Chicago ? Former Kansas University basketball forward Julian Wright has hired Tim Grover as his personal trainer leading up to the NBA Draft.
Grover, who is based in Wright’s hometown of Chicago, is founder of ATTACK Athletics, and is most well known for training Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Dwayne Wade and Scottie Pippen.
Wright, a sophomore forward who finished final exams at Kansas University on Thursday, worked out with Grover for the first time Friday.
“He’s a better shooter than I thought he’d be,” Grover told ESPN Insider’s Chad Ford after the workout. “I think it’s an area of the game he can certainly improve in. If he does, he has the rest of the package.”
ESPN’s Ford says Wright “possesses as many basketball gifts as any prospect in the draft. He is an excellent athlete with great size (he measures 6-foot-8 in socks with a 7-2 wingspan) for his position.
“At times, he’s been downright dominant for Kansas. At other times, however, Wright has tended to melt into the background. That’s led to quite a bit of volatility in his draft stock. On talent, some NBA scouts believe he’s one of the four or five most gifted players in the draft. Others have him ranked considerably lower, claiming he lacks a position in the pros.”
Wright told Ford he was never tempted to get an early start with Grover. He made a commitment to finish the semester at KU and did so.
The NBA Draft will be June 28.
“I just had to make sure I took care of my school work,” Wright said. “My education is really important to me. So is basketball. But I wanted to take care of my school commitments and then give my full attention to the NBA.”
