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Draft Notes: Toohey, Markovic, D. Williams, Sanon, Omier

May 5th, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Australian forward Alex Toohey plans to turn some heads at the NBA draft combine later this month, he tells Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

“Pretty much every area a basketball player can show, I feel like I’m gonna surprise some people over there,” Toohey said.

Toohey, who turns 21 years old today (happy birthday), is ranked No. 39 on ESPN’s big board ahead of June’s draft. He has spent the past two seasons with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League.

According to Uluc, Toohey has already begun working out for NBA teams. The 6’8″ wing discussed a number of topics with Uluc, with the draft obviously being the primary focus.

Here are a few more draft notes:

  • Serbian forward/center Bogoljub Markovic will not be able to attend the combine due to his team — Mega Basket — competing in the ABA playoffs, agent Misko Raznatovic announced (via Twitter). The combine takes place in Chicago from May 11-20, while the first round of the ABA playoffs will run from May 11-20. Markovic is ranked No. 38 on ESPN’s board.
  • Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams, who comes in at No. 44 on ESPN’s board, worked out for the Kings on Monday, per Sean Cunningham of KCRA News (Twitter video link). The Sacramento native said it was a “dream come true” to have his first pre-draft workout with his hometown team. Williams helped the Red Raiders make the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual champion Florida.
  • Former Arizona State guard Joson Sanon, who has committed to transferring to St. John’s if he returns to college, has declined an invitation to the 2025 G League Elite Camp, a source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Scotto hears that Sanon, who is not ranked on ESPN’s big board, has upcoming workouts with NBA teams selecting in the 30s.
  • According to Scotto (Twitter link), forward Norchad Omier received an invite to the G League Elite Camp after Sanon declined to attend. Omier averaged a double-double in each of his five collegiate seasons with Arkansas State, Miami (FL) and — most recently — Baylor.
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NBA Announces 75 Invitees For 2025 Draft Combine

May 2nd, 2025 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 75 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 11-18.

In addition to those 75 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2025 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.

College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 28 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 15. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2025 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

  1. Izan Almansa, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
  2. Neoklis Avdalas, G/F, Greece (born 2006)
  3. Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers (freshman)
  4. Joan Beringer, C, Slovenia (born 2006)
  5. Koby Brea, G, Kentucky (senior)
  6. Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn (senior)
  7. Carter Bryant, F, Arizona (freshman)
  8. Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State (sophomore)
  9. Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (senior)
  10. Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
  11. Alex Condon, F/C, Florida (sophomore)
  12. Cedric Coward, F, Washington State (senior)
  13. Egor Demin, G, BYU (freshman)
  14. Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (senior)
  15. V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor (freshman)
  16. Noa Essengue, F, Germany (born 2006)
  17. Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  18. Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma (freshman)
  19. Cooper Flagg, F, Duke (freshman)
  20. Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas (freshman)
  21. Rasheer Fleming, F/C, St. Joseph’s (junior)
  22. Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (senior)
  23. Hugo Gonzalez, F, Spain (born 2006)
  24. PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis (sophomore)
  25. Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers (freshman)
  26. Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
  27. Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois (freshman)
  28. Sion James, G, Duke (senior)
  29. Tre Johnson, G, Texas (freshman)
  30. Kameron Jones, G, Marquette (senior)
  31. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
  32. Karter Knox, F, Arkansas (freshman)
  33. Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  34. Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee (senior)
  35. Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB (senior)
  36. RJ Luis, F, St. John’s (junior)
  37. Khaman Maluach, C, Duke (freshman)
  38. Bogoljub Markovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2005)
  39. Alijah Martin, G, Florida (senior)
  40. Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (freshman)
  41. Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (senior)
  42. Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina (sophomore)
  43. Grant Nelson, F, Alabama (senior)
  44. Asa Newell, F, Georgia (freshman)
  45. Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (junior)
  46. Dink Pate, G/F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2006)
  47. Micah Peavy, G/F, Georgetown (senior)
  48. Noah Penda, F, France (born 2005)
  49. Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn (freshman)
  50. Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (freshman)
  51. Drake Powell, G/F, UNC (freshman)
  52. Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke (junior)
  53. Derik Queen, C, Maryland (freshman)
  54. Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford (senior)
  55. Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State (freshman)
  56. Will Riley, F, Illinois (freshman)
  57. Michael Ruzic, F, Spain (born 2006)
  58. Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (senior)
  59. Kobe Sanders, G, Nevada (senior)
  60. Ben Saraf, G, Germany (born 2006)
  61. Mark Sears, G, Albama (senior)
  62. Max Shulga, G, VCU (senior)
  63. Javon Small, G, West Virginia (senior)
  64. Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown (freshman)
  65. Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas (junior)
  66. John Tonje, G, Wisconsin (senior)
  67. Alex Toohey, F, Australia (born 2004)
  68. Nolan Traore, G, France (born 2006)
  69. Milos Uzan, G, Houston (junior)
  70. Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (senior)
  71. Brice Williams, G/F, Nebraska (senior)
  72. Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech (junior)
  73. Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (junior)
  74. Hansen Yang, C, China (born 2005)
  75. Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

  • A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
  • Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
  • Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
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Draft Notes: Clayton, Flagg, D. Williams, Olbrich

April 6th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Florida senior Walter Clayton Jr. has boosted his NBA draft stock with an outstanding run in the NCAA Tournament, Adam Zagoria writes for NJ.com. In five tournament games (33.4 minutes per contest), the 6’3″ guard is averaging 24.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .500/.487/.905 shooting.

