2025 NBA Draft combine wrap-up

Thoughts on Hansen Yang, Alex Toohey, Neoklis Avdalas, Jamir Watkins, Lachlan Olbrich, and Mackenzie Mgbako from the 2025 NBA Draft combine.

The 2025 NBA Draft combine is over, so here is a sandbox of thoughts I’ve had throughout the week.

Overall, this was a productive camp with pretty competitive scrimmages and a few enlightening measurements. I’ll stress, though, that it’s important to not succumb to the post-NCAA Tournament doldrum and get overly excited about prospects’ heights, wingspans, etc.

2025 NBA Draft: Ace Bailey Scouting Report

For the most part, most preexisting measurements tend to be in the ballpark — and any doubts that exist are usually observable in person or on tape.

It’s great to have confirmation that Ace Bailey is not actually his listed height of 6-foot-10 (he’s 6-foot-7½ without shoes), but I sincerely feel like this should not have been a surprise to any NBA evaluator. Hence, my own scouting report on the Rutgers scorer hasn’t changed. Ditto for Jase Richardson, although simply seeing “6-foot-0½” attached to his name is more of a blow than the whole situation with Bailey’s height.

I’ll write about which measurements truly stood out to me a bit further down, but here are six combine standouts (two prospects per team) from the event’s scrimmages. It was particularly valuable to see international prospects play against NCAA competition in an NBA environment.

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📋 Scrimmage standouts

🇨🇳 HANSEN YANG | CENTER | JUNE 26, 2005 | Team Domercant

Hansen Yang’s offensive talent is first-round worthy, if not worthy of creeping into lottery talks. He sees what’s going on one step ahead, and has the skills to act on that. The questions surrounding Yang are about his below average athleticism, high usage, and defense — but he looked surprisingly agile, even got a few stops in this setting, and continuously made his teammates better.

In a best case scenario, Yang is a starting center for an NBA team. I don’t think it’s insane to ask whether he’d be in similar conversations to Derik Queen had he played college basketball this past season. A likelier situation sees Yang’s playmaking dynamiting a second unit, but ultimately being limited due to his defensive versatility and maybe stamina. However, NBA teams are sure to be hesitant in that simply returning to China and carving out a long career there will always be an option for the Qingdao center. Yang’s lowest end outcome is legitimately being out of the league.

That said, it only takes one organization to believe in his mercurial talent. I think more than one will (or should). The Brooklyn Nets are a fit for many reasons, in my opinion, and I’m also paying attention to how Yang is represented by powerhouse agency Klutch Sports. Right now, I’d feel comfortable drafting and developing Yang after the top 25 or so.

• Followed a good first day with a truly dominant second outing. Had 11 points (3/4 FG, 5/7 FT), 6 rebounds (3o/d), 6 assists, 3 turnovers and 1 block in 18 minutes.

• Thinks the game faster than most other bigs and players. Hand-off hub. Will find cutters and shooters zipping around him. Made advanced reads and executed difficult passes. Deceptive with his eyes and feints.

• Strength and physicality, despite being younger than most of his competition, was apparent. Carved out space with his body, be that on seals, on the glass, or on screens for his teammates.

• Moved very well on defense. Held up in space alright except when he left his feet on one closeout. I think problems come when he has to decelerate/change speeds, rather than change directions.

• Covered a lot of ground in this setting. Kept playing hard even when he was gassed. Gave the bench a thumbs up at one point and pressed on. Pace and overall athleticism was much higher than what he’s accustomed to, which is also worth keeping in mind for the NBA.

• Had a closeout and a block at the rim, also rejected a stepback three. Footspeed is slow, but he’s huge.

• Really assertive. Called for the ball. Pointed others to their spots. Created shots and told his teammates to not hesitate. High-fived others. Media session during combine was with a translator, but seemed to be communicating fine with his teammates on the court when it mattered.

🇦🇺 ALEX TOOHEY | WING | May 5, 2004 | Team Lazare

I’ve always been relatively high on Alex Toohey as an early second rounder, and his showing at the combine did nothing to dissuade me from that. If anything, I think the Australian wing might get late first round consideration now. Toohey is a plug-and-play fit with size, positional versatility on defense, connectivity, and hopefully enough three-point shooting. High floor, low ceiling, but can add real value.

