Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi scores team-high 14 points in NBA Draft Combine scrimmage

All-WCC wing led his team in scoring off the bench

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Michael Ajayi made another strong impression at the NBA Draft Combine on Wednesday, as the 6-foot-7 wing scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a scrimmage held in Chicago. 

Ajayi, who committed to Gonzaga in March, led Team Herscu in scoring in just over 18 minutes off the bench. He shot 5-of-7 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and committed three personal fouls. The Kent, Washington, native had the highest plus/minus ratio on his team at +6.

Wednesday’s performance came after Ajayi stuffed the stat sheet in his first combine scrimmage: nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in a victory on Tuesday. He knocked down a heavily contested 3-pointer, while drawing the foul, and threw down a two-hand dunk late in the second half. In addition to showing off his bounce, Ajayi utilized his 7-foot wingspan to rip down rebounds over teammates and opponents.

Ajayi officially measured in a 6-foot-5 and 3/4 inch (without shoes) and weighed at 227.8 pounds. He posted a 34.5-inch max vertical and a 27.0-inch standing vertical.

It’s unclear if Ajayi’s measurements and performance in the scrimmages will sway an NBA general manager into spending a draft pick on him in next month’s NBA Draft. Ajayi’s name doesn’t appear on most mock drafts from credible outlets. Even so, he sounded far from disappointed about the possibility of joining the Zags next year.

“If [NBA coaches and general managers] want me to stay in the draft then, God bless,” Ajayi said in an interview with college basketball analyst Andy Katz on Tuesday. “But if they want me to do another year [of college basketball], then I’d be glad to go to Gonzaga with a good team next year. I feel like we’re gonna win a national championship.”

Ajayi is set to join the Bulldogs next fall after leading the West Coast Conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game. He grabbed 9.9 rebounds per game and shot 47.0% from 3-point range. Ajayi was named to the All-WCC first team.