The Prospect Post: Most Impressive Combine Showings

The Prospect Post: Most Impressive Combine Showings

This article is part of our The Prospect Post series.

The NBA Draft Combine is a blast to attend, as most of the top prospects, along with most influential decision-makers in basketball are in the same gym for four hours each day. That said, other than some physical measurements, there's nothing more to garner from the best prospects, as they unfortunately don't play in the five-on-five portion of the combine. Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Dejounte Murray and Domantas Sabonis did not even attend to be measured, nor did any of the European players who are expected to be selected in the draft. Kris Dunn, Buddy Hield, Jaylen Brown, Marquese Chriss, Deyonta Davis, Jakob Poeltl, Henry Ellenson, Denzel Valentine, Tyler Ulis, Demetrius Jackson, Skal Labissiere and Thon Maker, among others, were in attendance, but only participated in the measurement/interview portion of the combine. For in-depth analysis on those players and rest of the top prospects in the draft, stay tuned for an updated first-round mock draft after the draft lottery on May 17.

Here are the prospects who did play in the five-on-five portion that were the most impressive:

Player Age Body
Fat %
Height
w/ Shoes
Reach Weight Wingspan
Cheick Diallo 19 5.60% 6'9" 8'11.5" 218.6 7'4.5"
Malcolm Brogdon 23 5.40% 6'5.5" 8'2" 223 6'10.5"
Ben Bentil 21 9.70% 6'8.25" 8'9" 229.2 7.1.5"
Chinanu Onuaku 19 8.55% 6'10" 9'0.5" 245.2 7'2.75"
DeAndre Bembry 21 7.00% 6'5.75" 8'5" 206.6 6'9.25"
Patrick McCaw 20 4.70%
The NBA Draft Combine is a blast to attend, as most of the top prospects, along with most influential decision-makers in basketball are in the same gym for four hours each day. That said, other than some physical measurements, there's nothing more to garner from the best prospects, as they unfortunately don't play in the five-on-five portion of the combine. Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Dejounte Murray and Domantas Sabonis did not even attend to be measured, nor did any of the European players who are expected to be selected in the draft. Kris Dunn, Buddy Hield, Jaylen Brown, Marquese Chriss, Deyonta Davis, Jakob Poeltl, Henry Ellenson, Denzel Valentine, Tyler Ulis, Demetrius Jackson, Skal Labissiere and Thon Maker, among others, were in attendance, but only participated in the measurement/interview portion of the combine. For in-depth analysis on those players and rest of the top prospects in the draft, stay tuned for an updated first-round mock draft after the draft lottery on May 17.

Here are the prospects who did play in the five-on-five portion that were the most impressive:

Player Age Body
Fat %
Height
w/ Shoes
Reach Weight Wingspan
Cheick Diallo 19 5.60% 6'9" 8'11.5" 218.6 7'4.5"
Malcolm Brogdon 23 5.40% 6'5.5" 8'2" 223 6'10.5"
Ben Bentil 21 9.70% 6'8.25" 8'9" 229.2 7.1.5"
Chinanu Onuaku 19 8.55% 6'10" 9'0.5" 245.2 7'2.75"
DeAndre Bembry 21 7.00% 6'5.75" 8'5" 206.6 6'9.25"
Patrick McCaw 20 4.70% 6'6.75" 8.4.5" 180.8 6'10"
Joel Bolomboy 22 5.15% 6'9" 8'7.5" 224.4 7'1.75"
Jake Layman 22 7.10% 6'9.25" 8'6" 208.6 6'9.25"

Cheick Diallo (PF)
Strengths: Length, defense, running the floor, finishing around the rim, rebounding, motor, free-throw shooting relative to where he's at developmentally.
Weaknesses: His offensive game needs refinement. He isn't big enough or strong enough to guard centers, but offensively he profiles as a center, as he can't stretch the floor.
Draft Range: 16-30
Comp:Al-Farouq Aminu

Malcolm Brogdon (PG-SG)
Strengths: Intangibles, excellent defender, can guard both guard positions, decision-making, physicality, agility, effort, vision, transitioning well to point guard after playing off the ball in college.
Weaknesses: Shooting, age (one of the oldest players in the draft), not the best athlete, has to make up for that with high-motor play.
Draft Range: 17-32
Comp: Ron Harper

Ben Bentil (SF-PF)
Strengths: Offensive and defensive versatility, scoring, smooth stroke, ball-handling for his size.
Weaknesses: Leaping (29-inch standing vertical), tweener on offense, he needs to go to the right situation so that his versatility can be utilized.
Draft Range: 20-40
Comp:James Posey

Chinanu Onuaku (C)
Strengths: Intimidating size, dominates paint, rebounding, shot-blocking, competitive fire, developing post game, runs floor well for his size.
Weaknesses: Ideally he'd be a couple inches taller, needs to know his role (he's Steven Adams but he thinks he's Dwight Howard), free-throw shooting (he shoots free throws underhand).
Draft Range: 20-40
Comp: Ben Wallace

DeAndre Bembry (SG-SF)
Strengths: Scoring, play-making, defense, ability to guard multiple positions, basketball IQ, agility, knows his role, three-point stroke shows some promise.
Weaknesses: Not an elite athlete, will need to improve three-point shooting otherwise he may not earn playing time.
Draft Range: 20-30
Comp: Eddie Jones

Patrick McCaw (PG-SG)
Strengths: Height, shooting, defense, upside, didn't receive good coaching in college so there's the potential for him to really take off.
Weaknesses: He would be an incredibly more intriguing prospect if he can transition to point guard, but he may not have the instincts for the position. Visible engagement levels are reminiscent of Andrew Wiggins, but McCaw may not be talented enough to pull that off. Needs to add muscle.
Draft Range: 20-35
Comp:Jamal Crawford

Joel Bolomboy (PF)
Strengths: Strength, speed, athleticism, physicality, rebounding, developing shooting stroke.
Weaknesses: Has not faced elite competition, did not break out until senior year at Weber State, his age will be held against him.
Draft Range: 35-55
Comp: Kenyon Martin

Jake Layman (SF)
Strengths: Shooting, height, efficiency, energy, basketball IQ, competitiveness, speed, agility, athleticism.
Weaknesses: Wingspan, strength. He probably won't be able to handle most fours on defense, but he could get eaten up by some small forwards.
Draft Range: 35-55
Comp:Mike Dunleavy

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Anderson
James Anderson is RotoWire's Lead Prospect Analyst, Assistant Baseball Editor, and co-host of Farm Fridays on Sirius/XM radio and the RotoWire Prospect Podcast.
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