LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The NBA Combine gets under way Monday in Chicago, and there's plenty at stake for a couple of former — and perhaps one future — University of Louisville players, along with others who have local ties.
No one will be watched more closely than Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville's first one-and-done player and a projected Top 10 pick.
Brown was brilliant at times this past season for Pat Kelsey's Cardinals. But he played in just 21 games, and the back issues that caused him to miss the entire postseason will hang over him as he enters a pivotal week.
Nobody questions Brown's skill. The combine is a chance to answer the health question.
The combine environment is designed to expose everything — measurements, movement, conditioning, shooting consistency and medical evaluations — which makes it an especially important week for Brown after the back issues that cut short his Louisville season.
ESPN's Bobby Marks posted last week, after a trip to Orlando to watch Brown work out, that the 6-foot-5 point guard “has fully recovered from a back injury that ended his season early.”
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
The lottery draw had some impact on Brown's projections. USA Today moved him down to No. 10, going to the Milwaukee Bucks, while ESPN analyst Jeremy Woo wrote that Brown has the highest upside of the guards in his range.
Brown, however, won't be the only Louisville-related player of interest in Chicago.
Flory Bidunga, the Kansas big man who has committed to Louisville, will take part in the combine and could still choose to remain in the draft. He has crept into the late first round in several mock drafts, though his Louisville NIL deal likely is worth more than the contract money for a late first-round draft slot.
Bidunga, a 6-foot-9 forward who was the Big 12 defensive player of the year last season, is the centerpiece of Kelsey's latest recruiting class.
The HoopsHQ website listed Bidunga among the players with a chance to raise their draft stock most this week. Evan Sidery called him “a raw but explosive athlete who could see his stock swing dramatically at the combine,” citing his rim protection, rebounding, vertical leap and timing, while noting that his offensive game remains limited.
Ryan Conwell celebrates a big shot in Louisville's win over SMU in the KFC Yum! Center.
Ryan Conwell, a mainstay for the Cardinals as a senior transfer from Xavier, also has a chance to help himself.
HoopsHQ wrote that the combine is “essential” for Conwell to show improved decision-making and physical tools, especially in scrimmages, where he can prove he can defend and compete without forcing shots.
“A dominant combine could elevate him significantly,” Sidery said. “A mediocre one might leave him fighting for a roster spot.”
Kentucky has a couple trying to make the same jump.
Guard Otega Oweh was one of the toughest, most-consistent players in the SEC the past two seasons for Mark Pope's Wildcats. His defensive impact is unquestioned and he should test well, “but the real test lies in shooting drills where he must demonstrate repeatable form and accuracy under pressure,” according to Sidery.
Rising sophomore big man Malachi Moreno is expected to take part in the combine, but is expected to be a fairly safe bet to return to school.
One final name to watch: former Bellarmine guard Peter Suder, who had a breakout season at Miami of Ohio.
Suder also was a surprise standout at last month's Portsmouth Invitational, according to ESPN. He was one of a select few players who earned enough votes from teams to skip the G League combine and land directly in the predraft combine.
ESPN said Suder offers “sleeper intrigue” and has played himself into the two-way contract conversation.
“It will be worth watching if Suder can keep up the positive showing in a combine setting against higher-level college guards,” the ESPN piece said. “NBA teams have taken notice of the traits that could help him grow into a feasible depth option.”
That may be the beauty of this week in Chicago. For Brown, it's about securing a lottery-level future. For Bidunga, it's about measuring the NBA against one more college season. For Conwell, Oweh and Suder, it's about creating opportunity where none is guaranteed.
For a Monday morning in May, that's plenty to watch.
The combine begins Monday, with a variety of drills early in the week and five-on-five scrimmages held on Wednesday and Thursday.
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