Let the games – or at least the scrimmages, measuring and agility testing – begin.
The NBA Draft Combine began Tuesday, but after two days of interviews and anthropometric testing, players finally hit the hardwood, played in five-on-five scrimmages and went through strength and agility drills on Thursday.
Four Kentucky Wildcats – Bam Adebayo, Isaiah Briscoe, De’Aaron Fox and Hamidou Diallo – are among the 67 players at Quest Multisport in Chicago this week for the combine. UK was one of three schools with a combine-leading four attendees.
The lone Wildcat to compete in the five-on-five scrimmages, Briscoe did a little bit of everything Thursday, similar to what he did throughout his two seasons at Kentucky. The Newark, New Jersey, native scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and hit 1-of-2 3-point attempts. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out a team-high seven assists.
The anthropometric testing included standing reach, wingspan, height (with and without shoes), weight, body fat, and hand width and length.
Perhaps the most impressive number to come out of these measurements was Diallo’s wingspan, which came in at 6 feet and 11.3 inches. By comparison, star UCLA forward T.J. Leaf, who is five inches taller than Diallo, had a shorter wingspan.
Adebayo’s numbers reflected the “beast” nickname Coach Cal often attached to him. The Little Washington, North Carolina, native is 6-8.8 without shoes on, has a 7-2.8 wingspan and weighs 243 pounds with just 5.2 percent body fat. His hands tied for the longest at the combine (9.5 inches).
Fox had the fourth lowest body fat percentage among the combine’s 67 attendees at 4.5 percent. He measured in at 6-2 without shoes on and has a standing reach of 8-4.
Briscoe, despite being 6-1.3, has a wingspan of 6-9. His hand length (9 inches) and width (9.25 inches) were the second biggest among the four Wildcats.
| Player |
Height (no shoes) |
Height (w/ shoes) |
Wingspan |
Standing Reach |
Weight |
Body Fat |
Hand Length |
Hand Width |
| Bam Adebayo |
6′ 8.8? |
6′ 9.8? |
7′ 2.8? |
9′ 0.0? |
243 |
5.2% |
9.5? |
8.75? |
| Isaiah Briscoe |
6′ 1.3? |
6′ 2.8? |
6′ 9? |
8′ 3.5? |
222 |
11.0% |
9? |
9.25? |
| De’Aaron Fox |
6′ 2.0? |
6′ 3.3? |
6′ 6.5? |
8′ 4.0? |
170 |
4.5% |
8.5? |
8.5? |
| Hamidou Diallo |
6′ 3.8? |
6′ 5.0? |
6′ 11.3? |
8′ 5.5? |
197 |
5.2% |
8.5? |
9.5? |
The strength and agility drills included lane agility, shuttle run, a three-quarter court sprint, standing vertical and max vertical.
Diallo and Briscoe both impressed with some of the best marks in the entire combine. Diallo posted a ridiculous 44.5-inch max vertical leap, the best mark in the combine by a full three inches. He also had the third best standing vertical leap (34.5 inches) and the second best three-quarter sprint (3.11 seconds). Briscoe led everyone at the combine with the fastest shuttle run, clocking in at 2.85 seconds.
| Player |
Lane Agility |
Shuttle Run |
Three-Quarter Sprint |
Standing Vertical |
Max Vertical |
| Isaiah Briscoe |
10.95 |
2.85 |
3.38 |
28.0 |
33.5 |
| Hamidou Diallo |
10.88 |
|
3.11 |
34.5 |
44.5 |
ESPN2 will have live coverage of the combine again Friday from 3-7 p.m. ET.
Of the four Wildcats participating in the combine, three – Adebayo, Briscoe and Fox – have either signed with an agent or announced their intentions to sign with an agent, effectively ending their UK careers. Malik Monk, a consensus second team All-American who is projected by many outlets to be a lottery pick and has also announced his intentions to sign with an agent, was invited to attend the combine but chose not to participate.
Players have until May 24 to make a final decision on whether they will keep their name in the NBA Draft or return to school, so long as they don’t hire an agent. Diallo, who has not hired an agent, is the only Wildcat invited to the NBA Combine who falls under that criteria.
UK has produced 28 NBA Draft picks over the first seven years of the Coach Cal era, which is more than double any other school. Included in those 28 draft picks are 21 first-round selections, three No. 1 overall picks, 11 top-10 selections and 14 lottery picks.
All 18 players in the Calipari era who have declared for the NBA Draft after one season at Kentucky have been drafted in the first round.
