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Draft Notes: Raynaud, Coward, Combine, Chinyelu, Demary

May 19th, 2025 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the NBA’s 2025 draft combine, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have updated their mock draft, taking into account which prospects saw their stock rise – or decline – as a result of their performances in Chicago.

While there weren’t any major changes at the top of ESPN’s latest mock, there were some movers further down the draft order. Stanford big man Maxime Raynaud, for instance, was considered one of the big winners of the combine due to his strong play during scrimmages. After coming in at No. 34 in ESPN’s mock draft last Monday, Raynaud has jumped to No. 24 in the newest version.

Forward Cedric Coward was another prospect who moved up from the second round (No. 35) in ESPN’s previous mock draft to the first round (No. 30) in today’s update. Although Coward has committed to transferring from Washington State to Duke, signs are pointing to him keeping his name in the draft and going pro, according to Woo.

Coward, whose 2024/25 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, has limited reps against high-level competition despite spending four seasons in college, which is a concern for some NBA teams who are “hesitant about his surprising rise,” Woo adds.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • A panel of ESPN draft experts and analysts share their takeaways from last week’s combine, while Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype identifies his winners and losers from the event. His list of winners includes prospects like UNC’s Drake Powell, UConn’s Liam McNeeley, and Rasheer Fleming of St. Joseph’s, while Maryland’s Derik Queen, Michigan State’s Jase Richardson, and Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin are among his losers.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic has also shared his impressions from the combine, including the best and worst performers in scrimmages, as well as the player measurements that stood out for better (like Thomas Sorber‘s 7’6″ wingspan) or worse (Richardson’s height coming in below 6’1″).
  • After declaring for the 2025 NBA draft as an early entrant, Florida center Rueben Chinyelu has decided to pull out and return to school for his junior season, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Chinyelu was a full-time starter for the national champions in 2024/25, averaging 6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game across 40 outings.
  • According to Rothstein (Twitter link), sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. is also withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters as an early entrant. Demary, who is transferring to UConn for his junior year, spent his first two college seasons with Georgia, averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in 33 starts for the team last season. He made just 39.6% of his shots from the floor, but had a solid 37.4% mark on three-pointers.
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Pacific Notes: Post, Jackson, Kings Draft Workout, Frank, Redick

May 7th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

Quinten Post went from a second-round rookie on a two-way contract to a regular contributor on a standard deal this season with Warriors. Post, who only played six minutes in the Game 1 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, is grateful for how his rookie campaign unfolded.

“It’s always a bunch of factors combined. Obviously, you need to have self-belief,” he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “Even when I was in the G League, I had this belief in myself that this would work out. I had a lot of things that I did in the best of my career so far.

Then you just need an opportunity. They were struggling a little bit during the regular season. I’m very grateful because coach (Steve Kerr) let me play through some mistakes, especially early on. I definitely didn’t play perfect. It wasn’t like I came out and was a game changer at all. That wasn’t the case at all. But he let me play through some mistakes. Then I think Jimmy being traded to us also helped me out.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Bobby Jackson is returning to the Kings coaching staff as an assistant to Doug Christie, radio reporter Sean Cunningham tweets. Jackson, who has been on the Sixers‘ staff for the past two seasons, was previously the head coach of the NBA G League’s Stockton Kings for two seasons.
  • Missouri guard Tamar Bates, Florida center Rueben Chinyelu, Georgia guard Silas Demary, Villanova guard Wooga Poplar and Kentucky center Amari Williams were among the draft prospects who worked for the Kings on Monday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. Williams is ranked 59th on ESPN’s top-100 list. Demary transferred to UConn but is testing the draft waters.
  • Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank will focus on adding frontcourt help – especially at the center position – and younger players this offseason, according to Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “I think we need to add (players),” Frank said. “The West is a bear. It doesn’t get easier. It gets harder because each of these teams that either were playing or are currently playing – look at their top players, they are studs, they’re great players, some are in their prime, some are pre-primed, some are also comparable ages to our guys.”
  • Lakers coach J.J. Redick believes certain members of the team need to do a better job of conditioning and improving their stamina, according to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “I’ll start with the offseason and the work that’s required in an offseason to be in championship shape,” he said. “And we have a ways to go as a roster. And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There’s certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That’s where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape.”
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Northwest Notes: Randle, Thunder, SGA, Blazers

May 6th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Julius Randle missed over a month during the regular season due to a groin injury. The Timberwolves big man used that time to reevaluate how he could best impact his new teammates, he told Marc Spears of Andscape.

“When I got injured those few weeks, I was able to see what the team needed, kind of see better how things are done and how I can best help us win games,” Randle said. “So, usually when I get injured, I try to come back better than I was before and really that was my focus. It was just learning the teammates, learning the system, adjusting, learning how I can best help the team.”

