Shane Larkin hopes athleticism tops size concerns

Shane Larkin knows the questions.

He’s spending the days leading up to the NBA Draft on June 27 trying to provide the answers.

Larkin, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Miami, worked out for the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at the team’s practice facility.

One of the things the Jazz wanted to see — like other teams interested in him — was whether Larkin is capable of defending bigger players.

To that end, Larkin was by far the smallest player invited to this workout.

The others included three guards — 6-5 Lorenzo Brown from North Carolina State, 6-5 Malik Story of Nevada and 6-7 Reggie Bullock of North Carolina — along with forwards Tony Mitchell of North Texas State and Amath M’Baye of Oklahoma.

"I was the shortest guy out there, so that’s good," Larkin said. "I had to go out and show I can play against bigger players.

"… That’s one of the questions about me. Can I play against bigger guys? So it was good to go out and try to prove that I can."

Since the Chicago scouting combine two weeks ago, Larkin’s stock has risen sharply.

Despite his worrisome size, he demonstrated freakish athletic ability and became a player who will likely be picked in the middle of the first round.


(sltrib.com)