When he moved from his native Australia to the United States six years ago, Josh Green left behind Aussie rules football, surfing and a number of other sporting passions his parents encouraged him to try.
Even, according to a trading card, water polo. Sort of.
“I will let you know for a fact,” Green says, “that it was just to get a day off school.”
By the time Green landed in Phoenix in 2014, the focus had narrowed to one goal: the NBA Draft.
Soon after arrival, Green met a new best friend, Nico Mannion, and the two played together in club ball and then at Arizona. Both are sons of professional athlete parents who grew into NBA Draft prospects: The supremely athletic 6-foot-5-inch Green and the savvy, 6-3, playmaking Mannion.
During their nine-month stopover in Tucson, the two picked up another like-minded friend who quickly joined them on the mock draft boards: Zeke Nnaji, a rapidly ascending 6-11 big man from Minnesota who may possess a high upside in today’s NBA game.
All three left Arizona after their freshman seasons and began preparing for the NBA Draft, which was pushed from June to August, then October and now November.
It became a five-month delay, which might be enough to make the normally grueling predraft process appear to last forever.
But not if you love the game, love working out inside empty gyms, drilling yourself over and over, for hours, days, weeks and months on end.
Zeke Nnaji made a quick impact as a UA freshman last year, and the big man says he’s even stronger and quicker now.
“When the draft got moved back, it was a shock to a lot of people,” Green said. “But I just saw it as a time where I was able to get better. I enjoy working out, I enjoy being competitive, I just continue to work as hard as I can. For me, to be able to have this time has been amazing.”
Green relocated to Las Vegas, where he was joined by several other draft prospects and current pros, including Nnaji. There, during and between workouts, the two grew to continue a relationship they built in Tucson last fall.
“Zeke’s my guy,” Green said Monday, during NBA predraft interviews on Zoom. “He’s been out in Las Vegas as well and I’ve seen a huge progression in his game. It’s awesome to be able to have one of your teammates around all the time.”
Considered less developed at this point than Green or Mannion, Nnaji said he’s used the extra predraft time to lower his body fat to 5.9%, increase his weight from 240 pounds to about 248 and work on other aspects of his game.
Nnaji said he’s shown off his improvement in workouts for about eight teams, too.
“It’s been a huge,” Nnaji said. “I know this whole situation is really unfortunate, but I’ve been able to make the most of it, working really hard every single day, multiple times a day.
“I’ve added really good muscle. My explosiveness has gone up, my lateral quickness (has improved) and I’m shooting the ball really well from the 3-point line. I think people are going to be really impressed with how much I’ve improved.”
Mannion has remained near home in Phoenix since the college season ended abruptly in mid-March, working out with his personal trainer at a well-equipped nearby gym that a friend owns. Mannion has also spent considerable time adding strength and shooting.
A projected lottery pick when he entered UA last season, Mannion is now expected to be in the late-first round to mid-second round range.
A lower starting spot, maybe, but with a game that Mannion says will fit in an NBA system at either guard spot.
“We got really close at Arizona and whoever goes first, I think we’re all going to be really happy for him,” said Zeke Nnaji of his former teammates.
“A lot of teams are kind of in that two-guard system now and I think I do move off the ball,” Mannion said. “I’ve tweaked a couple things on my shot and I’m shooting it really well. … I think I’m a really good playmaker, so whether that’s at the one or the two I think I’ll be able to make plays regardless.”
There may be no one rooting harder for Mannion on Wednesday than that Aussie kid who struck up a long-term friendship six years ago.
“Me and Nico have had a great relationship,” Green said. “We’ve been playing with each other for five years now and he’s been one of the first people I knew when I came to America. He’s a great kid, he comes from an awesome family.
“And just seeing him grow, it’s crazy that we’re both about to go to this stage that we’ve talked about going to our whole lives. It’s crazy. It’s really, really crazy. I wish nothing but the best for him.”
Not surprisingly, Mannion was also upbeat about Green and Nnaji during his predraft media interview.
“Josh can kind of fit anywhere because he’s so versatile, he’s 6-6 with a 6-11 wingspan, can really guard, and he’s shooting the ball really well right now,” Mannion said. “Zeke’s kind of that big four who can stretch the floor, shoots it pretty well, and he’s just a hard worker. He rebounds pretty well, works hard and defends hard.
“So I think both those guys, just because of their work ethic and how they play, they’ll be able to fit almost on any team in the league.”
But who goes first Wednesday?
According to Hoops Hype’s aggregate mock draft, a collection of the major NBA mocks, it’s Green. But maybe not by much: The aggregate mock draft lists Green with a range between 17-33 overall, while Mannion is listed between 21-39 and Nnaji has a tighter range between 27-33.
At that stage of the draft, however, it’s hard to tell what might happen. The question is so intriguing, apparently, that a reporter from France asked Nnaji if he had a wager going with his former UA teammates.
Nnaji chuckled.
The way he explained things, their place in Wednesday’s NBA Draft isn’t about competition as much as friendship.
“We didn’t have any kind of bet,” Nnaji said. “We’re all super excited for each other.
“We got really close at Arizona and whoever goes first, I think we’re all going to be really happy for him.”
