Athletic Testing Results for Potential Warriors' Draft Picks

The athletic testing results from the combine were (finally) released today. I want to give a quick rundown of how the guys we appear to be looking at with our pick performed. Some surprisingly well, and others not so much. See DraftExpress for the full database of measurements and test results.

No Step Vert

Barnes comes in 1st among all players at the combine. His standing vert is impressive, coming in a full 5" greater than PJIII. Interesting. John Henson came in with a disappointing 25.5", similar to what Greg Monroe measured at a couple years ago.

Max Vert

Once again, Barnes comes out at the top of this group, although it's interesting that his max vert is only 1.5" greater than his standing vert. Seems hard to believe, but there it is on paper. Also, I had heard that Drummond came in with a 38" vert, but clearly that was just a bogus rumor.

Bench Reps

Leonard is a strong pup. But look at Barnes. Coming in tied with Robinson and ahead of Terrence Jones. Impressive (once again).

Agility

Incredible that Drummond comes in 1st among this group. He's a cat. No, wait. A Huskie. Whatever. Barnes, though. Man, this guy is an athletic testing wunderkind. Coming in second among this group. Predictably, Sullinger trails the pack. John Henson was listed as N/A for both agility and sprint.

Sprint

Once again, Barnes comes out on top. Not only of the group, but the entire combine. Wow.

Summary

There's not much to say other than Harrison Barnes had truly impressive combine results. I can't help but think this propels him to a top 5 pick. Wasn't this guy supposed to be only average in terms of athletic ability? If he's average, what are these other guys? Or is it a case of Barnes just being incredibly prepared for the combine? And if so, isn't that like a really, really good thing, in terms of demonstrating his work ethic? Something to chew on for sure.

One cautionary thought. Barnes' standing reach was measured at 8'5.5". That seems really low for a guy with his height and wingspan. One possibility I've heard chatted about (and see this interesting article from a few years back) is that some players actually "tank" their reach to make their vert look better. For example, perhaps, his reach is actually closer to 8'8.5", which would make his vert 35" as opposed to 38". By tanking the reach, it makes the player look more athletic with a higher vert.