The NBA draft lottery and the NBA draft combine are right around the corner, which means we’re getting closer to draft night.
Teams will find out the order of the NBA draft after the lottery on Tuesday, May 17 in Chicago. Kicking off with the G League Elite Camp, the combine will occur between Monday, May 16 and Sunday, May 22.
Our friends at USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire keep a running list of prospects who have received combine invitations, which you can view here.
While we will have significantly more clarity about the draft once the lottery and combine have concluded, we wanted to offer a quick barometer of how we believe the draft is shaping up thus far. Since our latest update in March, we now have a new projected No. 1 overall pick.
Some notable prospects, including many in the transfer portal, did not appear on the early-entry list. Those who did not declare are not eligible to hear their names on draft night.
Meanwhile, many others have declared for the draft but are officially testing the waters. That means they leave the option to play in college if they are not satisfied with their pre-draft evaluation. One of those players is highly-touted Canadian prospect Leonard Miller, who we recently profiled.
Leonard Miller is the youngest (and arguably most intriguing) player who declared for the NBA draft. So I called the Canadian prospect, and multiple scouts, to speak about his game.
Learn more about Miller, who is also considering Kentucky and Arizona: https://t.co/LFEwErJrBm
— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) May 6, 2022
We have included a few other players who are testing the waters (e.g. Terquavion Smith, Josh Minott, David Roddy, Jalen Williams, etc.) in this mock draft. But some big names (e.g. Max Christie, Justin Lewis, Harrison Ingram, Jabari Walker, Dalen Terry, Caleb Houstan, etc.) were omitted.
The second group of players would all likely get selected in the NBA draft if they opt to turn pro. But I believe that they would likely earn a better position in the draft if they return to college for another season and instead declare for the draft next year.
One way or another, those testing the waters have until June 1 to decide. Until then, however, here is how I see everything unfolding on draft night:
