1) Andrew Nembhard- Gonzaga/Florida University: A player who had significantly benefited from playing in the Combine was the savvy guard from Gonzaga University. Many forget that prior to his past two years at Gonzaga, he spent time at Florida, where he was the lead guard in the SEC. His past 4 years has been filled with him getting groomed through tons of experience playing many future professionals. This was evident from his play at the Combine, here are the few things that can be taken away from his game. He truly knows how to play the Pick-and-Roll to perfection, constantly making good reads to the roll man at different angles, bounce passes and lobs. He played at a good pace and was able to get to floaters, runners, and to the rim at a good consistency. The most impressive attribute was certainly playing out of the P-N-R. His shooting from the three was not too impressive at the Combine, however, in his final year at Gonzaga, he shot his best clip at 38.3% from the three. That shouldn't be a major concern from scouts, however, I can foresee it being one that scouts could knit-pick at, as his release is not very quick, and there seems to be a slight hitch in his jumpshot.
2) Kenny Lofton Jr.- Louisiana Tech University: A player who recently has declared for the NBA draft, Lofton had every right to do so, after an impressive showing at both the G-League and NBA Draft combine scrimmages. There were many impressive things from Lofton's game. For one, he is certainly in much better shape and higher peak of athleticism than people had anticipated of him during this stage in his development. He is much more agile and mobile than people can anticipate, able to read and play the passing lanes multiple times leading out to transition opportunities. He also showed his ability to bring the ball up the floor himself and get to the rim with brute force and strength. His shooting stroke looked very sweet in the 3-pointer I saw him make. This was something that we didn't get to see much of at Louisiana Tech, so the percentage he shot in college shouldn't be the absolute indicator of his shooting ability and potential. He is certainly worth a early-mid second round draft pick.
3) Jalen Williams- Santa Clara University: A player who has shot up the draft boards is Jalen Williams, who is now even perceived by many scouts to be a fringe lottery pick, he is a first-round pick for sure. He was super efficient in his performance at the combine, something that will translate well to the professional level. In college, he shot over 50% from the field and close to 40% from the three-point line. Aside from his very impressive wingspan and athleticism that could translate to his defensive potential, this was also seen in his willingness to give effort in the Combine, even stepping in to take a charge in one of the games. Williams overall just has a calm and poise demeanor. This also goes well with an ability to just get to the rim at a slithery rate, similar to something we saw from a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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