NBA Combine 2026 Prospects Who Boosted Their Stock Ahead of Draft

NBA draft boards are officially on the move.

This week's Combine, the hoops world's biggest annual audition, offered prospects the chance to solidify their standing through measurements, athletic testing, shooting drills and, for the non-elite prospects, scrimmages.

Some absolutely aced those assignments and, as such, suddenly sent their draft stocks up. Let's zero in on three hopeful hoopers who have a more favorable outlook coming out of the event than they did entering it.

Cameron Carr, Baylor

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As both an ignitable outside shooter and an anti-gravity athlete, Carr loomed as an obvious candidate to help himself on the workout circuit. So far, that's exactly how things are playing out.

After showcasing his sweeping wingspan (near 7'1", an elite mark for someone who measured just under 6'5" barefoot), he then put his hops on full display (38" standing vertical with a 42.5" max vertical). And in case there were any questions of his ability to tap into those tools, he silenced them with a blistering showing during Wednesday's scrimmages.

A performance so dominant, in fact, that he felt good enough about his stock to pull out of Thursday's scrimmages. On Wednesday, he splashed four three-pointers within the game's first four minutes, ultimately finishing his effort with 30 points and six three-pointers.

Considering he already looked like he'd land somewhere in the teens at the draft, this could have propelled him closer to lottery-lock status.

Matt Able, North Carolina

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While Able is no lock to stay in this draft—a transfer to the Tar Heels from NC State could really help his spotlight next season—he certainly gave himself and prospective employers plenty to think about.

He's not particularly big (a shade under 6'4" barefoot), but he has good length (plus-4.5" wingspan) and huge hands (8.75", tied for second-biggest among backcourt players). Those latter dimensions are helpful marks to buy him as a legitimate off-ball asset.

That said, he saw the biggest boost exactly where you'd want to provide it: on the basketball court. Over two scrimmages on Wednesday nad Thursday, he totaled 32 points with six three-pointers, showing a real knack for scoring but also some abilities with the ball in his hands.

This probably hasn't solidified him as a first-round lock, so maybe he'll opt for another college season. Still, his shotmaking, feel and age-related upside (he'll turn 19 this summer) all present a pretty compelling NBA draft case right now.

Baba Miller, Cincinnati

Miller's long-winding road to the NBA (his collegiate career featured previous stops at Florida State and Florida Atlantic) might finally be getting him where he wants to go.

He's an eye-test acer. He stands 6'10.5" barefoot with a 7'1.75" wingspan but moves like a wing. His lane agility (10.71 seconds) and shuttle run (2.7 seconds) times were among the best of all forwards. Then, he looked comfortable and confident from the paint to the perimeter in Wednesday's scrimmage, tallying 20 points, six rebounds and a couple of three-balls.

"The progress he made this season at Cincinnati, coupled with a continued predraft push, has put him back on the map at the right time," ESPN's Jeremy Woo observed. "... Late-blooming bigs with his size and skill level are difficult to find and tend to earn the benefit of a developmental runway in the NBA."

Miller, the 46th pick in the most recent mock from B/R's Jonathan Wasserman, looks like a draft dart worth throwing, especially if NBA executives believe he can find consistency with his outside shot.