If your eyes begin to glaze over at the mention of a prospect with good length but a questionable jumper, I don't blame you. We're about a month into the draft process and the Pacers have been heavily scouting defensive forwards. Seemingly anybody over 6'6'' (without shoes) and a plus wingspan has made their way to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But wake up! You'll want to pay attention today. Both Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Colby Jones are good bets to be on the team by the end of next week. Moreover, D'Moi Hodge from Missouri is participating in the workout, someone I'd very excited about drafting at 55.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper

O-Max is draftnik favorite. Prior to the Combine, the consensus had him as a pegged-on second round pick. Now, after showing out in both the Combine scrimmages and the athletic tests, he's getting top-20 buzz.

So how does he make sense for the Pacers? You guessed it, he's a rangy defensive forward who can guard up and down the lineup. As the tweet above suggests, his physical profile is impressive. At 6'6.75'' without shoes and a 7'1'' wingspan, he might as well be lab-grown to play NBA defense.

He's got kind of long giraffe legs that sometimes seem a bit wobbly against quick guards but he covers so much space that he's still effective. Marquette stuck him on the Big East's best perimeter talents and he held his own.

Here he is locking down projected first round picks Cam Whitmore and Colby Jones (who he'll face again today):

Perhaps what differentiates him the most from other defensive-specialist forward prospects that I've covered is his ability to chase shooters around screens. While many of the "defends 1-5" guys can stay in front of guards for a few beats or use their length to bother shots on a close out, generally they aren't able to match up with quick players for an entire game. They don't have the athleticism or stamina to defend against constant motion for 25+ minutes. O-Max just might.

His motor never stops and he's coordinated enough to change his angle on the fly as he maneuvers around screens. He did an excellent job on Jordan Hawkins, a first round prospect who will make his living in the NBA running his man into picks.

Offensively, O-Max has good touch around the rim but not much ability to get there unless it's off a cut or by taking advantage of a reckless closeout. He shot 34% from deep this year, which isn't great but not terrible either.

Stop me if you've heard this before, but his utility on this Pacers team largely depends on his ability to space the floor. If he can do that, he's a rock solid 3-and-D hybrid. If not, he's an undersized big.

The Pacers will have a bit of extra intel as O-Max and Bennedict Mathurin go way back. Not only are they the same age and from the same area, they were teammates on the NBA Academy Latin America team.

All in all O-Max is a great fit for what the Pacers are lacking. If he's available at 26-32, he would be a rock solid pick.

Colby Jones

Colby Jones reminds me a lot of Andrew Nembhard. The comparison isn't one-to-one, but if he sticks in the NBA, they'll more or less fill the same role: a high IQ, 3-and-D, secondary playmaker.

Like Nembhard, Jones is a big, strong guard (6'4.5'' without shoes with a 6'8'' wingspan) whose best attributes are passing and defense. Jones isn't much of an iso creator, but off a pick he's effective at using hesitations and hostage dribbles to work his way into the lane. Once he's there he'll mix in floaters, dump passes, and rim attacks to keep the opposing big off-balance.

Unlike Nembhard, I'm not sure Jones has primary playmaker upside. He's not very explosive and his off-the-dribble shooting isn't quite there (although he is very efficient with his feet set). He'll fit best as a two guard who takes a lot of catch-and-shoot threes, finishes duck-ins, and makes heady passes off rotations.

While his floor spacing projects to be a strength, it is worth noting that he only shot 65% from the free throw line and was a poor three-point shooter prior to this year. If he were to experience a shooting regression, it wouldn't come out of the blue.

Where Jones truly excels is on the defensive end. Again, much like Nembhard, he is a stout point of attack defender who can guard 1-3 effectively. When he's locked in, he's hard to screen and regularly beats his man to the spot. He has pesky hands and generates steals – but he's also a bit of a gambler. In order to truly excel at the next level he'll need to be more disciplined than he was in college.

He's also one of the better rebounding guards in the draft, averaging about six a game for his career. With his passing ability, he should be able to grab a rebound and turn it into a good transition look in the blink of an eye.

While Jones is undoubtedly one of the safer prospects at the end of the first round, I wonder whether he'd be redundant on the Pacers. I've made the Nembhard comparison but many of Jones's qualities also apply to Duarte. You could argue that we'd need to move one of the guards currently on the roster for the pick to make sense.

At the same time, watching Miami in the playoffs reinforces the importance of players who are 6'6'', can play defense, hit threes, and make plays. That type of IQ and versatility pays dividends when your season is on the line. Therefore, I wouldn't be upset if we snagged him, roster construction be damned. He's more than likely someone who will be able to hold his own in a playoff series and that's what you're looking for in the draft.

D'Moi Hodge

Speaking of Heat-like, versatile guards, let me introduce you to D'Moi Hodge. D'Moi was one of the best players in the SEC last year... he was also one of the oldest. A 5th year senior, Hodge will be 25 this December, which why we're talking about getting him at 55 or as a UDFA. But as Miami proved, discount undrafted players at your own peril.

Hodge is the definition of a 3-and-D guard. He's point guard sized at 6'2.75'' without shoes and a 6'5.25'' wingspan but he's a rugged defender. He specializes at locking down the point of attack and generating steals. At Missouri last year, he led the SEC both in total steals and steals per game (2.6). The year prior at Cleveland State, he not only led the Horizon League in steals but also finished top-10 in blocks. His efforts were enough to win Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year.

On offense he has developed into a crazy efficient sniper. Just look at the numbers he put up in a competitive SEC.

  • 1st in three-point percentage (40% on over seven attempts per game!)
  • 3rd in two-point percentage (63%)
  • 2nd in EFG (61%)
  • 4th in TS (63%)
  • 1st in Turnover% (less than one turnover per game)
  • 8th in total points (about 15 per game)

The two things he doesn't do very well are rack up assists or get to the free throw line, but I'm not sure he needs to do either to be effective. He's basically a younger Pat Bev. Someone who harasses the opposing team's ball handler and spaces the floor on offense. The fact that he doesn't take bad shots or turn it over makes him a great complement to a high-usage offensive player. I can easily see him thriving on the Lakers or Suns.

He's old and he probably doesn't have much upside, but for a team that struggled to defend the point of attack like the Pacers, adding Hodge could be a very sharp move. Again, that kind of 3-and-D player is a difference maker in the playoffs and, as Tyrese Halliburton has said, the playoffs are where we're headed.

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