PHILADELPHIA — Right down the road from his college of St. Joseph’s University, local prospect DeAndre’ Bembry worked out for the Philadelphia 76ers Monday morning.
In his first pre-draft workout, the former Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick’s star got the home court advantage to impress his potential future employer.
“I still have my apartment, my lease isn’t up,” Bembry said. “So I can go back to my apartment after this, see some of my roommates. Definitely a little more comfortable being in Philadelphia, rather than somewhere else.”
After a strong performance at the NBA Draft Combine last week in Chicago, Bembry is now slated to go at No. 25 in the latest DraftExpress.com mock. The 6-foot-6 wing also has scheduled workouts with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors later this week.
Along with a spike of interest for his services, Bembry has been hearing projections of where he may end up in next month’s draft. Some promising, some not so much.
“Plenty of different things,” Bembry said. “I’ve been hearing from 18 to out of the first round. I’m just trying to show everybody my all-around game and where I stand from here.”
Instead of getting caught up in his increased popularity among NBA front offices, Bembry wanted to stress Monday that he could go out and play his game.
“I’ve been about the same,” Bembry said. “I’ve always been pretty confident in my game. Try not to change anything. But if you’ve been around me you know how confident I am, or if you’ve seen me you know how confident I am. Pretty much the same I’ve been the past three or four years.”
As far his shot, Bembry – who said “a lot of people feel like I can’t shoot at all – seemed to perform well enough to a certain set of eyes.
“Bembry is a very smooth athlete, and shot it particularly well today, very impressed.” Marc Eversley, the new Vice President of Player Personnel for the 76ers, said following the workout.
Playing high school ball at St. Patrick’s and then transitioning to St. Joseph’s right across the bridge in Philadelphia, the Charlotte, N.C., recognizes that staying in the City of Brothery Love could be big not just for himself, but those around him as well.
“I think it would mean more for the people in Philadelphia who got to watch me over the past three years,” he said. “I got better since I was a freshman, but I got a lot of family in New York and New Jersey – and a lot of family and friends in Philadelphia as well. It would definitely be fun for Philadelphia I feel like.”
The Sixers are a team that haven’t produced much scoring from a wing position in recent seasons, so the addition of a player like Bembry could help aid in that category. The small forward likes the current pieces Philadelphia has in place and sees a complement in his game to those players.
“They got a lot of guys that like to get up and down the floor, including their bigs like Nerlens Noel,” Bembry said of his potential fit on the Sixers. “I feel like that would definitely be an advantage to me because I can get the rebound and push the ball, finish for myself or make the right pass for someone else.”
Rising stock, home town draw, and skill aside, there is one thing above all else Bembry wanted to get across to the Sixers Monday at his workout.
“I’m a team player,” he said. “I can do just about everything a coach wants me to do, whether it’s playing defense and being a role player that way or be a leader of the team and score or get others involved. I just like to show them my overall game and my overall personality.”
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ZagsBlogRight down the road from his college of St. Joseph’s University, local prospect DeAndre’ Bembry worked out for the Philadelphia 76ers Monday morning.
