2016 NBA Draft Combine Invite List Released: Participants, Comments and Reaction

More than 70 players were invited to the 2016 NBA Draft Combine this past weekend, an event that begins next Wednesday and runs through May 15 in Chicago.  

ESPN's Jeff Goodman released a list of 64 of the draft prospects slated to participate in the combine on Wednesday, indicating all but eight of them have signed with agents already:

A new rule that applies to this year's draft allows players to go through the predraft process all the way through the combine. Players who haven't signed with agents have 10 days (May 25) after the combine to withdraw from the draft.

Among the most notable prospects who could still drop out of the draft is Gonzaga big man Domantas Sabonis, who averaged 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds as a sophomore. Sabonis was projected by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman as the 10th overall pick in his latest mock draft.

Other than international phenom Dragan Bender, all the top prospects have been invited to participate in drills and workouts for NBA talent evaluators.

Those include freshman prodigies such as LSU's Ben Simmons, Duke's Brandon Ingram and Kentucky 2-guard Jamal Murray. They were three of the top five picks in Wasserman's aforementioned mock.

Other stars who stayed in school to thrive as seniors, such as Oklahoma product Buddy Hield and Michigan State standout Denzel Valentine, will also be in action in the Windy City in a bid to boost their draft stock.

A nice mix of experienced players and one-year wunderkinds will be putting their athleticism and skills on display at the combine. Simmons has the talent to be the No. 1 overall pick but would benefit from a strong combine showing after his LSU team finished with an underwhelming 19-14 record.

The draft lottery is only two days after the combine, which will make it easier to project where the top prospects might go based on team needs and fits.