Top Prospects Not Invited To NBA Draft Combine and G League Elite Camp

The G League Elite Camp will be this weekend with the NBA Draft Combine following right after. A ton of top prospects will be attending but some notable prospects didn’t get invited. Who are those prospects?

Isaac Condra | May 10, 2023

Top Prospects Not Invited To NBA Draft Combine and G League Elite Camp /

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The NBA Draft Combine and G League Elite Camp will be held from May 13th to the 21st. Throughout that entire week we’ll get to see some of the top prospects in an NBA setting for the first time. Sadly, there were some noticeable snubs from the combines and it’s important to shine light on the prospects that weren’t invited. Let’s dive into the prospects that didn’t get invited.

Eric Gaines | UAB

Gaines was easily the biggest shocker to me. He’s one of the most athletic point guards in the draft this year with incredible defensive tools and amount of upside on both ends. The athletic guard makes defensive plays that not many 6-foot-2 players can make which is saying a lot. There’s a lot to love on the defensive side of things but the offensive flashes are quite intriguing.

The junior guard can make above the rim plays, has the playmaking chops to initiate an offense, and has improved his scoring ability to a degree. The UAB transfer has his inconsistencies on offense as he struggles with his efficiency and 3-point jumper. With Jordan Walker graduating UAB, I expect the keys to be fully given to Gaines and if he ultimately ends up returning for another year, I expect a breakout year in his senior season for UAB.

Liam Robbins | Vanderbilt

Robbins not being invited could’ve been due to the season ending right leg injury he suffered back on the first day of March. Nonetheless the 7-foot big is one of the most productive and top prospects left off of the list. His 3-and-D archetype is rare to come by for a player at his size but he has shown the ability to stretch out a defense as he shot 36.5% from three this past season while blocking 3.2 shots per game.

The fifth year senior’s impact is felt on both ends of the floor despite not being an NBA caliber athlete. The slow footed big man has struggled to defend in space and his translation to the NBA is slightly concerning for that reason. Sadly, Robbins is out of college eligibility so he’ll have to impress teams during team workouts and showcase his smooth shooting stroke and extra skills he wasn’t able to showcase in college.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin | Kansas State

Tomlin was a pretty big shocker considering how impactful he was on an elite eight team in the NCAA tournament. The Kansas State big man was a late bloomer who didn’t start to play basketball until after his high school career. Tomlin is an athletic big man that can finish plays at the rim, shoot it occasionally, and has shown flashes of tough shot-making ability off the dribble.

He has his moments defensively as he has shown flashes of defending in space and protecting the rim but he’s not consistent enough on both ends of the floor to be a positive impact in the NBA at this point. The talented big has upside that not many players of his age have. It’s very shocking more teams didn’t want to see him in an NBA setting given his athletic tools and raw talent, but on the bright side he has college eligibility remaining so I would anticipate a return coming for the mobile big man.

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Published May 10, 2023

ISAAC CONDRA

Isaac is the founder of Global Scouting and an analyst for Draft Digest. He has scouted and covered the NBA draft for the last five years, with experience analyzing players at all levels.