It’s NBA Draft Combine Week!

The week is already underway with the G League Elite Camp taking place on Monday and Tuesday in Chicago, and on Wednesday, things officially get started with the 76 players that the NBA announced as participating in the Combine plus seven more guys being elevated from the Elite Camp. As we already talked about, Marquette men’s basketball sophomore forward Justin Lewis is one of the 76 as he continues down the trail of exploring his professional prospects.

The Combine is an important step for Lewis, and merely being invited is a strong indication that he should stay in the draft instead of returning to Marquette. The event in downtown Chicago will give him the chance to interview with decision makers from multiple NBA teams as well as show off what he can do on the court. The NBA says that the Combine will include five-on-five games as well as shooting, strength, and agility drills, so there are several ways for Lewis to make a good impression.

Once the Combine is over, Lewis will have 10 days to finalize his decision to return to Marquette for his junior year or remain in the Draft and thus end his collegiate eligibility. Given the timing of this year’s Combine, that effectively means that he’ll have until the end of the month. With the deadline to withdraw coming on Memorial Day by luck of the draw, I would imagine that we’ll hear something for sure one way or another by next week Friday. Once the Combine is over, I would imagine that the decision making process should be relatively quick for Lewis, but I can’t say that for certain.

I also can’t say for certain exactly what the NBA and ESPN will be putting on the air during their eight hours of coverage across two days. The NBA didn’t put out a schedule of events to go with their press release on the Combine dates and participants, but if you want to see Lewis at all, you have to make sure that you watch every single minute. There’s no telling when he might or might not pop up.

2022 NBA Draft Combine

Date: Wednesday May 18, 2020, through Friday, May 20
Location: Wintrust Arena & Marriott Marquis, Chicago, Illinois

Television Schedule

Thursday, May 19: 2-4pm Central on ESPN News, 4-6pm Central on ESPN2
Friday, May 20: 12-1pm Central on ESPN2, 1-4pm Central on ESPN News