NBA Combine 2016: Dates, TV Info, Live Stream and Drills Preview
Teams have more players to evaluate heading into the 2016 NBA draft on June 23, which makes this year's combine as important as ever.
A rule change has allowed underclassmen to withdraw their names from the draft up to 10 days after the combine and return to school, assuming they don't sign an agent. This allows players unsure about their futures to enter the combine and get accurate projections from teams before making any decisions. Of course, if they want to end up on draft boards, they better come through with strong performances in Chicago.
From Wednesday through Sunday, most of the top prospects in the class will be participating in a variety of tests, drills and interviews aimed to provide NBA teams with the most accurate information heading into the draft. You can be certain this will create plenty of drama throughout the few days in the Windy City.
| Thursday, May 12 | ESPN2 | 3 - 7 p.m. |
| Friday, May 13 | ESPN2 | 3 - 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, May 14 | NBATV | 1 - 4 p.m. |
| Sunday, May 15 | NBATV | 9 p.m. - midnight |
Preview
More than 70 players were initially invited to the NBA Draft Combine, according to an official release on NBA.com, but as of now a total of 63 players will be in attendance. Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated provided an easy look at those expected to participate:
Considering many top international players won't be there as they continue their seasons, there should be a bunch of prospects in Chicago who won't make the cut on draft day. After all, there are only 60 picks in the two rounds.
Perhaps the most notable player missing from this list is projected top overall pick Ben Simmons out of LSU. While disappointing, it won't necessary hurt his draft stock considering the last three No. 1 overall picks—Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns—all declined invites to this event. The theory is if he truly is the best player in the class, workouts could only hurt his perception and potentially cause a fall.
On the other hand, the biggest competition for the top spot in the draft, Brandon Ingram, will be in attendance. ESPN's Tim Legler is one person who believes the Duke wing is the best player in the 2016 draft, as he explained on 97.5 The Fanatic:
A strong performance during the week could help Ingram move ahead of Simmons on some draft boards.
Of course, there are a whole bunch of prospects hoping to increase their stock with strong showings. The good news is there is a wide variety of events that can be advantageous to different players.
Some of the most important parts of the combine don't even require breaking a sweat. Before doing any drills, each player gets accurate measurements on height, weight, body fat percentage, wingspan and more.
These numbers play a major role in evaluations, as it helps teams understand whether the NBA hopefuls could physically handle the different positions on the floor. After that, various teams interview the prospects to get a gist of their personalities and whether they have the mentality to handle playing at the next level.
The next step is athletic testing similar to that of the NFL Scouting Combine. Players go through a variety of drills, including a vertical jump—both standing and max vert—a three-quarter-court sprint, an agility test and a bench press. Not every player will participate in every event or even any of the events, but you can be certain some will use this to their advantage to show off the pure athleticism that is so coveted in today's NBA.
Finally, we get to the real basketball skills portion with shooting drills as well as five-on-five scrimmages. Few projected lottery picks choose to participate in the scrimmages, as it can seemingly only hurt their stock, but teams pay attention during those events.
A year ago, Arizona guard T.J. McConnell was barely on the NBA radar but turned some heads during the scrimmages.
"I’m not gonna be a guy who has a 45-inch vertical or does all that other stuff," McConnell said at the time, per Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star. "But I’m a team player, and I love being a team player. Being a five-on-five player really helped me get an invite here."
The undersized point guard—then listed by DraftExpress at 6'2", 188 pounds—wasn't drafted, but he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer and ended up playing 81 games as a rookie, averaging almost 20 minutes per game.
Top college players such as Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon or Wichita State's Ron Baker could potentially help themselves this year in five-on-five drills, while others—such as Oklahoma product Buddy Hield or Kentucky's Jamal Murray—will likely excel in shooting drills. You can expect North Carolina State's Cat Barber to turn heads during the speed and agility drills, while Indiana's Troy Williams could be one of the best in the vertical jump.
Everyone has something to specialize in and hope this week will be a start to a bright future at the professional level.
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