NBA Combine 2017: Prospects Who Boosted Their Stock After Thursday's Drills

With 67 participants primed for drills, athletic testing, interviews and five-on-five action, the 2017 NBA Draft Combine tipped off on Tuesday.

Despite big names like Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum being conspicuously absent from the list of players at the event in Chicago, Illinois, there was still plenty of excitement.

A number of prospects boosted their stock for this summer's draft thanks to impressive performances all over the floor. A few of the biggest risers can be found below.

Hamidou Diallo

Because Hamidou Diallo didn't appear in a single game for Kentucky this season, he entered the combine in a shroud of mystery, one he burst through with a 44 ½" max vertical leap.

His jumping was so ridiculous that combine staff had to improvise with their measurement techniques, as seen in this picture from Bleacher Report's Scott Phillips:

Combining that leaping ability with Diallo's impressive frame (6'5" with a 6'11 ¼" wingspan) makes him a very intriguing prospect at shooting guard. 

A creative team could boost his ceiling by casting him as a combo guard or point guard, though. Position-less basketball is a rising tide, but it's not hard to imagine Diallo still enjoying mismatches as a 1.

Donovan Mitchell

From one school in Kentucky to another, Donovan Mitchell could also benefit from eventually transitioning from shooting guard to combo guard or point guard.

But if he does want to stay at the 2, he now has some evidence from the combine to suggest he can handle the bigger matchups there.

"Among backcourt prospects, Donovan Mitchell was perhaps the most impressive physical specimen," DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony wrote. "Standing just 6'3 in shoes, Mitchell's 6'10 wingspan and 211-pound frame that carries only 5.9 percent body fat give him similar dimensions to a number of prominent NBA guards like Tony Allen and Victor Oladipo."

That 6'10" wingspan is the measurement that really jumps off the screen. It's equal to that of 6'10" Eric Mika's and within an inch of UCLA's TJ Leaf's.

Frank Jackson

Diallo impressed in the testing. Mitchell stole the measurements show. And Duke point guard Frank Jackson acquitted himself quite well in the five-on-five action.

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz recapped the full-court action, specifically citing Jackson as one of the day's most impressive players:

"Jackson, who has yet to decide whether he'll sign with an agent, was able to get to the rim at will by way of his powerful explosiveness and strength (202 pounds) while sitting down in a stance and competing on the defensive end. Playing mostly on the ball, Jackson is an aggressive score-first combo guard who should be able to fill it up at all three levels with NBA spacing (even though he missed both of his triples on Thursday).

"Jackson's decision making, point guard skills and ability to shift gears could still use some polish, but he helped himself on Thursday and has the talent to potentially be on the fringe of the first round if he decides to stay in the draft."

Jackson entered the 2016-17 season as the No. 18 recruit (No. 5 point guard), according to Scout.com. Playing alongside ball-dominant combo guards Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen really stunted his production, though.

Performances like Thursday's could remind scouts why Jackson was ranked so highly before his freshman campaign. A few more in private workouts could get him back into the first round.

Others who Impressed

OG Anunoby appears to have the size to play either forward position, and maybe even little spurts of small-ball 5. He measured in at 6'7 ¾" in shoes, with a 7'2 ¼" wingspan. He was also 232.4 pounds at just 6.8 percent body fat.

Maryland's Justin Jackson was another wing/forward with impressive dimensions. He stood 6'7" tall, with a 7'3 ¼" wingspan, measurements very similar to Kawhi Leonard's.

Finally, Duke's Luke Kennard was a bit of a disappointment in terms of wingspan (6'5 ¼"), but his height should be a pleasant surprise. In 2015, Kennard's recruiting profile at Scout.com had him listed at 6'5". On Thursday, he measured 6'6 ½", plenty tall enough to survive at shooting guard. Given his deficiency in wingspan, though, this could be another prospect who would really benefit from cultivating point guard skills.