Goodman On Draft Combine Winners, Losers

Tons of NBA executives have been in Chicago the past two days for the NBA pre-draft combine, and we've been following the updates throughout. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com was on hand for the event, which wasn't nearly as revelatory as it could have been, he says, since several top prospects didn't participate in on-court action. Still, teams learned plenty about the draft-eligible field, and Goodman shares his list of winners and losers from the camp.

Here are the highlights:

  • Damian Lillard tops Goodman's list of winners, further distinguishing himself at the draft's top point guard. His perimeter shooting was the best in the camp.
  • No one was more impressive in interviews than Iowa State power forward Royce White, NBA sources told Goodman. White has suffered from an anxiety disorder, but Fred Hoiberg, White's college coach, told Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that White's fear of flying "never affected the way he played" (Twitter link).
  • Measurements dispelled concerns about height for Jared Sullinger, Thomas Robinson, Austin Rivers and Bradley Beal, all of whom wound up on the tall side of estimates.
  • Agent Derek LaFayette pulled Arnett Moultrie out of the workout portion of the combine. Goodman was surprised by this move and counts it as a negative for Moultrie, but earlier today we heard the Pistons are giving Moultrie strong consideration for the No. 9 pick.
  • It was a rough camp for Big East players, as Connecticut guard Jeremy Lamb looked disinterested in interviews, sources told Goodman, while Jae Crowder and Kevin Jones, the conference's top two finishers for its player of the year award, struggled on the court.
  • Combo guard J'Covan Brown had the highest body fat percentage of anyone at the camp, at 12.5%.

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