Combine buzz: Skal Labissiere impresses
Skal Labissiere was once projected as a serious contender to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
But a disappointing season at Kentucky in which he was in and out of coach John Calipari's doghouse and struggled to get playing time put an end to that.
On Wednesday, DraftExpress was invited to watch Labissiere in a private workout in Chicago, and he showed why he was such a highly regarded prospect six months ago.
Labissiere has excellent tools, is just a hair under 7 feet in shoes and has outstanding fluidity for a player his size. He is quick off his feet, extremely nimble and covers ground effortlessly. He is still thin, but has a frame that should have no problem filling out in the next few years.
His skill level was extremely impressive. Labissiere made shots from all over the floor, both off the dribble and with his feet set, and showed range out to the NBA three-point line. His footwork and balance was excellent in the post and on the perimeter, and his fundamentals were outstanding for someone who only started playing basketball as a teenager. It's incredibly rare to see a player his size with that type of touch.
Labissiere has a world of talent even at an early stage of development, yet he will need time to translate that to game settings on a consistent basis. After stringing together one of the most impressive workouts DraftExpress has seen in the past few years, there's little doubt that Labissiere's draft stock will recover quickly over the next few weeks. Talent rises in the NBA pre-draft process, and Labissiere has one of the highest ceilings of any prospect in this class.