Toohey shot the ball decently at the combine, but he’s going to need to space the floor on considerably higher volume and efficiency in the NBA than in the NBL. The Sydney Kings prospect will likely still give up footspeed to the NBA’s best athletes, but as was the case at the combine, I’m not expecting him to be overwhelmed athletically. Plus, he’s smart enough to figure out how to offset those limitations in due time.

• Displayed his frontcourt versatility with reps at the 4 and even effectively the 5. Had three offensive rebounds by my count. Defended Michael Ruzic, who was at the five, for a stretch.

• Scalable skillset as long as the shot goes in. Plays out of spot-ups, but needs to make threes with more consistency. Can make decisions off the catch. Does the little things off-ball.

• Combine helped answered questions about NBA athleticism. Looked big and agile enough on the court. Made up ground when he had to close out long. Was typically sharp with his rotations. I’m high on his defensive potential and existing Sydney Kings tape.

🇦🇺 LACHLAN OLBRICH | FORWARD | Dec. 20, 2003 | Team Mueller

Lachlan Olbrich also made the most of his week, getting promoted from the G League Elite Camp to the draft combine and then being one of the best players there. The Aussie prospect is a blue collar forward who does the dirty work in terms of crashing the glass, diving on the floor, setting hard screens, etc.

But Olbrich pairs his toughness with a real level of skill, as he is very comfortable operating out of hand-offs and playing off the roll. Olbrich is a quick decision maker — I love how he immediately keeps the ball ticking, rather than holding onto it for an extra beat — with a fluidity and physicality to his game on both ends. However, Olbrich’s below-the-rim explosiveness, tweener size, non-shooting, and age probably keep him as an undrafted free agent (I would pursue him on a two-way contract) or, at best, around the end of the second round.

• Played out of hand-offs and rolls. Makes contact on his screens. Fluid and on time rolling. Quick decision-maker on the move. Both finished and connected plays.

• Flashes of putting the ball on the floor. Comfortable flowing into a DHO or pitch-off. Understands his limitations and doesn’t kill the ball. Even showed some grab-and-go ballhandling.

• Awesome motor. Crashed the glass. Dove on the floor. Made multiple efforts on both ends all week.

• Size and athleticism limits his play finishing. Ultimately an undersized 5 with below-the-rim explosion. Relies on his skill and craft, rather than bounce.

🇬🇷 NEOKLIS AVDALAS | WING | Feb. 4, 2006 | Team Williams

Neoklis Avdalas was one of the most intriguing prospects at the combine.

ESPN reports that Avdalas can wait past the May 28 NCAA withdrawal deadline to make a draft decision; however, he is fielding college interest from Virginia Tech, Baylor, Kansas State, and Ole Miss. I think Avdalas has top 20 talent, and I’ve been high on him for some time, but it would probably benefit him to play a year of college basketball. That way, he would have an intermediate step before the NBA, an extra year to acclimate to American basketball, and more exposure. The 2026 draft seems likelier for now, but I’ll publish more content on Avdalas if he stays in 2025.

The Greek prospect is wing-sized at 6-foot-7½ barefoot with a ‘meh’ 6-foot-9 wingspan, and shows flashes making pull-ups, spot-ups, and diverse passing reads while handling the ball in transition. Avdalas used his size to get to his jumper around the elbow and shoot over his defender, which was good to see. The 19-year-old drilled his catch-and-shoots, as well.

We also saw glimpses of Avdalas’ playmaking skills. He had a handful of solid passes, including a pick-and-roll read leading to a dunk which I really liked. However, the Peristeri facilitator needs to keep slowing down, polishing his handle, and getting stronger to become more comfortable against physicality.

Avdalas honestly really struggled on defense. He seemed lost a lot of the time in this setting. This is nowhere near disqualifying, although I don’t want to say that it’s “fine” since a 19-year-old experienced pro with legit feel can do better than some of these lapses. However, it was Avdalas’ first time in this sort of environment, so I wasn’t totally shocked. His week-to-week film isn’t like this.

On the ball, Avdalas needs to get stronger. He was dislodged by a single bump multiple times throughout the combine. This happened on drives, closeouts, etc. so it shows up all over the Greek prospect’s game. Strength is a requirement in today’s NBA, which is also what makes me think that a year in college under an NCAA program can really help bring Neo’s body along.

