Three Duke basketball players get invited to potential NBA Combine

Three former Duke basketball players were invited to the potential NBA Combine, pending the league is able to operate for a pre-draft process.

There was no shock in finding out that Duke basketball products Tre Jones, Cassius Stanley, and Vernon Carey Jr. were all invited to the NBA Draft Combine, but the real shock came when it was learned that invites were still sent despite a combine potentially not happening.

The NBA sent emails to the 105 players that were invited to the combine, and the league office also told each player that he would be required to fill out a questionnaire regarding the workouts and ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

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After the pandemic forced the scheduled mid-May NBA Draft Combine in Chicago to be canceled, the league is being very adamant in telling players that just because they received an invite doesn’t mean there will be an event.

No date, location, or format has been told to the players regarding the potential combine, according to multiple reports.

As for the three Blue Devils invitees, all three are expected to go at some point in the eventual draft, but there still are questions surrounding the draft slot of all three players.

Vernon Carey Jr., the most NBA-ready player for Duke last season, is seen as a one-dimensional big man who doesn’t give much value to a team in today’s NBA, which thrives on spacing and 3-point shooting.

The ACC Rookie of the Year and National Freshman of the Year averaged 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game in his lone season at Duke while shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from 3-point territory.

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Tre Jones, who certainly has the skill to be a top-level defender, faces questions about his offensive game and shooting abilities but is also a borderline first-round pick, although most mock drafts do have him being selected at the bottom of the first round.

In his sophomore season in Durham, the ACC Player of the Year averaged 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest.

Cassius Stanley has every intangible to thrive at the professional level, but many scouts question whether or not his game is polished enough to step in and be an immediate impact player from his first day in the league.

Many thought the freshman could potentially return for a sophomore campaign after the ACC All-Freshman Team selection averaged 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the floor and 36.0 percent from 3-point territory.

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As previously stated, there is no target date for an NBA Draft Combine or an NBA Draft, but the NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for August 15. The Duke basketball program is expected to see a six-year streak of having at least one player selected in the Top-3 come to an end, and the same goes for having at least two selections in the lottery over the last three drafts.

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