Gonzaga’s Drew Timme scores 17 points, delivers highlight-reel plays on second day at NBA Combine
A change of scenery seemed to make a difference for Drew Timme in the second and final scrimmage of the NBA draft combine.
The Gonzaga standout changed teams, finished in double figures and delivered a number of highlight plays in a winning effort for Team Hines – coached by Toronto Raptors assistant Rico Hines – at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Timme scored 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists to help Team Hines pull away from Team Bradds for a 117-106 victory.
The All-American forward wasn’t as productive in a losing effort the day before, scoring six points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field in a 107-88 defeat. Timme and Clemson center PJ Hall were shipped to Team Hines on Thursday after multiple combine participants pulled out of the second day of 5-on-5 action.
In a prescrimmage ESPN2 interview, Timme told sideline reporter Andraya Carter he feels “a lot more comfortable and confident” in his second year participating at the combine.
“I think last time around I was unsure what I wanted to do, and I think that also factored into my play a little bit,” Timme said, “but I’m all in now, and I’m super excited for what the future holds.”
Before he moves on to predraft workouts with individual teams in the coming weeks, Timme made sure to leave a solid impression for NBA scouts, coaches and general managers in his final audition at the combine.
After starting on Wednesday, Gonzaga’s career scoring leader came off the bench but didn’t waste much time getting onto the score sheet, sprinting down the court in transition before collecting a perfectly thrown, go-ahead bounce pass from Belmont’s Ben Sheppard and laying it in.
Timme missed both of his 3-point looks, finishing the two-day combine 0 of 3 from distance, but he converted on a variety of other shots, getting a one-handed floater to fall just inside the free-throw line later in the first quarter.
Talking about his objectives on the second day, Timme told ESPN2, “We lost by a decent amount (Wednesday), so hopefully just get a win. I don’t know if I really necessarily have to do anything, just play hard and just talk. I think that’s all this stuff really comes down to.”
For large portions of the scrimmage, Timme matched up with Azuolas Tubelis, the Arizona forward who led the Pac-12 in scoring and rebounding during his second season playing under former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd.
Timme took Tubelis off the dribble and finished at the rim despite solid defense late in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Timme caught the ball above the 3-point line, shook off Tubelis and drove into the lane for a one-handed dunk.
“We don’t know him for his athleticism but able to find his way down the lane and punches that one,” ESPN2 analyst LaPhonso Ellis said.
With Tubelis draped on him, Timme caught an inbound pass midway through the fourth quarter and went up with a shot to beat the buzzer, watching his 4-footer ricochet off the backboard and into the net.
Baylor coach Scott Drew, who prepared for Timme twice during his Gonzaga career – once ahead of the 2021 national championship and again last December before a neutral-site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota – was asked about the three-time All-American during a brief appearance on the ESPN2 broadcast Thursday.
“His nickname’s ‘Big Tex,’ ” Drew said. “We recruited him, love his family and he can’t score any more buckets in college. He scored them all. But what’s amazing is you score 21 points a game, but his effective field-goal percentage, it’s one of the best in the nation. The guy’s a walking bucket.”
Timme’s college teammate, Julian Strawther, didn’t participate in scrimmage for the second consecutive day. Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye participated in individual agility drills and went through a pro day at the combine but also opted out of scrimmaging.