NBA Combine 2012: Players Whose Draft Stock Will Skyrocket in Chicago

The 2012 NBA draft combine begins on Thursday, June 7 and runs through Friday, giving scouts and GMs plenty of chances to observe the measurements and workouts of almost every prospect worth selecting in the first two rounds.

It’s an extremely important time to make a big impression, as organizations begin to prepare their big boards in anticipation of the June 28 draft.

Let’s take a look at some players that will almost certainly improve their stock during the Chicago-based event.

Full list of participants can be found here.

Perry Jones III

Jones is one of the most immensely skilled basketball players in this draft. He honestly should be competing with Anthony Davis for the right to be picked No. 1, but his lack of a motor has severely hurt his standing in the eyes of many scouts.

He can start regaining their confidence by showing off his deft shooting stroke, great athleticism and huge size this week.

While PJIII was never truly at risk of falling outside of the lottery, there is a great chance he moves into the top seven with a nice performance.

Austin Rivers

The athleticism and shooting drills at the combine seem tailor-made for a sweet-shooting two-guard like Rivers. He’s been absolutely dominant with the rock in his hand during the collegiate season, but struggled playing off the ball.

Those flaws will not be apparent on Thursday or Friday, and we will see him absolutely destroy the drills.

A great audition here will likely boost Rivers into the lottery.

Quincy Miller

Miller often settled for jumpers during his freshman season at Baylor. It was likely because his knee was not fully healed—or he was not fully comfortable moving on it—after suffering an ACL injury in high school.

If the Bears star is able to prove he is healthy and fine with making all the cuts and moves on the damaged knee, he will certainly slide up from the late first-round.