Arkansas' Qualls hopes to be 76ers' next second-round steal
Michael Qualls is confident that he can help speed up the 76ers' rebuilding process. "I feel like I can help right now," the former Arkansas shooting guard/small forward said. "I can be a force right away to help change that atmosphere and [turn] that program around."
Michael Qualls is confident that he can help speed up the 76ers' rebuilding process.
"I feel like I can help right now," the former Arkansas shooting guard/small forward said. "I can be a force right away to help change that atmosphere and [turn] that program around."
Qualls, 21, is trying to impress the Sixers' coaches and executives in person. He flew to Philadelphia on Sunday. He is scheduled to work out for the team on Tuesday in a group that includes Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Ryan Boatright (Connecticut) and Terry Rozier (Louisville).
Rozier could go late in the first round of the June 25 draft. The others are projected to go in the second round, if they are drafted.
Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie is known for finding value in the second round. Jerami Grant and K.J. McDaniels were his second-round steals in the 2014 draft. Grant, who plays both forward positions, ended the season as a valuable role player. McDaniels was a fan favorite before he was traded to the Houston Rockets in February.
Like McDaniels, Qualls is athletic and is known for producing spectacular dunks. Because of a minor hip injury, the 6-foot-5, 200-pounder didn't compete in five-on-five scrimmages last week at the NBA draft combine in Chicago. He was measured with an impressive 7-foot, 1/4-inch wingspan and had the lowest body fat (4 percent) of all 62 participants. The Louisiana native also registered a vertical leap of 391/2 inches.
Qualls averaged 15.9 points and finished with 32 steals and 17 blocks for the Razorbacks (27-9).
The junior had 91 dunks during his three-year career. His highlight was his two-handed putback dunk with 0.2 seconds left in overtime to give Arkansas an 87-85 victory over Kentucky in January 2014.
In for workouts
According to reports, small forward Julian Washburn (Texas-El Paso), power forward Seth Tuttle (Northern Iowa), shooting guard Terran Petteway (Nebraska), forward Marcus Thornton (Georgia), forward Stanton Kidd (Colorado State) and point guards Juwan Staten (West Virginia) and Shannon Scott (Ohio State) worked out for the Sixers on Monday.