Trae Bell-Haynes has his eyes on the NBA after playing for the Milwaukee Bucks Summer League team.
The Basketball Movement is working out another NBA Summer League alumni. Coming off a summer participating in the NBA's Global Camp in Italy and the NBA Summer League, Trae Bell-Haynes is ready to take the next step.
Bell-Haynes played four years at Vermont, where he was American East Player of the Year and AP All-American honorable mention twice. At Vermont, he got to know The Basketball Movement's Payton Henson. Payton knew that Trae was trying to take his game to the next level, so he let him know about his great experience with Coach Rob Yanders. Trae was interested in the workouts, so Coach Rob reached out and got him to Southwest Missouri.
Trae Bell Haynes with the 🔁 and banks in the floater!#NBASummer pic.twitter.com/WL6YRQSwYc
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2018
In a phone conversation with Bell-Haynes, he broke out how Rob and The Basketball Movement has already helped him as a player.
Trae Bell-Haynes at The Movement
Many different trainers tell players many different things as Bell-Haynes pointed out. In talking to Payton Henson, Trae said that he learned that Rob was the real deal.
“Rob doesn’t do crazy things. He focuses on teaching you to play the right way, which was very applicable to me because I’m not a crazy, flashy player.”
Trae talked a lot about the high level of energy and intensity of the workouts at The Basketball Movement. He says that the fast-pace is different than other workouts he has experienced. He noted that Rob said something that has really stuck with him - "The person is the player."
What this means is that everything in life bleeds over onto the basketball court. If there is drama or positivity in your life, it affects your play for better or worse. Bell-Haynes says that as he strives to make his living playing basketball, this is a thought he will carry with him to make sure he attempts to block out any negative impact on his game.
In college, Trae Bell-Haynes did most of his scoring at the basket. He got his numbers in transition or at the free throw line. These are valuable skills for a guard, but he is currently working on expanding his range to become a more complete scorer. He says that being young (22) there is still plenty of room for improvement everywhere - "That's why I came to The Basketball Movement."
A pro-level player
It has already been a whirlwind summer for the 6'2" guard out of Toronto, Canada. With the worldwide growth of the game of basketball, the NBA has been expanding its search for top talent. For that reason, they hosted the NBA Global Camp in Italy this summer, where Bell-Haynes was one of just 40 players invited for interviews, scrimmages, drills, and strength and conditioning tests.
“Being in Italy was a bonus, but it was my first time being around 39 other NBA-level, like-minded guys. It was a great experience.”
While he was there, Trae interviewed with the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic organizations. After the interviews, he recalls that the Bucks expressed interest a couple weeks later. From there, he attended workouts and after the draft came and went, they called and asked if he would play on their Summer League squad.
Bell-Haynes played all five Summer League games at point guard for the Bucks. In only 14.2 minutes per contest, he still managed to show off his passing prowess and ability to get to the rim, shooting 62 percent. He scored 13 in his final game of the summer.
Trae Bell-Haynes knows that he can be a valuable contributor on an NBA team. The more time he spends at The Basketball Movement, the closer he will get to achieving his goal. For more on The Movement from prep-to-pro, keep it locked right here as we continue to elevate our game to help you elevate yours.