Notes From NBA Draft Combine

The NBA Draft Combine is a nice tool to test draft prospects physical tools and while some scouts tend to overrate the process – it doesn’t answer the question if the player can play in the NBA and how good they will be at the next level.

However, the Combine helps to answer questions about how big some prospects are and how agile and quick they are. This year it seems nobody’s stock really took a hit, but a number of players measured in bigger than advertised. Some quick facts:

• Meyers Leonard measured in as the tallest prospect at 7-foot-1 ¼ (with shoes). Tu Holloway was listed as the shortest after measuring in at 5-11 3/4 (with shoes). Top-5 prospect Thomas Robinson came in at 6-foot-8 ¾ with shoes. Last year, Kenneth Faried was listed at 6-7 ½ with shoes.
• UConn freshman Andre Drummond weighed in as the largest prospect at 278 pounds with 7.5 body fat. Other notable players were Jared Sullinger was at 268, Royce White was slightly above 260, Draymond Green was around 235 and Will Barton was at 174. Likely top-pick overall Anthony Davis was weighed at 221.8.
• Drummond also had the longest wingspan, 7-foot-6 ½, Davis hit 7-5 ½ and John Henson’s wingspan was 7-5.
• Texas point guard J’Covan Brown had the highest body fat percentage at 12.5, edging out Miles Plumless (11.4), Green (11.3), William Buford (11.3) and Kevin Jones (11.2). Sullinger was at 10.7.

The Combine may have helped Leonard’s stock more than any other prospect. He measured in at 7-1 and 249 pounds. He also showed an extra bounce in his step, which had the building buzzing. It seems quite possible that he has moved past North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller in the draft just due to his potential. The biggest questions surrounding the sophomore center from Illinois is if he can play and how good of a motor does he have, which makes him a potential buss.  He showed ability in college to hit the mid-range jumper and he played well against Sullinger (17.5 points and 5 rebounds in 2 games) and Indiana’s freshman Cody Zeller (17 and 3), but is that enough to make him a Top-10 pick?

Damian Lillard was the best guard prospect at Combine and he didn’t disappoint. He showed off his sweet stroke and proved he was a far better prospect than of the other point guards.

UNC point guard Kendall Marshall was reportedly the first player in the gym and despite still dealing with a fractured elbow, he went through all the drills.

Henson is the poor man’s Anthony Davis. He size (6-10 ½, 216 pound and 7-5 wingspan) is similar to Davis (6-10 ½, 221.8 and 7-foot-5 ½). Both are elite shot blockers (Davis 4.7 and Henson 2.9) and are a force on defense and the glass (Davis 10.4, Henson 9.9). Davis is obviously more of a game-changer, but Henson could find a spot at the next level with his defense.

Arnett Moultrie (6-11, 233 and 7-2 wingspan) and Andrew Nicholson (6-9 ½, 234 and 7-4 wingspan) each helped their stock with their size, but can they be better than Jason Thompson or JaJuan Johnson at the next level?

Both are long and slim body with range on their jumper. Nicholson can even stretch out to the NBA 3, but there are questions about his lack of competition. Playing at St. Bonaventure, Nicholson never really saw NBA-type athletes and dominated against mid-major schools.

During the shooting guard drills, John Jenkins (6-4, 212) showed off his shooting stroke in front of a very intent Masai Ujiri and his scouting crew.