NBA Draft 2018: Updated Prospect Big Board Heading into Scouting Combine

According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, 69 players will take part in the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago from May 16 through May 20. The combine is a crucial part of the pre-draft process, as stocks can rise or fall based on measurements and various performances in drills and scrimmages.

Here's a look at a top-30 big board prior to the combine, with a focus on four players to monitor as the draft approaches on June 21.

NBA Draft Big Board: Top 30

1. Arizona C Deandre Ayton

2. Real Madrid PG/SG Luka Doncic

3. Duke F/C Marvin Bagley III

4. Michigan State F/C Jaren Jackson Jr.

5. Missouri SF/PF Michael Porter Jr.

6. Duke C Wendell Carter Jr.

7. Villanova SF Mikal Bridges

8. Texas C Mohamed Bamba

9. Oklahoma PG Trae Young

9. Alabama PG/SG Collin Sexton

10. Texas A&M F Robert Williams

11. Michigan State SF/PF Miles Bridges

12. Texas Tech G/F Zhaire Smith

13. Kentucky SF/PF Kevin Knox

14. Villanova PG Jalen Brunson

15. Missouri C Jontay Porter

16. Kentucky PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

17. Miami SG Lonnie Walker IV

18. Boise State SF Chandler Hutchison

19. Cedevita Zagreb SF Dzanan Musa

20. USA C Mitchell Robinson

21. Creighton SG Khyri Thomas

22. Kentucky SF/PF Kevin Knox

23. USC PG/SG De'Anthony Melton

24. UCLA PG Aaron Holiday

25. Duke SG Gary Trent Jr.

26. Villanova F/C Omari Spellman

27. Ohio State SF/PF Keita Bates-Diop

28. Oregon G Troy Brown

29. IMG PG Anfernee Simons

30. Villanova SG Donte DiVincenzo

Four Prospects To Watch

Missouri SF/PF Michael Porter Jr.

Michael Porter Jr. missed nearly all of his one season at Missouri due to a back injury that required spinal surgery. He was ranked second on the ESPN 100 list prior to the season, and one has to wonder whether he would be considered a consensus top-three pick had he played the entire year.

Porter's two full games in a Tiger jersey should be taken with a large grain of salt. He only made nine of 29 shots in an SEC tournament matchup vs. Georgia and an NCAA tournament tilt with Florida State, but Porter had missed the previous four months and was thrust into the postseason spotlight immediately. That's a tall order for any player, let alone a 19-year-old freshman.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see how he fares against the rest of the competition at the combine. A strong performance there could conceivably eliminate any doubt that he is a top-five selection in this year's draft.

Texas A&M F Robert Williams

Texas A&M big man Robert Wiliams is one of the more notable names that will not attend the NBA Draft Combine, with Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic being two others. Williams declined an invitation to Chicago, so it will be interesting to see where his draft stock goes in the next few weeks.

Williams shouldn't fall far down the draft board, as the 6'10" forward is one of the better low-post defenders available. He's also fantastic on the glass, as evidenced by him grabbing 13 boards in just 20 minutes against North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

A few teams slated to pick in the middle of the NBA draft seem like good fits for Williams. The Washington Wizards could use an athletic big down low, while the Los Angeles Clippers will likely need to retool their frontcourt if center DeAndre Jordan opts out of his contract and heads elsewhere.

Texas Tech G Zhaire Smith

Only one player in the first round of NBADraft.net's current mock has a perfect score of 10 in the athleticism category, and that is guard Zhaire Smith of Texas Tech. In his one season in Lubbock, Smith averaged 11.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while pulling off acrobatic dunks, like the 180-degree slam in the NCAA tournament that landed him in the "One Shining Moment" highlight reel:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report pointed out that Smith is a candidate to go up the big board in the pre-draft process:

The issue with Smith right now is that he isn't much of an outside shooter, as he knocked down just 18 three-pointers last season. However, Smith isn't turning 19 years old until June, so he has plenty of time to develop a better jumper.

Every so often, a player picked in the middle of the first round blossoms into a star, such as Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Smith, who is currently 11th on Wasserman's big board, could join that lofty group given how athletic he is and how high is ceiling appears to be.

Villanova SG Donte DiVincenzo

Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo is looking to parlay his 31-point night against Michigan in the national championship game into a first-round selection in June. That certainly may happen, as NBADraft.net is placing him 23rd to the Indiana Pacers. He's barely on the outside looking in on Sports Illustrated's mock (34th). 

The 6'5" DiVincenzo, who was third on the team in scoring behind Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, is entering the league at the right time: Per Basketball Reference, teams averaged 29.0 three-pointers per game in 2017-18, which is not only an all-time league high but a full two field-goal attempts more than the previous mark of 27.0 set in 2016-17.

DiVincenzo hit 40.1 percent of his three-pointers last season and 48.1 percent of his shots overall. He isn't shy about shooting, as evidenced by his 10-of-15 performance (and 5-of-7 from three-point range) in the title game. Provided he has a good pre-draft process, the guess here is that he doesn't fall further than the last first round.