Players who can help or hurt their stock the most
Players rarely get drafted significantly higher than they were projected off a strong week at the combine, just like a poor performance is unlikely to move the needle too far in the other direction. Significant medical red flags or an usually bad series of interviews are much more likely to affect a players' standing than a particularly hot shooting day or impressive vertical leap numbers.
That said, certain players have more to gain in Chicago than others, usually based on past exposure. Teams have extensive scouting evaluations on Devonte' Graham, who spent four years at Kansas, took his team to the Final Four and went up against most of the top prospects in the draft.
Billy Preston, Graham's former teammate at Kansas, is a different story. Because he was deemed ineligible and elected to leave the team midseason, very few of the hundreds of talent evaluators in Chicago have had a chance to watch him in person. A particularly excellent showing could resonate much more strongly. The same goes for Brian Bowen, who was swept up in the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption and was able to practice at South Carolina only during the second semester. Since the NCAA has yet to make a ruling about his eligibility for next season, Bowen might not have a choice but to keep his name in the draft and start his professional career by trying to earn a spot in the second round -- or prove to be worthy of a two-way contract.
The 20-year-old Mitchell Robinson faces some of the same challenges, as he voluntarily elected to withdraw from Western Kentucky in the preseason and has been completely off the radar of NBA teams. He is largely an unknown, as teams are not allowed to send executives to high school or AAU games, with one impressive showing at the Jordan Brand Classic last April being the extent of Robinson's live-scouting résumé. Because he's a projected late first-round pick, Robinson might elect to preserve his mystery man status and not put himself out for all to see against players who are significantly stronger and more experienced in such an important setting. Instead, he could wait for private workouts.
This is the type of cat-and-mouse game that goes on among agents, players and teams throughout the months of May and June. A handful of players, such as Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams, elected not to participate in any part of the combine, as they (perhaps rightfully so) feel they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by being forthcoming with their medicals, interviews, measurements or athletic testing data -- let alone touching a basketball.
High school post-graduate Anfernee Simons declared his intentions to enter the NBA draft back in November, and he has been scouted extensively all season by teams, though perhaps not by GMs. The league initially asked him to compete in the 5-on-5 sessions, but his representation understandably balked at that, as he'd likely be woefully overmatched physically against the many NCAA seniors in attendance. -- Givony
Testing the waters, with decisions to make
A number of intriguing prospects enter the combine retaining their college eligibility, and they'll have until May 30 to decide whether to fully enter the draft or withdraw. Here are the five most interesting players to NBA teams, plus a few more to watch.
Tyus Battle | Syracuse | SG | Age: 20.6
Teams want to see Battle in a different role outside of Syracuse, where he was a ball-dominant shot-creator who posted a true shooting percentage of 52.9 largely because of late-clock, contested jumpers. Can Battle have an impact playing off the ball? Does he have any untapped playmaking potential, or is his wild style of play simply who he is? How will he look defensively outside of Syracuse's zone? How does his hitchy 3-ball translate to the NBA line? Battle is a fringe first-round prospect who could potentially play his way into a guarantee with a strong showing.
Donte DiVincenzo | Villanova | PG/SG | Age: 21.2
DiVincenzo is also considered a fringe first-round prospect who could gain some fans in Chicago by proving his worth outside of Villanova's system. He had the luxury of playing off veterans such as Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, worrying mostly about making shots and defending his position. Teams will be interested to see whether DiVincenzo, who is a capable passer but prefers quick-hitting jumpers, can run a team if asked to do so. After a monster NCAA tournament, DiVincenzo's stock might never be higher.
Omari Spellman | Villanova | C | Age: 20.8
Some teams see Spellman as a sure first-rounder with lottery potential, while others aren't quite ready to ride his NCAA tournament wave. Spellman, who was as heavy as 287 pounds and seen as a bit lazy just two-and-a-half years ago, has done an excellent job getting in shape and buying into Jay Wright's system at Villanova. After an up-and-down start to his redshirt freshman season, Spellman averaged 16.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per 40 minutes over his last five games while shooting 40 percent from 3. If Spellman does indeed play at the combine, teams will want to see him unleash the motor he showed for flashes in college while defending in space and displaying some level of feel on offense (more turnovers than assists last season). Should he play well in Chicago, it wouldn't be surprising to see Spellman, who turns 21 in late July and has rising momentum, keep his name in the draft.
