After NBA workouts, Tuttle ready for anything

Seth Tuttle was in a bit of a funk following Northern Iowa's loss in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament to Louisville, but it didn't take long for him to shift his focus to the future.

The reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year may not have gotten what he wanted out of his final season as a Panther, but he's got professional aspirations to worry about now. The NBA Draft is Thursday, and the 22 year-old Sheffield native has been crisscrossing the country going to workouts for NBA teams.

He's made it to 10 in total, and has relished the process. Getting a chance to show what he's capable of is all Tuttle could hope for headed into Thursday.

'This has been a blast. You know, it's different. Not many kids get the chance to experience what I've gotten to experience,' Tuttle said while sitting in the Outback Steakhouse inside Orlando International Airport after finishing a workout with the Orlando Magic on Monday. ' I've been all over the place, man. It's been fun, tiring, emotional. It's been wearing, really. You go in and give these workouts everything you've got, then after the workout you have to do a psychology test and you're freaking out about what's on that.

'Then you have interviews with you and personnel and scouts and you're worried about what they're going to ask you. It's fun and it's exciting, but the travel is taxing on your body.'

The workouts lasted right up until draft week. Tuttle had workouts with the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trailblazers, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and finally the Magic.

What many said about Tuttle while he was a player at UNI has remained the same in the feedback he's gotten from NBA scouts. The theme has stayed pretty close among each of the teams in what they've told him following a workout and the interview process.

'Most of them tell me they really like watching me play,' Tuttle said. 'They really like the athletic skills I have, but wish I was a little bigger and a little stronger. For the most part, they're bringing me in to see if I can shoot the ball and how well I can shoot it — if I can be a stretch 4 or knockdown 4.

'I've been doing really well. (Monday) I went against a really good player. And I've gone against a couple other really good ones that are going to be mid-first, possibly early second-rounders. That's giving teams a really good idea of where I stack up and what I can bring to a team.'

As good as he's felt, Tuttle still isn't among those listed in the various Mock Drafts put together by draft gurus from ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, CBS Sports or DraftExpress.

He's ranked 81st in Chad Ford's top 100 prospects list, and among Tuttle's positives, Ford wrote Tuttle is a 'Super versatile forward; High basketball IQ; Very efficient; Jack of all trades; Can stretch the floor; Sees the floor well for a big man.'

Ford only listed two negatives for Tuttle, but they're important enough that he's still projected to go undrafted. Ford said Tuttle, 'Lacks elite size or athleticism for position,' and 'Doesn't have one elite skill.'

Tuttle is as self-aware as any potential draftee, and knows what teams see as his strengths as weaknesses. So he's had a pretty easy time balancing hope versus expectations when the draft gets underway at 6 p.m. Thursday night on ESPN.

'I hope I get drafted so I can stand up and hug my family and tell them thank you for everything they've done for me to get me to this point. But I'm expecting nothing. Well, I guess I'm expecting everything,' Tuttle said. 'Anything can happen. A team that really likes you could trade their pick at the last minute, or another team could buy their pick. Anything is on the table.

'I'm not coming into that night with any expectations. That's a way to get shut down or bummed out about it. I'm just hoping a team wants to pick me up, give me a chance and get me on a great summer league team and see what happens from there.'

It's that final sentence that is what makes the prospect of not getting drafted a little easier to take.

Tuttle said if he doesn't get drafted — which, at this point, seems likely — he has 'a couple' almost-certain opportunities to get on a summer league team as an undrafted free agent. If it gets to a late enough point in the second round, it could almost be better for Tuttle not to be drafted so he and his agent can pick the best opportunity for him to make a roster.

He said he's put all he can into the workouts and it's up to the teams now to decide if he's the right fit. And as cool as he wants to play it now, he knows those few hours will be nerve-wracking until he knows where he's headed for summer league.

Armed with all that knowledge, Tuttle will head back to his hometown of Sheffield to watch the draft with his family and do his best to relax.

'I've been telling everybody I'm going to lock myself in my room by myself, but that's probably not going to happen,' Tuttle said through a laugh. 'I'll watch with my family like normal and try not to make too big of a deal out of it.'

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