Belgian Rising Star Vrenz Bleijenbergh coming to Sacramento for Kings’ pre-draft workout
International prospect Vrenz Bleijenbergh recently came to the United States to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. That journey will include a stop in Sacramento.
Bleijenbergh was scheduled to fly to Sacramento on Saturday night to participate in a pre-draft workout with the Kings on Monday, a source told The Sacramento Bee. Bleacher Report draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman recently called Bleijenbergh “one of the more interesting under-the-radar prospects” in the draft.
Bleijenbergh, a 6-foot-11 wing who played for the Antwerp Giants in Belgium, was a Pro Basketball League Rising Star selection after averaging 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 41 games. Bleijenbergh is viewed as a possible second-round pick, but his true range won’t be established until teams get to know him better in pre-draft workouts.
Bleijenbergh is coming to Sacramento after participating in a multiday combine-style workout for all teams in Minnesota over the past few days. He also had workouts with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks.
The Kings are holding a series of private, unannounced pre-draft workouts as they prepare for the NBA Draft on July 29. Sources said the Kings held a workout Thursday that included Little Rock big man Ruot Monyyong.
Bleijenbergh has been listed at 6-foot-10 and 205 pounds, but he provided an update Saturday on Twitter, saying: “For all the guys that keep on asking me how tall I am or for the people that (are) arguing. Just to be clear: 6’11 with shoes 7’1 wingspan.”
NBADraftRoom.com ranks Bleijenbergh as the seventh-best small forward in the draft behind Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Kuminga, Jalen Johnson, Franz Wagner, Corey Kispert and Trey Murphy III. The website described Bleijenbergh as “a smooth 6-10 wing player who has great movement skills for his size and uncanny passing ability.”
The site went on to say: “He seems like a natural fit in the NBA with his passing skills, his versatility and his ability to hit the outside shot. Vrenz is skilled at operating the pick and roll, with a natural feel for space, pace and using the screen. He plays with his head up and does a great job of finding shooters on the wing or hitting the big rolling to the basket. He’s not the most hyped international prospect in this class but he’s got big time upside and will get a long look from NBA teams.”
