The measurements are in. This is that awkward day of the year when folks around the NBA fawn over body fat percentage, hand size and wingspan for 18-22 year old prospects entering the NBA Draft. There are always a few surprises and even disappointments, but it’s all part of the process of evaluating potential picks.
Here is a quick look at a few of the players that jumped off the page when assessing physical traits at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine.
The Good
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SIGN UP HERE Mohamed Bamba - Center - Texas
Everyone knew Bamba had crazy measurables, but he shocked everyone with his 7-foot-10 wingspan. The 20-year-old big stands just under 7-foot-1 with a standing reach of 9’-7.5” and he’s added muscles since the college season ended, coming in at 225.6 pounds and just 6.2 percent body fat. Bamba averaged 3.7 blocks per game in his lone season at Texas and projects as the best rim protector in the 2018 NBA Draft class.
Jaren Jackson Jr. - Power Forward/Center - Michigan State
Another top tier prospect, Jackson is in the conversation for the third overall selection. The 18-year-old freshman measured in at 6’-11.25” with shoes on with a 7’-5.25” wingspan. He’s one of the better two-way prospects in the draft, posting 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in just 21.8 minutes per game at Michigan State. He’s gained roughly 11 pounds from his college playing weight and his body fat is 7.2 percent.
NBA
Wendell Carter Jr. - Power Forward - Center - Duke
Carter Jr. is projected to go in the top 10 of the upcoming draft and he may have helped his stock when he measured in at 6-foot-10 (with shoes) with a 7’-4.5” wingspan. He needs to add weight (196-pounds) and his hand size isn’t what you would expect from a kid this big, but he has a ton of potential.
Keita Bates-Diop - Shooting Guard/Small Forward - Ohio State
The 3-and-D wing helped himself plenty in his final season at Ohio State, averaging 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 35.9 percent from long range. Listed at 6-foot-7 during his time in the NCAA, Bates-Diop measured in at 6’-8.5” at the combine with an incredible 7’-3.25 wingspan. Slated to go near the end of the first round, the Big 10 Player of the Year may have moved up a few notches on draft boards around the league.
Honorable Mentions
Michael Porter Jr. has plenty of questions to answer about his back issues, but he measured in at 6’-10.75” with a 7’-.25” wingspan. Those are elite numbers if he can stick at the small forward position at the NBA level.
SMU’s Shake Milton measured in at 6’-5.5 with a 7’-.75” wingspan. That’s an impressive plus-7.25” height-to-wingspan measurement for a guard.
The Bad
Trae Young - Point Guard - Oklahoma
Young might be the first point guard taken on draft night, but his measurables didn’t help in the draft process. In his freshman year at OU, Young averaged an incredible 27.4 points and 8.7 assists. He also shot 36 percent from 3-point range on a shocking 10.3 attempts per game. He’s drawn comparisons to Steph Curry, but during the draft process in 2009, the two-time league MVP measured in at 6’-3.25” in shoes, with a standing reach of 8-foot-1. Young is 6’-1.75 in shoes with a 7’-9.5” standing reach. In addition, he has a 6-foot wingspan and weighs 177.8-pounds. Young will likely compete with Collin Sexton for the top point guard pick on draft night. Sexton measured in at an identical 6’-.5” without shoes, but with a 6’-7.25” wingspan and a standing reach of 8’-2.5”.
Marvin Bagley III - Power Forward - Duke
After petitioning to enter the NCAA a year early, Bagley tore up the ACC in his freshman Duke, posting 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. The ACC Player of the Year is in the mix for a top four pick, with a chance to move even higher than that, but he decided to skip the measurement portion of the combine, leaving folks to speculate why. Bagley wasn’t the only player who bypass the measurement process. Projected first-round picks Mikal Bridges, Chandler Hutchison and Mitchell Robinson also passed on getting poked and prodded by NBA officials.
Honorable Mentions
Michael Porter Jr.’s little brother, Jontay, measured in at 6-foot-11, 236-pounds, but his 13.85 percent body fat led the combine.
UCLA’s Jaylen Hands came in with the smallest... hand measurements in both width and length.
Isaac Haas is a huge man, measuring in at a combine best 7’-2.75” with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. He also tipped the scales at a combine-high 303-pounds with 12.55 percent body fat.
For the complete list measurements, visit NBA.com.