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Louisville Basketball: Ray Spalding Receives Draft Combine Invite After all

By Jacob Lane

SOUTH BEND, IN - JANUARY 16: Ray Spalding #13 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball in the second half of a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on January 16, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Louisville won 82-78 in double overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - JANUARY 16: Ray Spalding #13 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball in the second half of a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on January 16, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Louisville won 82-78 in double overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The 2018 NBA Draft Combine invites were announced a few weeks back, and at the time neither Ray Spalding or Deng Adel from the Louisville basketball program were included.

Summertime is known for it’s slow news cycle when it comes to sports here in Louisville. But on a day when the landscape of sports in the United States (and hopefully Kentucky) was possibly changed forever, as sports gambling officially became legal, some pretty big news relating to Louisville basketball slipped through the crack.

Just a few weeks back, I wrote on the importance of the NBA Draft Combine for former Louisville basketball stars Ray Spalding, and Deng Adel. Both juniors decided to declare after a disappointing Louisville season, initially not hiring agents (which would have allowed them to return to campus) before deciding they knew enough about their draft status to hire agents, removing any chances of returning for their senior seasons.

Unfortunately, the draft odds for both players were already low but after the 2018 Draft Combine invitation list went out, with both players names left off, it seemed as though it would take a miracle for either player to be drafted.

Today, that may have all changed.

Shams Camaria, the newest NBA news breaker, announced that along with North Carolina’s Theo Pinson, Louisville’s Ray Spalding had indeed received a late invitation to the NBA combine, which will take place later this month in Chicago.

While the NBA Combine is not necessarily the end-all-be-all of players professional careers, it is a big time event that gives NBA hopefuls a chance to workout for NBA scouts, GM’s, and coaches as well as participate in 5-on-5 basketball with the rest of the nations top prospects.

As I wrote last month, 67 players were invited to the combine, 46 of those players were underclassmen. Of the 46 underclassmen invited, 9 players decided to return to college for their next season of eligibility, leaving 37 players in the draft pool.

Of that group, 18 would go on to be first round picks. 11 would be 2nd round picks, and 8 would go undrafted. Of the 8 undrafted players, four of them signed two-way deals in which they split time between the NBA and the G-League. Two of them signed to play overseas, including Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe, while the other two signed affiliate deals to play with G-League team’s after being cut in training camp by an NBA team.

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All to say, getting invited to the NBA Combine is a big indicator of who the NBA believes will be drafted in June. While not all players who attend will be drafted, those who aren’t typically receive a training camp invite, which goes along way to landing in a good spot in the G-League or receiving a two-way contract.

Two former Louisville players both used the combine to their advantage, reaping the benefits in a big way.

In 2016 after declaring for the NBA Draft and being a likely second rounder, Terry Rozier showed the skills and athletic tools necessary to shoot up draft boards. With a strong (I mean really strong) 5-on-5 showing in which Rozier was one of the best players on the floor, the former Louisville guard parlayed that success into being the 16th pick in the draft by the Celtics. We all know how that’s worked out.

In nearly the same circumstances last season, Donovan Mitchell went to Chicago for the Combine as a fringe first round pick, only to have a strong weekend, before eventually flying up draft boards and becoming one of the most talked about prospects of the draft. Mitchell would go on to be the 13th pick of the Denver Nuggets, before being traded to Utah. Again, we all know how that worked out for Donnie.

Although Spalding is considered to be a “fringe” second rounder, currently ranked the 61th best prospect according to Sports Illustrated, NBA GM’s & scouts will likely be intrigued by the size and intangibles of Spalding, who stands at 6’10 with a standing reach of 7’6. That size, mixed in with big time athleticism, allows him to guard multiple positions as well as switch and defend guards in the P&R game. These are all reasons Spalding stands a chance at being drafted come June, though the odds are stacked against him.

Spalding will likely be a power forward, maybe a small center (with more muscle added) in the NBA, who will be counted on to clean the class and block shots inside. Should Spalding add to his offensive game, he could absolutely be a steal for someone in this draft.

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The Draft Combine will get underway on Wednesday, May 16th and will run until the 20th. Other notable combine invites include former Louisville commit Anfernee Simons, South Carolina forward Brian Bowen, and Kentucky’s Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Kevin Knox, Hamidou Diallo Jarred Vanderbilt, and PJ Washington.

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