Former Mizzou men’s basketball guards Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill have a chance to fulfill their dreams.
Bates and Grill could become the first pair of Tigers selected in the same NBA Draft since Kim English and Marcus Denmon in 2012. Both were drafted in the second round, with the former selected No. 44 overall by the Detroit Pistons and the latter 59th by the San Antonio Spurs.
The first and second rounds are set for 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The event will air on ABC (first round only) and ESPN.
If both Bates and Grill are picked, they would be the 49th and 50th players selected in program history.
Though the duo improved their stock throughout the pre-draft process, Bates was the only one to gain an invite to the NBA Draft Combine in May as one of the top-5 performers at the G League Elite Camp. Bates and Grill both earned invitations to pre-draft workouts with several teams, giving them ample opportunity to turn more heads and potentially get picked.
Bates said on May 22 that he participated in pre-draft workouts with the Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors.
Grill told reporters in a news conference June 9 that he worked out with the Warriors, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. He also revealed he was set to workout with the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers.
A likely outcome for the pair would be similar to that of former Mizzou standout D’Moi Hodge. In 2023, Hodge landed within the 100 best available by ESPN, CBS Sports, The Athletic and Yahoo Sports and ended up signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent.
Bates has earned top-100 projections from ESPN (No. 63), CBS Sports (No. 64), The Athletic (No. 54) and Yahoo Sports (No. 62), while Grill appears on the ESPN (No. 67) and CBS Sports (No. 65) big boards.
Although both Bates and Grill have proven they can play at a high level, teams may be hesitant to take a chance on either due to their age.
Former Auburn big man Johni Broome was named consensus first-team All-American after averaging 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 blocks on 51% shooting from the field last season. He led the Tigers to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, earned SEC Player of the Year and was a runner-up to the Wooden Award.
Yet the 22-year-old, who turns 23 on July 19, falls just outside the top 30 on the ESPN (No. 40), CBS Sports (No. 35) and Yahoo Sports (No. 47) big boards, while also receiving second-round projections in mock drafts from major outlets.
Bates and Grill are in similar situations, with the former age 22 and the latter having turned 25 on June 15.
Older players have less traction in the NBA Draft, unless they are generational talents, because they reside outside the timeline for rebuilding teams. They usually end up getting drafted late in the second round to contenders or earning deals as undrafted free agents.
With that said, there are still scenarios where one of the two — or both — get drafted.
Tamar Bates projected to mix of NBA teams
Bates’ standout showing at pre-draft combines improved his draft projections. He went from undrafted in almost all projections to a second-round pick in some notable mocks from USA Today’s For The Win, Bleacher Report and NBA Draft On SI.
Bates averaged 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his senior campaign at Mizzou. He led Division I in free-throw percentage at 94.6% and shot 50.8% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc.
Bates has stated he aims to be a dependable, selfless player who can play a positive role both on and off the court for an NBA franchise. He may soon have the opportunity to fulfill that role, as there are a few teams draft analysts have him landing with.
Golden State Warriors: For The Win’s final mock draft from senior NBA staff writer Bryan Kalbrosky has Bates going to the Warriors with the 41st overall pick, which they acquired from the Miami Heat.
“The way we played at Missouri was pretty similar to the way that the Warriors play,” Bates said May 22 in a news conference after his pre-draft workout with the team. “It’s a free-flowing offense, speaking to both of them. ... For the most part, it was just playing off of concepts, making reads, cutting, screening and, obviously, running the floor, trying to play fast in transition.
“I fit the way that the Warriors play really well from a guard standpoint, just being able to play off the ball, just being somebody that can just play around Steph (Curry), Draymond (Green), Jimmy (Butler) ... just being complementary to them and obviously being able to guard as well.”
ESPN has Golden State turning toward the center position with the selection of Rocco Zikarsky of Brisbane, Australia, with the No. 41 overall pick.
Los Angeles Lakers: Bleacher Report lead scout and NBA Draft insider Jonathan Wasserman projected Bates to be selected by the Lakers at No. 55 in his latest mock draft. Wasserman cites Bates as “an efficient shotmaker and one of the most efficient finishers among guards in this year’s field.”
However, ESPN has the Lakers drafting a big man with the pick in former Clemson center Viktor Lakhin.
Orlando Magic: NBA Draft On SI’s Draft Digest staff has Bates getting drafted to the Magic with the 57th pick, which they acquired from the Celtics, in its mock draft Monday. The staff previously had Bates getting drafted No. 59 to the Houston Rockets (via Oklahoma City Thunder) on Friday.
ESPN projects Orlando selecting former Nevada wing Kobe Sanders with the pick.
Caleb Grill likely to go undrafted
Grill is trending toward entering the league as an undrafted free agent and does not appear in any mock drafts from major news outlets.
Grill averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his graduate campaign at Mizzou, earning the SEC Sixth Man of the Year award. He finished the 2024-25 season ranked No. 44 nationally in 3-point percentage with a clip of 39.6%.
There is a slim chance Grill could get selected late in the second round by a team that values his 3-point shooting and ability to play a role right away without scaling down his game.
Grill’s likely route to the NBA could be through a strong Summer League performance to earn a spot on a team’s G League or regular-season roster.
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