If the Mountain West prepared Jaedon LeDee for any part of the NBA draft process, it’s the crazy travel.
Laramie, Albuquerque, Boise, Logan …
Brooklyn, Cleveland, Phoenix, San Francisco …
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LeDee worked out for the Golden State Warriors on Thursday afternoon, his fourth NBA stop of the week and the third in as many days. Monday is the Chicago Bulls, followed by, well, LeDee told his agent he doesn’t want to know too far in advance where he’s going next so his head doesn’t spin.
But this is the life of an All-American from San Diego State who doesn’t appear on most mock drafts, crisscrossing the country to convince NBA clubs the value of a big, strong, humble, veteran power forward one workout at a time.
LeDee won the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s top power forward after a scintillating senior season, averaging 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent (44.4 percent on 3s). In six postseason games, it was 26.2 points and 6 of 9 from deep, including a 32-point night in the NCAA Tournament and 15 in the first half against eventual champion Connecticut and projected top-five draft pick Donovan Clingan. The Kenpom metric ranked him sixth in Division I in individual player efficiency.
And all that wasn’t enough to elicit an invite to the 78-player main draft combine last month in Chicago, illustrating the stark difference between the college and NBA games. Success in the former doesn’t guarantee a spot in the latter. This year’s NBA draft will be held June 26 and 27 in New York.
“When I heard it, I was maybe upset for 10 minutes,” LeDee said of the combine snub after his workout at Golden State. “My biggest thing is: control what you can control. They don’t want to see me there, that’s fine. … Throughout my career, nothing has really been given to me. When I saw it, it’s just another step in the journey.
“Just keep working.”
San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee is double=teamed by UConn’s Samson Johnson, left, and Alex Karaban duringa March NCAA Tournament game.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
LeDee went to the G League Elite Camp instead, held a few days earlier in Chicago. He performed reasonably well, averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two scrimmages, but it wasn’t enough to be one of the five players summoned to the main combine.
He was listed at 6-foot-9, 240 pounds at SDSU. He measured slightly shorter in bare feet (6-7¾) and heavier (253 pounds) in Chicago, with large hands but an average wingspan and vertical leap. In shooting drills, he was excellent from stationary spot-ups and the free-throw line but less effective on the move.
ESPN ranks him 96th in its top 100 prospects. (Former Aztecs teammate Keshad Johnson, who played his final season at Arizona, is No. 50.)
The biggest issue, though, appears to be his age. LeDee spent six years in college, counting redshirt and COVID years, and turns 25 in July in a league that prefers its prospects in their late teens.
“I knew that coming in,” LeDee said. “My college journey was a little longer. At the end of the day, we’re playing basketball. If you can fit and you can play the game, I really don’t see where that’s a problem. It’s not like the league is limited to 18-, 19- or 20-year-olds. There are guys out there who are 30-plus. It’s a grown man’s game.
“I think I’m one of those guys you can put out there and be ready to battle, and I won’t be scared of anybody. I’m grown already. I’m not 18 or 19.”
San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee (13) attempts to shoot against UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) during the NCAA Tournament.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Asked in team interviews for an NBA comp for his unique skill set, LeDee offers Xavier Tillman.
The 6-7, 245-pound Celtics forward played at Michigan State for three years, was drafted in the second round by Sacramento and immediately traded to Memphis, where he spent parts of four seasons before being traded to Boston in February. He averages 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game for the Celtics, a hard-hat, lunch-pail bench player who willingly does all the dirty work.
“Setting good screens so the shooters can get open, rebounding so they can get more shots, and just be tough with energy and effort, playing D, things like that,” LeDee said. “Whatever the team really needs. … Right off the bat, I feel like I can do that role, like, now. Just get my foot in the door, help a team win and be successful.”
The good news: Teams keep calling LeDee to schedule workouts.
They are typically with a half-dozen players. They’re short and intense, a mix of shooting drills and 3-on-3 scrimmages.
Also at Golden State on Thursday was PJ Hall, a 6-10, 238-pound forward who made 111 career 3s at Clemson. It was his first time encountering the beef and brawn of LeDee.
“That’s a defensive end, a big dude, strong, broad shoulders, big legs,” Hall said. “He’s a lot to handle. … He’s a tough matchup for me, because what I’m trying to do is the opposite of what he’s doing. He’s going through my chest, bulldozing me. He’s a great player. It’s a lot to handle when someone is lower than you and stronger than you.”
San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee (13) takes a shot during a practice ahead of the Aztecs first-round NCAA tournament game.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A familiar face at the Golden State workout was Colorado State point guard Isaiah Stevens, who got to play with LeDee instead of against him the last two seasons in the Mountain West.
“Man, it was fun today,” Stevens said. “We were able to get on the same team and compete a little bit. … Being able to work with him today and see a different side of him as a teammate, it’s easy to see why San Diego State had so much success with him at the helm. He’s somebody who’s trying to go out there and win each and every possession, each and every play.”
Stevens, the preseason conference player of the year, wasn’t invited to the main NBA combine, either.
“I always think the Mountain West is overlooked,” Stevens said. “Ultimately, you’ve just got to deal with the hands that you’re dealt. I felt his résumé was more than good enough, but I don’t know who made those decisions. That’s up to them. But it looks like he’s putting his best foot forward right now, and that’s all you can ask for.”
