Josh Hart 'still 50-50' on turning pro, he says at 76ers workout

After a strong NBA draft combine that followed a stellar junior season at St. Joseph's, forward DeAndre' Bembry is considered among the fastest risers in the NBA draft.

Bembry is all in, having signed with an agent, and has been working out in Las Vegas in preparation for the draft on June 23.

Villanova junior Josh Hart, fresh off the Wildcats' NCAA championship season, is testing the draft waters. He has put his name in but has not hired an agent and can still pull out by the May 25 deadline.

Both players took their talents to a familiar venue Monday when they were among six prospects who participated in a pre-draft workout with the 76ers at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

"I am still 50-50 and I am not sure when that will change," Hart said after the workout, in which he and Bembry guarded each other. "It all depends on when and how much feedback I get in the next week and a half."

Hart faces a difficult decision, especially if he won't be selected in the first round. All first-round contracts are guaranteed for two years.

"The NBA is my dream and what I have been working toward since I was 5 years old," said Hart, who led the NCAA champions at 15.5 points a game. "On the other hand, Villanova is a special place, has a special place in my heart, and we have a great chance to repeat if we continue to get better and play Villanova basketball."

So?

"It is going to be a tough one. I wish there was a clear-cut pick, but it is a tough decision."

Hart has worked out for the Los Angeles Clippers. He has visits scheduled with Boston, San Antonio, and Atlanta, the last one on May 24.

The Sixers were Bembry's first workout. He will be going to Boston and Toronto this week.

"I have been hearing different things, from [being drafted No.] 18 to out of the first round," said Bembry, the Atlantic Ten player of the year who averaged 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.4 steals. "I am trying to show everybody my all-around game."

The 6-foot-6 Bembry is known as a stellar defender and a playmaker. The one question is his perimeter game.

"A lot of people feel I can't shoot at all," Bembry said. "I definitely want to hit a couple more jump shots so people can feel I can shoot better."

"Bembry is very smooth, athletic, shot it particularly well today," said Marc Eversley, the Sixers' new vice president of player personnel. "Very impressed."

The draft lottery on Tuesday will determine whether the Sixers have one or two lottery picks. The first-round choice they own from the Los Angeles Lakers is top-three protected. The Sixers also own the 24th and 26th selections in the first round, an area in which Bembry could come into play.

Also working out were VCU point guard Melvin Johnson, Louisiana-Lafayette power forward Shawn Long, Seton Hall point guard Isaiah Whitehead, and Temple power forward Jaylen Bond. For Bond, a product of Plymouth Whitemarsh, it was his first workout. "This was a great experience," he said.

The Sixers became the first NBA team to announce that a corporate partner will advertise on the team's jersey for the 2017-18 season.

StubHub, the ticket resale company, was already the team's corporate partner. The Sixers will receive $5 million annually for the sponsorship. The NBA board of governors approved the sale of jersey sponsorships last month, starting in 2017-18.

The Sixers will wear a StubHub patch on the front left side of their game jerseys during a three-year pilot program.

Sixers center Jahlil Okafor finished fifth in the rookie of the year voting. Minnesota center Karl-Anthony Towns, a product of St. Joseph High in Metuchen, N.J., was the unanimous winner.

mnarducci@phillynews.com

@sjnard

Staff writer Keith Pompey contributed to this article.