NBA Draft Combine measurements: 3 biggest winners, 2 biggest losers

The 2024 NBA Draft Combine kicked off on Monday in Chicago. It was a full day of measurements and various skill tests. In years past, the top prospects would have been off the radar, content to withhold valuable information and athletic testing for specific teams in order to better control their destiny in June.

That was not the case on Monday. Every invited prospect, except those injured or obligated to their European teams, was present and included. The new CBA requires invited prospects to participate in measurements and testing. We still won't see the top prospects in scrimmages, but to watch potential No. 1 picks like Alex Sarr and Reed Sheppard running through cones and shooting in a controlled environment is good for the product.

It's unwise to drastically alter prospect evaluations based on Combine results, but NBA front offices will take every bit of information into account. Those who showed out on Monday undoubtedly helped their stock. On the flip side, a few top prospects fell flat for one reason or another.

Here are the biggest winners and losers.

NBA Draft Combine winner: Trevon Brazile

He won't get the headlines, but Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile was quietly a huge beneficiary of Combine measurements. He's officially listed at 6-foot-9.25 without shoes, with a 7-foot-3.75 wingspan. At 215 pounds, he should have enough size to oscillate between the four or five spot depending on matchup and team necessity at the next level.

What really popped, however, was Brazile's athletic testing. He posted a 41.5-inch max vertical and a 33.0-inch standing vertical, both of which ranked third-best at the Combine. Brazile spent much of his sophomore season recouping his burst and agility after a torn ACL prematurely ended his freshman campaign. There were real concerns about how much of Brazile's athleticism has been sapped, but he looked perfectly spry and explosive in Chicago.

If Brazile kills it in workouts and convinces teams that his injury concerns are in the rearview mirror, he could shoot up draft boards in the coming months. There was a time last season, before the injury, when Brazile profiled as a potential first-round pick in a much stronger draft. NBA teams are always on the lookout for mobile bigs who can protect the rim and hit 3s.

His lateral agility will be just as important as his vertical pop, and Brazile will still need to silence doubts in scrimmages and on the workout circuit. That said, Day 1 of the Combine was extremely promising for the 21-year-old.

NBA Draft Combine loser: Rob Dillingham

The weakness of this draft should keep Rob Dillingham locked into the top 10 no matter what, but several fears were confirmed on Monday. The Kentucky guard measured 6-foot-1 (without shoes) with a 6-foot-3 wingspan. He is also listed at 164 pounds.

That is tiny by current NBA standards. Small guards face an uphill battle in the league. Dillingham offers special shot-making and passing, but he's going to be a constant target on the defensive end. How well he's able to finish in traffic and handle physicality as a primary ball-handler is also in question.

We already knew Dillingham was small, so this shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise. Sometimes, however, there's a difference between assuming he's small and actually seeing it printed on the page in official, unambiguous terms. Dillingham was listed at 6-foot-2 (in shoes) and 170 pounds at Kentucky. There was hope that he might slightly overperform those numbers, but he ended up skewing negatively.

This shouldn't cause Dillingham to go falling down draft boards — his skill set is incredibly well-rounded and he has the on-ball twitchiness to offset a slight frame — but don't be shocked if teams think long and hard about the ceiling of a 6-foot-1, 164-pound guard with a 7-foot-11 standing reach.

NBA Draft Combine winner: Bronny James

Seriously. Bronny James entered the Combine shrouded in questions — mostly because of his name. LeBron's kid was always going to face extra scrutiny, especially after declaring for the draft prematurely. Bronny struggled as a freshman at USC, averaging 4.8 points and 2.1 assists on 36.6 percent shooting. Those aren't NBA-ready numbers.

And yet, James has always been up to the task athletically. He's vertically explosive, highly agile, and positionally strong. All that was evident Monday afternoon, when James nailed every athletic test, then performed well on the skills front.

James' height was measured at 6-foot-1.5 without shoes, which sparked a bit of dialogue on the internet. That shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, though. Bronny was generally listed at 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 in shoes while at USC. What matters more is his wingspan, which came out to a pleasant 6-foot-7.25 with a standing reach of 8-foot-2.5. Factor in his 210-pound frame, and James is more than capable of guarding a few positions at the next level. Defense remains his calling card at the moment.

To add to the impressive nature of James' Combine, he posted one of the highest max verticals of the day — 40.5 inches.

He looked spry in agility tests and shot the lights out in 3-point drills, including a 19-of-25 performance in the long-range star shooting drill.

It couldn't have gone much better for James. He lived up to the hype, and maybe exceeded it, while putting on a great shooting performance after a rocky season from 3-point range with the Trojans. James' shot always looked smooth in high school and he's definitely an NBA-level athlete. There was always going to be dialogue after James' Combine performance. Bronny made sure it's positive dialogue.

NBA Draft Combine loser: Donovan Clingan

Maybe this is harsh. Donovan Clingan's stock probably didn't change at all yesterday. Teams are going to bank on his performance at UConn and his perceived high floor in a weak draft. Clingan also measured well at 7-foot-1.75 without shoes, with a 7-foot-6.75 wingspan. His standing reach is a comical 9-foot-7 and he's listed at 282 pounds. There is no doubt about Clingan's titanic stature.

And yet, it's hard not to be a little disappointed in Clingan's athletic testing. His 29-inch vertical was lower than Zach Edey, Alex Sarr, and other high-profile center prospects. The same can be said for his lane agility testing and his 3/4-court sprint. Clingan was routinely at the bottom of the pack.

These are concerns that will follow Clingan into the pre-draft process. He's a major presence in the paint, but skeptics will point out Clingan's poor testing and wonder about his ability to hold up defensively in today's NBA. Defenses will try to pull Clingan out of the paint and force him to guard in space. How well does his move his feet and maintain his position in those situations?

Maybe he just had an off day. That is why we can't put too much stock into Combine measurements, because Clingan could theoretically test again tomorrow and look far more spry. What is notable, however, is that he basically came up short of Zach Edey in every category. Those two are inextricably connected in this draft. If Edey offers more offensive skill, even greater size, and superior mobility, well — don't be shocked if NBA front offices start to reconsider their evaluations.

NBA Draft Combine winner: Zach Edey

Speak of the devil.

Zach Edey looked great at the Combine. Of course, most of his athletic testing pales in comparison to guards and wings, but Edey moved extremely well for a player his size. Officially listed at 7-foot-3.75 (without shoes) and equipped with a 7-foot-10.75 wingspan that only Victor Wembanyama eclipses, Edey towers above the competition. He's 299 pounds strong, his standing reach is 9-foot-7, and he moved well in the agility tests.

The two-time National Player of the Year ran the lane drill in 11.19 seconds, an improvement over his time in the same drill last spring.

He also turned on the afterburners for an impressive 3/4-court sprint (3.51 seconds).

Edey even teased scouts with an impressive 14-of-25 showing in the 3-point star drill, while claiming that he's ready to implement 3s into his game right now. It's important to consider game tape and other indicators when projecting shooting, but Edey's feather-soft touch around the rim and his reasonably high free throw percentage (71.1) suggests that maybe functional 3-point shooting is a realistic outcome.

Right now, Edey has a real chance to ascend into the lottery on draft night — perhaps higher than we all expect considering his impressive analytics profile, outlier measurements, college dominance, and the relative weakness of this class. Don't be shocked if a team very high on the board falls in love with the Canadian behemoth.