Clayton was ranked No. 63 on ESPN’s big board a couple of weeks ago, but most NBA executives and scouts who spoke to Zagoria believe the 22-year-old will be selected somewhere in the range of mid-first round to early second.

“He has helped himself more with his draft stock than any other player in the tournament,” one executive told Zagoria. “He is going in the first round.”

In 38 games in 2024/25, Clayton has averaged 18.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.1 APG and 1.2 SPG on .451/.392/.871 shooting (32.5 MPG). The Gators will face the Houston Cougars on Monday in the final of this year’s tournament.

Here are a few more notes related to June’s draft:

  • Projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg showed last summer in a scrimmage with the Select Team against Team USA ahead of the Olympics that he could more than hold his own against the best players in the world, and his all-around game should help him have a smooth transition to the NBA, per Mark Medina of RG.org. “He looked like a hell of a player, somebody that is only going to get better with more experience,” Kevin Durant said at the time. “He’s 17 years old, coming in and playing like he’s almost a vet. No emotion. He’s just out there doing his job. That’s a good sign.” Flagg’s season with Duke came to an end on Saturday, as the Blue Devils blew a late lead against Houston in the Final Four. Flagg finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks.
  • Texas Tech junior Darrion Williams intends to declare for the 2025 draft while maintaining his college eligibility, agent Aman Dhesi tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links). Williams, who was ranked No. 45 on ESPN’s board, will also enter the transfer portal, according to Givony, who says the combo forward should draw “significant” interest in the late first or early second round after helping guide the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight.
  • Australian forward/center Lachlan Olbrich, who recently helped the Illawara Hawks win an NBL championship, has officially entered his name in the draft, the league announced in a press release. The 21-year-old averaged 8.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 1.6 APG in 29 games this season for the Hawks (16.7 MPG). Olbrich is ranked No. 92 on ESPN’s board.
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And-Ones: Crawford, NBC, 2025 Draft, J. Porter Case

January 14th, 2025 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford will be the lead game analyst for games on NBC and Peacock beginning next season, NBC Sports officially confirmed on Tuesday. The Athletic reported last month that NBC had reached a deal to hire Crawford as an analyst.

NBC hasn’t been an NBA broadcast partner since 2002, but is one of three companies – along with Disney (ABC/ESPN) and Amazon Prime – that struck agreements with the league for its media rights beginning in 2025/26.

The network is in the process of filling its roster of play-by-play commentators, game analysts, and studio analysts ahead of the fall, with Crawford expected to work one or more games per week, according to today’s announcement.

“I’m thrilled to join the NBC Sports family and their new NBA package,” said Crawford, who has worked with TNT Sports, NBA TV, and MSG Network. “I grew up reenacting the game highlights that I watched on the network’s classic NBA coverage, so I’m truly honored to be a part of the new broadcast team that will bring the game to a different generation of fans. NBC Sports’ productions are top-notch across the board, and I can’t wait for hoop fans to see what we have in store for the new era of basketball content.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • The NBA announced this week (via Twitter) that its 2025 draft lottery will take place on May 12 in Chicago. The NBA G League combine, formerly known as the NBA G League Elite Camp, will be held from May 9-11, with the full-fledged draft combine to follow from May 11-18.
  • Speaking of the 2025 NBA draft, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his mock draft, making 59 picks across both rounds of the event, while Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) have identified 10 prospects whose stocks are on the rise, including Michigan’s Danny Wolf, Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams, and Florida’s Alex Condon.
  • Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and David Purdum of ESPN provide updates on the latest developments in the sports betting scandal involving former Raptors big man Jontay Porter, noting that another arrest has been made in connection with the case. Shane Hennen, a Las Vegas man, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering after alleging being tipped off to bet various “unders” ahead of a January 26, 2024 game, which Porter exited due to an eye injury. Hennen was sent a message from Porter that read, “Hit unders for the big numbers. I told (Co-Conspirator 2) no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.”
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And-Ones: Cousins, All-Star Voting, 2025 Draft, More

January 10th, 2025 at 7:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t played in the league since finishing the 2021/22 season with Denver, but he continues to compete professionally in non-NBA leagues around the world. The 34-year-old center is joining Selenge Bodons in Mongolia, according to announcements from the club on Instagram and Cousins on Facebook.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Cousins averaged 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in 654 regular season appearances for seven NBA teams from 2010-22. Cousins’ career was derailed by a series of major leg injuries, including a torn ACL and torn Achilles, which reduced his effectiveness on both ends of the court in his later NBA seasons.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

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