Indiana Pacers Draft Rumors: Team Interested in Two Syracuse Prospects?

Malachi Richardson has been projected as a first round option for the Indiana Pacers while his teammate Michael Gbinije participated in a pre-draft workout with them Thursday.

The Indiana Pacers currently hold the 20th and 50th picks overall in the 2016 NBA Draft and could use both to snag both individuals.

Between both prospects, Richardson is the one with the better draft stock. The 20-year-old athlete has received multiple first round grades from draft analysts while Gbinije has only earned second round grades. ESPN’s Chad Ford recently put Richardson at No. 20 on his Top 30 best prospects rankings. He had this to say about him.

"“No one has seen their draft stock get a bigger bump the past few weeks than Richardson. Most scouts didn’t see him as a one-and-done prospect, but after his strong performance in the NCAA tournament they’ve gone back to the film and seen one of the few wings in the draft who can create his own shot.”"

Richardson only played one season at Syracuse but started all 37 games he played in. He averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game as a freshman. He has a lot potential, which is why a lot of analysts and scouts gave him a first round grade.

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Also, Richardson is a physical specimen at the shooting guard position. He stands at 6’6” and has an eye-opening 7-foot wingspan. Length does very well in the NBA these days, and Richardson has plenty of it.

The issue with Richardson is he needs to improve his offensive game a lot. He made 36.9 percent of his field goals and accumulated more turnovers (79) than assists (77) in his one season with the Orange. It will take some time for him to refine his offensive skills, but he has tremendous upside.

Meanwhile, Gbinije’s NBA future is much more uncertain. After transferring from Duke, Gbinije improved every season at Syracuse. As a senior, he led the Orange with 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old prospect is still having trouble earning a first round grade.

The good news for Gbinije is people are noticing him because of his solid NBA combine. However, mock drafts still have him being selected somewhere in the second round. Draft Express projects that the Brooklyn Nets will take him 55th overall and had this to say about him.

"“The Syracuse guard helped himself on Friday by using his athleticism to fly around on both ends of the floor, digging in defensively, attacking the rim and making enough shots from the perimeter to keep the defense honest… Gbinije isn’t loaded with upside but he has positional size, solid athleticism and enough shot-making ability to make him an acceptable option for a team picking in the second round.”"

At 6’7” and 205 pounds, Gbinije can be a contributor as shooting guard or small forward in the NBA. However, his age will make teams hesitate to draft him the first round.

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The Indiana Pacers need more athletic players to play at a faster pace on offense. Both Richardson and Gbinije have the athleticism the team is looking for. Richardson is obviously a candidate to be the Pacers’ pick at No. 20, while Gbinije would be a solid option for them at No. 50.

It is still early in the draft process, but keep an eye out for these two as draft day approaches.