Combine Scrimmage Takeaways: Day 2
As the scrimmages wrap up, let's look at who were the biggest winners from the second day of action
The 2023 NBA Draft Combine has come and gone. Scrimmages are no more. All we’re left with are the buzz machines that start to ramp up after a few days of measurements, interviews, anthro testing, and 5v5 scrimmage play. Those buzz machines often start with Day 1 of scrimmaging, but can be verified or altered drastically by the end of the second day.
Yesterday, I wrote a wrap-up of Day 1 and looked at the best players, disappointing performances, and more.
Combine Scrimmage Takeaways: Day 1
There are really three things I look for when I watch these scrimmages:
Players who don’t belong on the floor — either because they’re above this level of competition or beneath it.
New skills/ traits that were unable to be shown in a college system due to limitations placed on the prospect.
Continual high-IQ, mistake-free, and self-aware plays that illustrate how a prospect can fit into playing with other great players.
The second day of scrimmages provides an additional opportunity for players to prove that they’re above this level of play. The best players from Wednesday — Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Tristan Vukcevic — predictably shut it down and withdrew from scrimmages on Thursday. They proved, or at least defensibly made their case, that they’re in that first team of players.
Two really good days back-to-back, even without one great performance, would be excellent tentpoles in proving the same for a prospect. Similarly, two really poor days is likely going to cost some players.
This wasn’t a combine event where we saw a lot of new skills on display from prospects. Most doubled down on what brought them to the dance, which is a welcomed sight for a more consistent evaluation. As a result, I feel like the two-day sample does level out fairly well to get a glimpse into how guys assert themselves into the flow of play.
Consistently Good on Both Days
Ben Sheppard — Man, this kid just makes plays. I’ve been really high on Sheppard for some time, and his connective playmaking, strong defensive effort, and ability to score efficiently on different levels all came through this week. His Thursday was probably the best single performance of the entire week, scoring 25 points on 8-10 shooting with 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Sheppard fits almost any and every team in the league due to how well-rounded he plays. He’s a hybrid of a 2 or a 3 with real feel, length, and shooting ability. He competes on D and this week showed how he can get through screens to avoid contact. He’s just a winning player, and while I think the first-round is a bit out of reach, he should be a priority for teams in the 30s.