Phoenix Suns: NBA Draft Combine List Announced

By Gerald Bourguet | May 9, 2015

Mar 19, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Stanley Johnson (5) celebrates with forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23) against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The Phoenix Suns, slated for the No. 13 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, need a power forward who can bang bodies in the paint, grab rebounds and score in the post while also spreading the floor with a perimeter shot. Luckily for the Suns, this draft is particularly deep in power forwards and centers.

Yesterday, the NBA announced the 62 participants of the 2015 NBA Draft Combine. After a disappointing end to the 2014-15 season, we’re already looking ahead to the NBA Draft combine.

While five of the top prospects in the draft — Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja — will not be present, there are still plenty of raw talents to analyze in the biggest pre-draft event of the summer.

The draft combine starts Tuesday, May 12, in Chicago. The televised portion of the draft combine will take place on May 14-15. There will be five-on-five scrimmaging in this year’s draft combine again, but it’s not set in stone how many of the 62 prospects will actually participate in that portion of the events.

The draft combine often pins false projections on NBA prospects, labeling them by their speed, jumping ability and strength in quite a few drills that aren’t guaranteed to translate to pro-level talent. However, it’s always fun to watch the NBA hopefuls lay it all on the line and compare their marks in each category to the draft combine accomplishments of current NBA stars who were once in their position.

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The combine stretches over five days and there are plenty of drills, athletic displays and medical testing to help us get a better idea of who is looking strong heading into the draft and who might be more of a risk.

The Suns have plenty of young players as it is, but they have yet another lottery pick this year and would be wise to draft another winner — more along the lines of T.J. Warren than Tyler Ennis, to be clear.

The fact that some of the top prospects won’t be present shouldn’t deter Suns fans from watching, especially since most of the five missing players listed above won’t even be on the board by the time Phoenix picks.

I’m an ASU man myself, but for the wider community of Suns fans, three prospects from the University of Arizona will be participating in the combine: Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley. Johnson will likely be a lottery pick at small forward and if he’s available, this could become an interesting conversation for the Suns between him, Warren and P.J. Tucker.

Hollis-Jefferson is projected by most to be a late first round pick and Ashely is seen as more of a second-rounder. Players the Suns might be interested in who will participate in the draft combine include Kentucky’s Devin Booker, Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker, Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell, Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, UCLA’s Kevin Looney, Kentucky’s Trey Lyles, Arkansas’ Bobby Portis and Texas’ Myles Turner.

Here’s the complete list of participants in the 2015 NBA Draft Combine (in alphabetical order). The list includes Larry Nance Jr., son of former Suns star Larry Nance, who played for the University of Wyoming:

Which NBA Draft Combine participant will you be keeping a close eye on? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

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