Randle delivered in a big way during their first-round series against the Lakers, posting averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Thunder played just 24 games this regular season decided in clutch time, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman notes. That may have caught up to them in Game 1 of their second-round series against Denver, as they squandered a late nine-point lead. “We’ve usually been able to execute pretty well on both ends and slam the door on those games,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We didn’t do that last night.”
  • Franchise player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is eager to see how his Thunder teammates will respond in Game 2 on Wednesday. “It should be fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “We’re going to find out what we’re made of, what we’re really made of. Nobody expected it to be smooth sailing this whole journey. No journey in life is, and we know that. Today’s a bump in the road — unexpected. No one expects to lose, especially that way, but it’s the game of life. So it’s about how you respond to getting knocked down.”
  • The Trail Blazers held a pre-draft workout on Tuesday that included Devon Pryor (Oregon), Rueben Chinyelu (Florida), Ben Henshall (Perth Wildcats), Dink Pate (Mexico City Capitanes), John Blackwell (Wisconsin) and Lachlan Olbrich (Illawarra Hawks), Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tweets. Pate (No. 55) and Henshall (64) are the highest-rated prospects among that group, according to ESPN’s Best Available list.
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44 Prospects Invited To G League Elite Camp

May 5th, 2025 at 7:19am CST by Luke Adams

A total of 44 college and international prospects have been invited to the 2025 G League Elite Camp, aka the G League Combine, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The list of invitees, as reported by Scotto, is as follows:

  1. Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence)
  2. Brooks Barnhizer (Northwestern)
  3. Tamar Bates (Missouri)
  4. Nathan Bittle (Oregon)
  5. Dylan Cardwell (Auburn)
  6. Rueben Chinyelu (Florida)
  7. Thierry Darlan (Delaware Blue Coats – G League)
  8. Johnell Davis (Arkansas)
  9. Jyare Davis (Syracuse)
  10. RJ Davis (UNC)
  11. Dawson Garcia (Minnesota)
  12. Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State)
  13. Caleb Grill (Missouri)
  14. Chucky Hepburn (Louisville)
  15. Chase Hunter (Clemson)
  16. Kobe Johnson (UCLA)
  17. Curtis Jones (Iowa State)
  18. Arthur Kaluma (Texas)
  19. Miles Kelly (Auburn)
  20. Viktor Lakhin (Clemson)
  21. Malique Lewis (South East Melbourne – Australia)
  22. Caleb Love (Arizona)
  23. Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh)
  24. Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee)
  25. Chance McMillian (Texas Tech)
  26. Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana)
  27. Igor Milicic Jr. (Tennessee)
  28. Jacksen Moni (North Dakota State)
  29. Eli Ndiaye (Real Madrid – Spain)
  30. Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga)
  31. Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Penn State)
  32. Isaac Nogues (Rip City Remix – G League)
  33. Lachlan Olbrich (Illawarra – Australia)
  34. Sean Pedulla (Ole Miss)
  35. Jonathan Pierre (Belmont)
  36. Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State)
  37. Will Richard (Florida)
  38. Kadary Richmond (St. John’s)
  39. Joson Sanon (Arizona State)
  40. Nate Santos (Dayton)
  41. Brandon Stroud (South Florida)
  42. Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M)
  43. Amari Williams (Kentucky)
  44. Chris Youngblood (Alabama)

These prospects will meet with NBA evaluators and scrimmage for two days in Chicago starting on May 9, ahead of the league’s annual draft combine. A small group of standout players from this event are generally invited to stay in Chicago for the full-fledged combine that takes place immediately following the G League Elite Camp. Typically, at least a half-dozen players move on.

While the May 11-18 combine focuses on the top-ranked players in each draft class, the G League Elite Camp offers opportunity to prospects further down boards who are more likely to go undrafted.

None of the 44 players invited to the G League Elite Camp show up in the top 50 of ESPN’s list of this year’s top prospects. Williams (No. 58) and Lewis (No. 59) are the top-ranked prospects for the event, per ESPN.

The G League Elite Camp will give invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 28. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.

Jose Alvarado, Terance Mann, and Jaylen Martin are among the current NBA players who once took part in the G League Elite Camp. Last year’s list of invitees was highlighted by Jaylen Wells, though he ultimately received a combine invite before either event tipped off.

Keion Brooks, Isaiah Crawford, Yongxi Cui, Enrique Freeman, Emanuel Miller, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Anton Watson were among the other 2024 participants who signed two-way contracts with NBA teams this past year, while Isaac Jones finished the 2024/25 season on a standard contract in Sacramento.

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Draft Notes: Portsmouth, Ament, Avdalas, Early Entrants

April 22nd, 2025 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

Describing the event as a “springboard for under-the-radar grinders,” Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype shares some takeaways and identifies several standout prospects from this year’s Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which took place from April 16-19 in Portsmouth, VA.

East Carolina guard RJ Felton – the cousin of former NBA guard Raymond Felton – was among those standouts, showing off deep shooting range, play-making, and a high-energy style at the PIT, according to Asseo de Choch. Texas center Kadin Shedrick, Arkansas big man Jonas Aidoo, Belmont forward Jonathan Pierre, and Butler wing Jahmyl Telfort are among the other prospects who had strong showings in Portsmouth.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Nate Ament, an 18-year-old forward who projects to be one of the top prospects in the NBA’s 2026 draft class, has committed to Tennessee for the 2025/26 season, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). “Coach (Rick) Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant. He sees me as that kind of guy.” Ament came in at No. 4 when ESPN published its first 2026 mock draft earlier this year.
  • Greek wing Neoklis Avdalas will test the 2025 NBA draft waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, agent Alex Saratsis tells Givony (Twitter link). Avdalas isn’t on ESPN’s list of top 100 prospects for 2025, but he’s been having a strong season for Peristeri in Greece’s domestic league, Givony notes, adding that the 19-year-old projects as an impact freshman if he decides to withdraw from the draft and play college ball next season.
  • Arkansas freshman Karter Knox and Florida sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu are among the other early entrants who have recently declared for the draft without giving up their remaining college eligibility, having made their announcements on Instagram. They’re on our running list of 2025 early entrants, which we published on Monday and will continue to update.
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