Off the ball, the game moved too fast for Avdalas in these scrimmages. He looked unaware and one step slow. It’s not like Avdalas was lazy because I actually thought that he tried to stay engaged despite constantly giving up advantages on this end, but he just appeared outmatched. Again, that’s something an extra year in the NCAA before the NBA can help address.

🇺🇸 JAMIR WATKINS | WING | July 6, 2001 | Team Mueller

Jamir Watkins looked like an NBA wing at the combine with how he defended multiple positions, made decisions out of different spots, and produced like a 23-year-old who turns 24 in July should. Watkins likely solidified his second round standing, and he makes sense for a playoff team who needs ready-made contributors in, at least, the regular season.

• Leveraged his 6-foot-11 wingspan to be disruptive at the point of attack. Got steals and turned them into dunks. Picked up deflections, forced turnovers, rushed ballhandlers. Guarded full court.

• Versatile decision-maker. Made plays spotting up, on the roll, cutting, self-creating. NBA role will be narrowed down, but showed that he can execute different roles. Needs to make threes.

• Athletic driving to the rim. Will handle the ball much less going forward than in college, but attacked switches. Had a few pick-and-roll reps. Was effectively Florida State’s point guard this season, but will be an off-ball wing in the NBA.

• Age and looming transfer decision limits upside. Turns 24 in July. Not necessarily an issue, but logically not appealing to every team. In the transfer portal and could still return to college.

🇺🇸🇳🇬 MACKENZIE MGBAKO | SWINGMAN | NOV. 18, 2004 | Team Domercant

Looks like a very good three-point shooter with versatility off movement, plus has a strong high school background, but lacks ancillary skills and defense. Another year of development at Texas A&M after transferring to show more is needed, and even that will ultimately be an uphill climb to get drafted. Very encouraging week, though.

• This is probably the best motor I’ve seen Mgbako play with. I wanted to see him do more than just shoot threes after doing that on high volume in the first day, and he did. Mgbako’s process wasn’t perfect, but he competed hard and crashed the glass…

• Three-point shooting is his superpower. Takes and makes movement shoots — but again, ancillary skills are key.

• Struggles to finish at the rim translated to the combine. 48.8% (21/43) on half-court layups this season.

• Does not have an NBA position or role right now. He’s really sort of an off-ball, 2-guard or a wing who doesn’t add pass, score, rebound, or defend at a mid-to-high level. Ultimately a tough fit. Needs to flesh out his profile after transferring to Texas A&M.

• But worked himself back into my draft radar. Genuinely great week with the G League Elite Camp and then the draft combine. Has work cut out for him re: getting drafted, but I’ll be tracking him more closely again.

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📐 Measuring up

Some measurements that stood out to me:

• Cedric Coward and Rasheer Fleming having +9 wingspans is ridiculous. So is Thomas Sorber with a +8¾ difference (via Michael Visenberg - NBADraftMikeyV).

  • Sorber was the heaviest prospect at the combine (pure centers included), weighing in at 262.8 pounds while being 6-foot-9¼ without shoes on.

• There were six legit 7-footers at the camp without shoes on: Rocco Zikarsky (7-foot-3), Ryan Kalkbrenner (7-1), Hansen Yang (7-1), Khaman Maluach (7-0¾), Maxime Raynaud (7-0¼), and Vlad Goldin (7-feet).

  • Zikarsky came in with a 9-foot-6½ standing reach. Maluach had a 9-foot-6 standing reach with a camp-high 7-foot-6¾ wingspan.

  • Yang has huge hands at 10 inches long and 11¼ inches wide.

• Hansen Yang has been scouted in person by the Brooklyn Nets (Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27, 36), Atlanta Hawks (13, 22), New Orleans Pelicans (7), Indiana Pacers (No. 23, 54), Charlotte Hornets (4, 33, 34), and Minnesota Timberwolves (17, 31). This implies that his draft range is the mid 20s-mid 30s (via Titan Sports).

