There was a knock on the door of Tamar Bates' hotel room in Chicago on May 11. He'd been in the Windy City all weekend competing in scrimmages and workouts at the NBA G League Elite Camp. League officials were there to tell him he'd be in town even longer, inviting him to participate in the NBA Draft Combine the following week.
Bates, however, wasn't there. He'd run down to the lobby for a few minutes to grab food for himself. His mom and daughter answered the door instead.
"My mom thought they were pranking me," Bates said.
The Mizzou guard was excited when he got the news and made the most of his opportunity. He measured in at 6-foot-3.75 in socks with a 6-foot-10.25 wingspan and a standing reach of 8-foot-7. He ranked 11th in the field with a lane agility time of 10.75 seconds. He tied for first with Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard knocking down 19 shots in the 3-point star drill. And he had a strong performance in his final scrimmage of the week, scoring 19 points on 7-8 shooting from the field to go along with two rebounds, an assist and two steals in a 106-90 win.
With Bates putting his full skill set on display, he's gained the attention of several front offices across the league, including the Golden State Warriors, whom he worked out for in person on Thursday.
"My time at Missouri has prepared me for where I'm at now based off of what Coach (Dennis) Gates says literally every day, that phrase just being 'Giving your very best,'" Bates said. "That's how I've carried myself throughout my time at Missouri, and that's how I've carried myself throughout this process. And a lot of teams have taken notice of that and it's helped me a lot in this process, especially being able to do all of the things and play at all of the events that I have been able to throughout this pre-draft process. So I'm more than prepared for the pre-draft process and for the NBA, just because of where I played my last two years at."
Bates said Thursday's workout was one of three he's had so far, the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz being the other two teams who've brought him in. Bates said the Warriors had him go through some 1-on-0 finishing drills and play in some three-on-three and five-on-five scrimmages, seeing how well he could pick up on different actions they showed him. Houston guard Milos Uzan and UCLA guard Kobe Johnson also took part in the workout. Bates said staying in shape and having elite conditioning has been the most important part of the process for him.
The Kansas City, Kan. native said he sees a lot of similarities between how Mizzou and NBA teams play. He views himself fitting in as a role player somewhere, comparing himself to other 3-and-D wings such as Matisse Thybulle, Malik Beasley, Devin Vassell, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.
"(The feedback I've gotten is), obviously, what I do on the floor is good and it's at an NBA level," Bates said. "But they've really taken notice just how great of a teammate I am, you know, the way that I communicate, the way that I defend. So they've just been telling me to keep doing what I'm doing. I mean, there's some things that I gotta continue to work on and get better at, but we'll handle that when I get to the team that I eventually get drafted to. So for me, it's just about continuing to stay in my box and continue to star in the things that I do well on the court."
Bates said he's been keeping in touch with all of his former Tigers teammates, noting that they were in a group chat texting each other during the East Conference Finals game between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks Wednesday night. He was also on a Zoom call with Gates and former assistant coach Charlton Young before flying to his workout with the Warriors.
The NBA Draft takes place June 25-26. Bates will continue to do what he can to hear his name called next month.
"(The process has) been amazing and it's been a blessing, for sure, just because a lot of guys would wish to be in this position," Bates said. "Nothing but gratitude for me. I mean, going from city to city, you might be a little tired, a little sore. But I've been telling everybody the same thing, that these are great problems to have, just because this is a dream that we've all — myself and my peers and teammates — have been trying to accomplish forever. So I'm just grateful to be in the position that I'm in."