The Bulls have a lot to digest after meeting with several prospects at the NBA combine last week in preparation for the NBA Draft on June 21. Every year, there are players who stand out for the right and wrong reasons. Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers from the combine:
Winners
Mohamed Bamba
Bamba’s measurements were literally off the charts. Bamba, who’s 7 feet tall, 225 pounds, set a combine record with a 7-10 wingspan. He beat Rudy Gobert’s 7-8 measurement from 2013.
The former Texas center also had the best standing reach at 9-7½.
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Bamba met with the Bulls and said he could see himself fitting in well with Lauri Markkanen.
Before the combine, Bamba already was on a lot of teams’ radar because of his shot blocking. In his only season with the Longhorns, Bamba ranked second in the country with 3.7 blocks per game and set the school record for blocks in a season with 111 in 30 games.
Grayson Allen
Allen is a competitor. During his four seasons with Duke, he caught national attention for his shooting and his tripping. Allen said he has no problem addressing both when he meets with teams.
While his defense might be lacking, Allen makes up for it with his athleticism, which he showed off at the combine with some insane measurements.
Allen’s lane-agility time of 10.31 seconds is one of the top five marks in combine history, according to ESPN.
Allen also had the second-best shuttle run at 3.4 seconds and tied for the fourth-highest in the max vertical leap (40½ inches) and standing vertical (32½ inches).
Losers
Michael Porter Jr.
It’s not Porter Jr.’s size or athletic ability that puts him in this category. It’s whether he has a clean bill of health.
Viewed as a potential No. 1 pick entering the season, Porter took a massive hit when he underwent back surgery that sidelined him for four months.
Porter, who’s 6-10, said he’s 100 percent and feels better than ever. He also said doctors have told him his back shouldn’t be a problem. And because he feels like he has nothing to hide, Porter said he’s open to sharing his medical records with teams.
Trae Young
Trae Young
Young talked a big game, but his measurements didn’t exactly match his words.
Young, who called himself the “best overall player in the draft,” ranked among the bottom 10 percent of players ever measured at the combine in height, wingspan and weight, according to ESPN.
Without sneakers on, he stood at just over 6 feet tall and weighs only 177 pounds. That’s not good for a player who often is viewed as soft and struggled against physical opponents.
Young, who said he met with the Bulls, is focusing on building his muscle mass. He claimed to have gained 10 pounds of muscle in the last five weeks and plans to continue to add weight.
