all-around basketball player.

Big Picture

According to NBADraft.net, Hamilton is projected to go 34th overall to the Phoenix Suns. That would put Hamilton in the second round and without a guaranteed deal. Observers who would've preferred Hamilton to stay another season in Storrs will point to this underwhelming combine performance as supporting evidence. However, it has been this blog's stance that Hamilton's decision to leave was wise for the simple fact that NBA general managers are accustomed to selecting players with far less on their collegiate resumes than that of Hamilton's.

Hamilton will need time and most likely spend parts of his first seasons in the D-League or fighting for garbage time minutes. He does many things well but nothing at an elite level but only two years removed from high school, hopefully one team sees the long-term potential.

One guy numerous NBA executives said made a mistake signing with an agent— Daniel Hamilton. Should have gone back to UConn for another year.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) May 16, 2016