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Tucker DeVries prioritizing one thing in pre-draft workouts: 'Just the difference in the body'

headshotby: Alec Lasley05/29/26allasley

Former Indiana forward Tucker DeVries is in the middle of his pre-draft workouts, wrapping up his sixth of ’10 to 12 scheduled’ this week with the Indiana Pacers.

After participating in the G-League Combine earlier this month in Chicago, it’s full steam ahead before June’s NBA Draft. While he’s currently not on any mock drafts, after dealing with a few injuries and inconsistent play over the last two seasons, DeVries is looking to get his name back on the radar of NBA teams over the next few weeks.

“It’s got to start with the shooting ability and then just the IQ and competitiveness I feel like I can bring at the next level,” DeVries said after his Pacers’ workout on Thursday. “Just continue to show that and then see where that lands at the next level — how that will look as we go through this process.”

DeVries played in 144 games in his college career between Drake, West Virginia and Indiana. He averaged 16.8 points and show 35.9 percent from three while making 2.5 3s a game.

Despite playing just eight games at West Virginia due to a shoulder injury, he shot 47.3 percent from three. After arriving at Indiana, his role was altered due to the construction of the roster and it forced DeVries to play bigger, and less on the perimeter as a wing. That resulted in gaining about 10 extra pounds.

Now, he’s slimmed down since the season’s end and is playing closer to his 210-pound weight than that of 230 at Indiana.

“I’d say the biggest thing, trying to show them (NBA teams) — just the difference in the body. Leaning back down a little bit to be able to move in space a little better,” he said. “So I think that’s just the biggest thing, especially in a two-month span.

“Kind of refreshing everybody a little bit of what I’m capable of. I think the improvements body-wise of being able to slim back down to probably be my more natural position a little bit and then being able to move in space a little bit better is probably the biggest thing.”

Indiana head coach, and his dad Darian DeVries, was open throughout the season about the adjustments that Tucker was making due to the roster. It showed in his play.

DeVries averaged career-lows in points (13.7), field goal percent (39.7) and three-point percent (33.3) in his lone season in Bloomington.

Despite the ups and downs, DeVries is now in a spot to let his experience showcase to NBA teams and he’s enjoying the process along the way.

“I think it just goes to kind of the hard work that’s been put in up to this point to be in this position,” said DeVries. ” … You only get to go through this process once. So just trying to enjoy and embrace the day-by-day process and not look too far into the outcome that’s going to come with it. Just keeping it day-by-day and let it end up the way it’s going to end up.”

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