Breaking Down Peter Jok’s Performance at the NBA Draft Combine

Peter Jok participated in the NBA Draft Combine last week. The Combine was Jok’s first chance to show NBA scouts what he’s improved on since the end of his senior season. Let’s recap how the former Hawkeye performed against fellow NBA Draft hopefuls.

Heading into the Combine there wasn’t many questions as to what Jok needed to improve on. Scouts know his strengths are shooting and scoring. Jok averaged 19 points per game and shot 38% from three during his senior season. Jok’s shooting ability is special and scouts realize that.

Sam Vecenie covering the NBA Draft for Sporting News had this to say about Jok’s shooting ability:

“Everything that he has done over the course of the last two years in terms of shooting the basketball, it’s an immediate translation, especially in today’s NBA, where we’re starved for wing players. We need guys that are 6-foot-7 that can shoot the ball and Peter Jok fits that to a T.”

Jok’s collegiate skills translate very well in today’s NBA game. Most teams are looking for wings that can score and have the ability to space the floor via excellent 3-point shooting as Vecenie said. The question is whether both of his shooting and scoring skills will translate at the NBA level.

I personally think Jok is not athletic or quick enough to score at the NBA level and he’s also never been the greatest ball handler. He’s shooting will certainly translate, but if he’s not able to score, then he’s really a one dimensional player who becomes a spot-up shooter.

Jok’s lack of athleticism and quickness hurt him during the five-on-five scrimmages at the Combine. He struggled the first day against competition, not recording a single point. The second day was a little better for Jok, he shot 2-7 and scored 6 points.

Via Jeremiah Davis of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, here’s what Fran Fraschilla of ESPN had to say about Jok’s performance:

“I would say this wasn’t his best performance. In this environment, he didn’t show as well as he did during the (college) season. Teams are going to bring him in for workouts and he’ll get a chance to show what he can do in those workouts. With guys like him, it’s more a matter of, ‘Did he help himself?’ And I would say he probably didn’t help himself.”

Not helping himself at the Combine leaves little margin for error going forward, largely because Jok is projected as a second-round pick. We’ve seen in past NBA Drafts that GM’s of NBA teams will likely take a younger guy or a international guy who might be raw at the time, but has much more potential with some development.

The next step in the process for Jok will be individual workouts for teams. According to the Des Moines Register, Jok is scheduled to workout for the Celtics this week and he’s also had contact with the Pelicans, Heat and Bucks. Jok still has some time left to bounce back from his NBA Draft Combine struggles. He’ll need to impress by showing off his sweet shooting stroke to teams this week.