• Rocco Zikarsky was the most interesting non-playing decision at the combine. He's 7-foot-3, has been a pro for 2 years already, well-known via the NBA Global Academy system, FIBA tape, one really good tournament (Albert Schweitzer Cup), a swimmer's body, an Olympic medalist dad, champion ironwoman mom, etc. Easy to talk yourself into his tools and background. It felt like change of scenery was needed after his development/playing time had stalled in the Australian NBL.

  • EDIT: Zikarsky has been dealing with a knee injury since January.

• Michael Ruzic is now 6-foot-11 without shoes. That gives him the size of a center. However, the 18-year-old now looks like a baby giraffe still growing into his body. Drafting him in 2025 means selecting a complete project. 2026 seems likelier, but it only takes one team. I’d hold off, though. He’s in need of too much development still.

• Drake Powell had a strong week in terms of athletic measurements, but it seems like the bet is to ride on his high school tape and team workouts to boost his draft stock. His film at North Carolina wasn’t encouraging, but then again, no five-star has really gone to the Tar Heels and improved their draft stock in recent memory.

• Yanic Konan Niederhauser improved his stock in Chicago with how he played and tested. He looks the part of an NBA big, even if only as a backup. The Swiss center was 6-foot-11¼ barefoot with a 7-foot-3¼ wingspan and a 9-foot-3 standing reach. (via Nick Kalinowski - kalidrafts)

• Mark Sears (5-foot-10¾) and Ryan Nembhard (5-11) were the only combine prospects under 6-feet. That is very hard to overcome in today’s NBA, but both seem like bets for Exhibit-10 or two-way deals.

• Comparing two off-ball movement shooting prospects, Chaz Lanier was 6-foot-3¾ with a 6-9 wingspan. Koby Brea was 6-foot-5¾ with the camp’s only negative wingspan at 6-5¼.

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💡 Intel and tidbits

• Thomas Sorber is about 10 weeks post-op and should be able to start playing around late July-early August. He predicts his current range is from around the end of the lottery to the mid-20s.

• Jeremiah Fears has worked out for the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards so far (via The New York Post’s Brian Lewis). He has spent time working out in New York City as part of his predraft process.

• There was a strong contingent of NBA Global Academy graduates represented at the combine with Alex Condon, Rocco Zikarsky, Alex Toohey, Khaman Maluach, and Tyrese Proctor. Reuben Chinyelu and Thierry Darlan were at the G League Elite Camp. I’m curious to see what the future of the program looks like exactly, since it might be headed to Abu Dhabi.

• Octagon co-managing director of basketball Alex Saratsis is reportedly in the running to become the Atlanta Hawks’ new president of basketball operations (via The Stein Line). Besides representing Giannis Antetokounmpo, Saratsis also represents Neoklis Avdalas. The Hawks have the No. 13 and 22 picks. The Hawks also have a connection to Khaman Maluach through assistant general manager Kyle Korver, who have known each other since 2021. Former BYU player Travis Hansen, previously reported as a candidate for this opening, refers to Egor Demin as his "adopted son."

• Khaman Maluach is rumored to have "got[ten] a promise from the Raptors at No. 9" (via NBC Sports' Kurt Helin).

• Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey on 97.5 The Fanatic: "That's the plan, I think, to get a high upside player that we also think can contribute right away is a big deal. We feel like No. 3 is a great spot to be. [...] We're going to go with the best player there, and then we'll have to work around who we draft in free agency but if you look at the history of the league, the mistakes are made when you don't just take the best player there. […] If the best player is a guard, we’ll take a guard there.”

• Bassala Bagayoko continued his comeback story, finishing with 9p/2r/2a and 2 stocks on 4-for-4 from the field over just 13 minutes in his last game. Bagayoko is currently in the 2025 draft, although 2026 seems likelier. He had a near-27 month injury layoff, then went on loan to Zornotza in the lower tiers of Spanish basketball a few months ago to get back into game shape. Bilbao Basket is giving him minutes after just having confirmed they'll stay in the first division next year.

• Izan Almansa "decided he wasn't healthy enough to play" in the combine's scrimmages after suffering an ankle injury while working out with the Portland Trail Blazers (via ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo).

• Ace Bailey's "stock is said to be plummeting” (via The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat). I would take this with a grain of salt.

• It was interesting to hear Michael Ruzic discuss the differences between how young players are developed in Europe vs. the United States.