When the Raptors introduced 7-foot-5 local product Sim Bhullar to the media Wednesday, they put him on a low, cushioned seat so he could face the cameras at eye level.
Nobody wanted a strained neck while interviewing him.
Bhullar, 21, is used to having to make accommodations for his height and his big-man body of 360 pounds. His parents’ home in Toronto has been retrofitted, including wider doorways, for his comfort. He wears size 22 sneakers.
Bhullar, who finished his sophomore season with the New Mexico State Aggies, is attracting lots of interest ahead of the NBA draft on June 26. And it’s not only because he can dunk standing on his tip-toes.
His roots trace back to the Punjab area of India, and he’s been touted as the first prominent men’s basketball player of Indian descent. A Punjabi broadcast team attended his workout at the ACC too.
Bhullar was at the Air Canada Centre with several other possible projects invited by the Raptors. Others to work out included: Wichita State forward Cleanthony Early, Michigan forward Glenn Robinson III and Colgate forward Murphy Burnatowski, another Canadian from Waterloo.
The Raptors have the 20th overall pick in the draft, plus the 37th and 59th pick in the second round.
To them, Bhullar is more than a novelty act.
Director of scouting, Dan Tolzman, told reporters that Bhullar has been on their radar for a while.
For the second consecutive year, Bhullar was voted Western Athletic Conference tournament most valuable player in leading the Aggies to the championship. He led the conference in blocked shots and field-goal percentage and was voted to the league’s all-defensive team.
Bhullar averaged almost four blocked shots per game, but his free-throw percentage was the weakest part of his game at .538.
He entered the draft despite having two years of college eligibility left. His Aggies were knocked out in OT by San Diego State in the first round of the March Madness tournament.
“I took a couple of months to get in shape,” Bhullar said. “I did whatever I could in college. This will be the next level for me, the next step. I just thought it was a good thing for me to make the jump.”
He has dropped 16 pounds from the end of last season and worked out to improve his muscle mass.
“The guys at the next level are a lot bigger and stronger (than college) and I’ve got to try to match that intensity.”
As a kid growing up in Toronto, he used to come to the Raptors games and playing for them would be a dream come true, he said.
The Raptors worked him out to see if the big man is more than a shot-blocking asset. They tested for his shooting, his stamina and mobility.
He has another workout planned with the Sacramento Kings.
If he doesn’t get drafted, Bhullar has a younger brother, who is almost as tall and is following in his big brother’s footsteps.
Tanveer, 19, at 7-foot-3, is a freshman with the Aggies. He red-shirted his first season, practising but not competing, in order to preserve an extra year of college eligibility.
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