It was a strange ending to the college basketball season and resumption to the NBA campaign because of the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA tournament was canceled in March as the first wave of COVID-19 cases began seriously affecting the U.S., while the NBA season was paused for four months before resuming in Orlando, Fla.
As the NBA playoffs are nearing their conclusion with the upcoming NBA Finals, the focus will then shift to the offseason, which includes the NBA Draft on Nov. 18, preceded by the combine.
The combine, which ordinarily takes place over the course of just a couple days in May, has been altered because of social distancing restrictions.
“NBA Draft Combine 2020 will give players the opportunity to participate in league and team interviews, both conducted via videoconference from Sept. 28 through Oct. 16,” the league announced in a press release last week. “Players will also take part in an individual on-court program consisting of strength and agility testing, anthropometric measurements, shooting drills and a ‘Pro Day’ video, all conducted in October at the NBA team facility nearest to a player’s home or interim residence. Medical testing and examinations will be performed by NBA-affiliated physicians in the same market.”
The list of this year’s combine participants has been released. There are a few notable names not on the list, including prospective high lottery picks Anthony Edwards (Georgia), James Wiseman (Memphis) and Obi Toppin (Dayton).
LaMelo Bell, the brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, will participate in the combine. Expected to be among the first few players selected, Ball has been playing internationally in Oceania after skipping college following a high school career in Chino Hills, Calif.
Kentucky leads the way among college programs with four former players expected at the combine: Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Nick Richards and Kahlil Whitney.
Duke and Arizona each have three representatives — Vernon Carey Jr., Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley from the Blue Devils and Josh Green, Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji from the Wildcats.
According to the latest CBS Sports NBA mock draft, Edwards will be taken No. 1 overall by the Charlotte Hornets after a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is followed by Ball (Golden State), Wiseman (Minnesota), Israel star Deni Avdija (Chicago) and Toppin (Cleveland).
NBA Draft Combine 2020 Participants
- Precious Achiuwa, Memphis
- Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton
- Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
- Udoka Azubuike, Kansas
- LaMelo Ball, Chino Hills HS (Calif.)/Illawarra (Oceania)
- Desmond Bane, TCU
- Tyler Bey, Colorado
- Vernon Carey Jr., Duke
- Yoeli Childs, BYU
- Mamadi Diakite, Virginia
- Devon Dotson, Kansas
- Paul Eboua, VL Pesaro (Italy)
- CJ Elleby, Washington State
- Malachi Flynn, San Diego State
- Trent Forrest, Florida State
- Josh Green, Arizona
- Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
- Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
- Josh Hall, Movarian Prep (N.C.)
- R.J. Hampton, Little Elm HS (Texas)/New Zealand Breakers (Oceania)
- Jalen Harris, Nevada
- Killian Hayes, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
- Markus Howard, Marquette
- Elijah Hughes, Syracuse
- Isaiah Joe, Arkansas
- Mason Jones, Arkansas
- Tre Jones, Duke
- Nathan Knight, William & Mary
- Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama
- Theo Maledon, ASVEL (France)
- Karim Mane, Vanier College (Canada)
- Nico Mannion, Arizona
- Naji Marshall, Xavier
- Kenyon Martin Jr., IMG Academy (Fla.)
- Skylar Mays, LSU
- Jaden McDaniels, Washington
- Sam Merrill, Utah State
- Zeke Nnaji, Arizona
- Jordan Nwora, Louisville
- Isaac Okoro, Auburn
- Daniel Oturu, Minnesota
- Reggie Perry, Mississippi State
- Myles Powell, Seton Hall
- Payton Pritchard, Oregon
- Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
- Jahmi'us Ramsey, Texas Tech
- Paul Reed Jr., DePaul
- Nick Richards, Kentucky
- Grant Riller, Charleston
- Jayden Scrubb, John A. Logan College (Ill.)
- Jalen Smith, Maryland
- Cassius Stanley, Duke
- Lamar Stevens, Penn State
- Isaiah Stewart, Washington
- Tyrell Terry, Stanford
- Killian Tillie, Gonzaga
- Xavier Tillman Sr., Michigan State
- Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State
- Kahlil Whitney, Kentucky
- Cassius Winston, Michigan State
- Robert Woodard II, Mississippi State