The question as to whether top prospect Deandre Ayton will attend the 2018 National Basketball Association (NBA) Combine was answered Wednesday as the 7’1” center, who is expected to go No.1 or No.2 in the upcoming NBA Draft, has decided to not take part in the combine later this month.
The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players receive measurements, participate in interviews, undergo shooting drills, take medical tests, go through five-on-five drills and perform various athletic tests in front of NBA coaches, general managers, and scouts.
Athletes attend by invitation only.
An athlete’s performance during the combine can affect perception, draft status, salary and ultimately the player’s career.
The athletic tests include a standing vertical jump, maximum vertical jump, bench press, three-quarter-court sprint time, lane agility time and modified event time.
In his lone collegiate season, Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.6 percent from the field for the University of Arizona (UA) Wildcats.
Ayton was the first player in the history of the Pac-12 Conference to earn Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament in the same season.
His 24 double-doubles over 35 games, set a new Arizona school record and tied for first nationally last season with Minnesota’s Jordan Murphy.
Prior to suiting up for Arizona, Ayton openly admitted that he only wanted to play one season of collegiate basketball. Just one day after the Wildcats were eliminated from the 2018 NCAA Tournament, he declared for the NBA Draft.
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