2020 NBA Draft: 10 players hurt most by no combine this year
By Brian Rauf
Makur Maker, C, Hillcrest Prep (HS)
Like Scrubb, any time a prospect jumps from a non-power conference in college to the NBA, there are more questions about abilities translating to the NBA and if that prospect can handle the competition they’re going up against. That’s especially true for someone going straight from the prep ranks to the NBA, which is why Maker is in a tough space.
It’s not that Maker isn’t a good player or a great prospect – he’s a seven-footer with legitimate guard skills and a knockdown three-point jumper. But doing those things at an effective rate against high schoolers is much different than doing it against other elite prospects. The combine would’ve given him that opportunity in scrimmages, but also the chance for teams to get an up-close look at his tantalizing physical tools.
Maker isn’t fully committed to the draft process as he recently said he was open to playing in college for a year, an option he is leaving open because of the uncertainly of the draft process. If he had the chance to show off his skills, it’s a virtual certainly he would’ve kept his name in the draft. Now, though, he may be waiting another year.
Lamine Diane, SF, Cal State Northridge
Sensing a trend yet? Diane put up some truly insane numbers as a sophomore for Cal State Northridge (25.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 1.7 spg) and was one of college basketball’s more dominant individual players at the mid-major level. That’s the kind of production that will automatically grab the attention of NBA teams but, as a 6-7, 205-pounder that only shot 28.6 percent from three, teams want to see if he can still produce at a high clip against the bigger players he would face in the NBA.
I personally think Diane has the skills to make it in the league given his length, defense, and finishing abilities, but he really could’ve helped his draft stock by putting those skills on display against the competition he would face at the combine. Now, he’s most likely hoping some team takes a flyer on him in the second round – but he may have to catch on as an undrafted free agent.