Fox or Monk? Either would work for 76ers, ex-teammate says

Should the 76ers choose De'Aaron Fox or Malik Monk with the third overall pick in Thursday's draft, they can't go wrong, according to former Kentucky teammate Isaac Humphries, one of six players who worked out for the team Friday.

None of the six is expected to be selected on Thursday, but with four second-round picks, the Sixers are surely doing their due diligence. Thursday, Monk had a private workout for the team, and his college backcourt mate, Fox, will showcase his talents Saturday.

"They're just incredible players and really good people," Humphries said of Fox and Monk. "De'Aaron is so quick and so agile. He controls the floor so well. He's a great leader, and I loved playing with him just because of how he distributes the ball and created for his team.

"Malik is such an impressive player, with the way he shoots and the way he controls the games. He takes it all into his own hands, and he's one of those type of players that just takes over. He's a real asset to any team."

Joining Humphries in Friday's workout were Pittsburgh's Jamel Artis, Connecticut's Amida Brimah, Virginia's London Perrantes and Weber State's Jeremy Senglin. Miami's Davon Reed sat out with an undisclosed injury.

While those names won't garner much interest from many, the day in between the private workouts of Fox and Monk did provide some more insight to those two because of Humphries.

"Something that is kind of crazy seeing at Kentucky with kind of being on the inside is you see the pure development of the young guys coming in," said Humphries, a reserve forward this past season. "They come in as AAU-type players, and they leave as kind of seasoned pros. It's really cool to see the transition and how Cal (coach John Calipari) develops and breaks them down and gets rid of their bad habits and focuses on their (good) habits.

"Both of them had such growth. Obviously, Fox started to dominate towards the end at the NCAA Tournament and Malik killed it during the year. Watching them every day enhance their games and tighten everything up is really cool to watch."

During his Thursday workout, the Sixers had Monk working hard to come off screens and concentrated on having defenders take away his shot to see how he could play off the dribble. He impressed that way, but didn't with his shot-making, as he was off for much of the 15 minutes the media were able to watch. There is little doubt he is a very good shooter, maybe the best in the draft, so seeing him display other abilities was obviously on the Sixers' minds.

With Fox on Saturday, they probably will want to see him be able to knock down some shots, as his ability to handle the ball and create is extremely good.

"I think they are going to be special," Humphries said. "They are the types of players that can come in and make a direct impact in the NBA. I'm really excited to watch them grow. They both just love (basketball) so much, and it's really infectious. I think Malik and De'Aaron both can take over games, but they can also take over teams, as well. They are very good teammates."