2020 NBA Draft: 10 players hurt most by no combine this year
By Brian Rauf
The 2020 NBA Draft combine has been postponed, potentially stripping prospects of a chance to improve their stock. Here are the players hurt most by the decision.
The 2020 NBA Draft Combine was supposed to be held later this month, but last week the league announced it was suspending both the lottery and combine indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis.
It should come as no surprise since the league itself has suspended all play and operations since March 11, the same day Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. Many in both college basketball and NBA circles believe the combine likely won’t happen and the pre-draft process – whenever that picks back up – with look a lot like the virtual lead up to April’s NFL Draft, when players had virtual pro days and interviewed with teams via Skype.
Without a combine, prospects will miss out on their biggest chance to improve their NBA Draft stock since the college basketball season ended. It’s a chance to make an impression on teams via in-person interviews, athletic testing, and scrimmages against your direct competition.
Those kind of “data points” can be crucial in a pre-draft process, especially in a year like this where the draft class isn’t believed to be particularly strong. Kyle Kuzma used a strong combine performance to secure his place as a first-round pick, ultimately landing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Last year, Nicolas Claxton showed his potential and, while he was taken with the first pick in the second round, the Brooklyn Nets still signed him to a fully guaranteed deal because of what they saw.
Not having this opportunity will hurt all the prospects in the 2020 draft pool, but which ones will it hurt the most? Here are 10 that either had a ton to prove at the combine or won’t be able to capitalize.