The NBA combine, held in Chicago this past week, had a number of different events for prospects to showcase their skills, from 5-on-5 scrimmages, to shooting drills, athletic measurements, and, most importantly, interviews, allowing teams to try to get into the heads of these potential future NBA stars, while also allowing players to receive valuable feedback from the decision makers who will help determine their fate on draft night.
It's an event that really kicks off the busy season of the NBA draft, and can ignite a surge of momentum that can propel a prospect up draft boards. Here are five players who acquitted themselves well.
Cheick Diallo, center, Kansas
A top recruit coming out of high school, Diallo was never able to consistently find a spot in Bill Self’s rotation during his one year at Kansas. He averaged 7.5 minutes per game, and reached the 10 minute mark once in his final 10 games of the season.
Still, the physical talent the 6-foot-9, 219-pound native of Mali possesses is readily evident, and he did a great job of showcasing it this week. Diallo finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and four blocks in 22 minutes during his first game on Thursday, then followed it up with a nine-point, 10-rebound, two-block encore on Friday. The 27 points Diallo scored in that period was more than he scored over his last 15 games at Kansas.
Diallo showed some touch around the basket, which gives him something to develop down the line, potentially as a pick and dive player. But he’s still a raw offensive player, who also needs to physically mature and add some much needed strength before he’s able to reach his full potential defensively.
He is going to take some time, and patience, until he becomes a contributor in the NBA. In that sense, where he ends up going on draft night could play a big role in his early-career development.
Still, what Diallo can bring to the table – defensive activity, sharp defensive rotations, rebounding, and weakside shot blocking – makes it easy to envision somebody taking a chance on his talent, and performing so well, after being off the radar for so long. The feedback Diallo received must have been positive, as towards the end of the combine the young big man officially hired an agent, which means he will keep his name in the draft.
Thon Maker, power forward, Orangeville Prep
Maker didn’t appear in the 5-on-5 portion of the combine, a disappointing development for somebody whose most recent game experience came against high school competition. Still, he had a solid week at Chicago, measuring nearly 7-1 in shoes, with a 36.5 inch running vertical jump, the highest vertical jump for a player over 6-11 in combine history.
The rest of his athletic testing, which included a 9-2 1/2 standing reach, the second highest at this year’s combine, and impressive marks in both the agility (11.15 seconds) and 3/4 court sprint (3.33 seconds), creates a very unique prospect, especially when you factor in his potential as a three-point shooter and ball handler.
Perhaps just as important as his athletic testing, Maker came off well in interviews, giving the impression that his journey through life has provided him a unique world view. Like Diallo, whoever selects Maker is likely going to have to wait a considerable amount of time until he pays dividends, but for a player who has spent so much time out of the conventional radar, being able to remind executives what makes him so intriguing certainly helped his stock.
DeAndre Bembry, small forward, St. Joseph’s
Bembry was one of the rare potential first round picks who took part in the 5-on-5 portion of the combine, a decision which appears to have paid off handsomely for the versatile junior.
The major area of concern for Bembry has always been his jump shot. He showed in Chicago that he’s capable of making a jumper, but that’s never been the question. The question has always been whether he can make it with consistency, and it's a question that still exists, but it’s really the only major red flag for Bembry in his portfolio of skills.
The rest, from his defense, to rebounding, play making, transition skills, and half court shot creation were all on display in Chicago, leading to an impressive 18-point, four-rebound, three-assist performance in a blowout win on Thursday. Bembry also measured out well, with a 6-9 1/4 standing reach which helps him defensively, a 38-inch vertical jump, and quick scores in the agility and sprint drills.
The chatter around Chicago was that Bembry has pretty well solidified as a first round pick, and could even sneak into the middle of the first round if he continues to perform well in team workouts over the next month.
Chinanu Onuaku, center, Louisville
Onuaku improved in just about every way imaginable during his sophomore season with Rick Pitino, finishing with career-highs in points (9.9), rebounds (8.5), assists (1.6), steals (0.8), and blocks (2.0), using his all-around game to consistently make an impact, despite not being a prolific individual scorer.
Onuaku's performances at the combine reflected that, as he contributed 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots on Thursday, then followed it up with 10 points, three rebounds, three steals, and three blocks on Friday. Onuaku's value rests in his ability to do the little things, such as being decisive in his defensive rotations, coming up with 50-50 balls, forcing deflections, and altering shots around the rim.
He's an underclassman who hasn't hired an agent, so he has a tough decision to make in the coming days. He helped himself this past week in Chicago, and he has enough fans among general managers in the league where a first round selection is certainly on the table, but it's still not the guarantee Onuaku would ideally have. Regardless of whether he returns to Louisville for his junior season or stays in the draft, it should be relatively easy for a team to find a role for him in the league whenever he does decide to come out.
Jaron Blossomgame, forward, Clemson
Blossomgame has always had an intriguing set of physicals tools, something he showcased in Chicago, standing 6-7 1/4 in shoes and with a 41-inch vertical jump. His improvement over the years, from averaging 4.9 points per game as a freshman to 18.7 as a junior, has been impressive as well, developing his game in virtually every aspect.
The one question has always been whether Blossomgame could shoot well enough from the perimeter to succeed at the next level with his style of play, as he shot 24.8% from the three-point line and 68.1% from the free-throw line during his first two seasons at Clemson.
In many respects, he went a long way towards answering those questions as a junior, hitting an impressive 44.1% of his 102 three-point attempts while shooting 78.2% from the line. he ended his season on a high note, averaging 24.8 points per game, while shooting 53.6% from three-point range, over his last vie contests, despite Clemson struggling as a team, limping to a 1-4 finish over that stretch.
Blossomgame reinforced that improvement in Chicago, going 4-of-4 from three-point range over his two games, while also putting up strong numbers in the shooting drills at the combine. While that doesn't necessarily quell any sample size concerns that may exist for a player who has only been a reliable shooter for one season, executives getting a first-hand glimpse at the progress he's made can only help his draft stock going forward.