Players rarely get drafted significantly higher than they were projected off a strong week at the combine, just like a poor performance is unlikely to move the needle too far in the other direction. Significant medical red flags or an usually bad series of interviews are much more likely to affect a players' standing than a particularly hot shooting day or impressive vertical leap numbers.
That said, certain players have more to gain in Chicago than others, usually based on past exposure. Teams have extensive scouting evaluations on Devonte' Graham, who spent four years at Kansas, took his team to the Final Four and went up against most of the top prospects in the draft.
Billy Preston, Graham's former teammate at Kansas, is a different story. Because he was deemed ineligible and elected to leave the team midseason, very few of the hundreds of talent evaluators in Chicago have had a chance to watch him in person. A particularly excellent showing could resonate much more strongly. The same goes for Brian Bowen, who was swept up in the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption and was able to practice at South Carolina only during the second semester. Since the NCAA has yet to make a ruling about his eligibility for next season, Bowen might not have a choice but to keep his name in the draft and start his professional career by trying to earn a spot in the second round -- or prove to be worthy of a two-way contract.
The 20-year-old Mitchell Robinson faces some of the same challenges, as he voluntarily elected to withdraw from Western Kentucky in the preseason and has been completely off the radar of NBA teams. He is largely an unknown, as teams are not allowed to send executives to high school or AAU games, with one impressive showing at the Jordan Brand Classic last April being the extent of Robinson's live-scouting résumé. Because he's a projected late first-round pick, Robinson might elect to preserve his mystery man status and not put himself out for all to see against players who are significantly stronger and more experienced in such an important setting. Instead, he could wait for private workouts.
This is the type of cat-and-mouse game that goes on among agents, players and teams throughout the months of May and June. A handful of players, such as Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams, elected not to participate in any part of the combine, as they (perhaps rightfully so) feel they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by being forthcoming with their medicals, interviews, measurements or athletic testing data -- let alone touching a basketball.
High school post-graduate Anfernee Simons declared his intentions to enter the NBA draft back in November, and he has been scouted extensively all season by teams, though perhaps not by GMs. The league initially asked him to compete in the 5-on-5 sessions, but his representation understandably balked at that, as he'd likely be woefully overmatched physically against the many NCAA seniors in attendance. -- Givony
Testing the waters, with decisions to make
A number of intriguing prospects enter the combine retaining their college eligibility, and they'll have until May 30 to decide whether to fully enter the draft or withdraw. Here are the five most interesting players to NBA teams, plus a few more to watch.
Tyus Battle | Syracuse | SG | Age: 20.6
Teams want to see Battle in a different role outside of Syracuse, where he was a ball-dominant shot-creator who posted a true shooting percentage of 52.9 largely because of late-clock, contested jumpers. Can Battle have an impact playing off the ball? Does he have any untapped playmaking potential, or is his wild style of play simply who he is? How will he look defensively outside of Syracuse's zone? How does his hitchy 3-ball translate to the NBA line? Battle is a fringe first-round prospect who could potentially play his way into a guarantee with a strong showing.
Donte DiVincenzo | Villanova | PG/SG | Age: 21.2
DiVincenzo is also considered a fringe first-round prospect who could gain some fans in Chicago by proving his worth outside of Villanova's system. He had the luxury of playing off veterans such as Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, worrying mostly about making shots and defending his position. Teams will be interested to see whether DiVincenzo, who is a capable passer but prefers quick-hitting jumpers, can run a team if asked to do so. After a monster NCAA tournament, DiVincenzo's stock might never be higher.
Omari Spellman | Villanova | C | Age: 20.8
Some teams see Spellman as a sure first-rounder with lottery potential, while others aren't quite ready to ride his NCAA tournament wave. Spellman, who was as heavy as 287 pounds and seen as a bit lazy just two-and-a-half years ago, has done an excellent job getting in shape and buying into Jay Wright's system at Villanova. After an up-and-down start to his redshirt freshman season, Spellman averaged 16.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per 40 minutes over his last five games while shooting 40 percent from 3. If Spellman does indeed play at the combine, teams will want to see him unleash the motor he showed for flashes in college while defending in space and displaying some level of feel on offense (more turnovers than assists last season). Should he play well in Chicago, it wouldn't be surprising to see Spellman, who turns 21 in late July and has rising momentum, keep his name in the draft.
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