Nothing is guaranteed in this year’s NBA Draft, unless your name is Zion Williamson.
Williamson, the freshman sensation from Duke, is widely expected to be the No. 1 selection come June 20.
Michigan freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis, sophomore guard Jordan Poole and redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews, on the other hand, are far from even being first-round locks. But they do have one thing that bodes well for their draft odds — an invitation to the NBA Combine.
Since the NCAA altered its draft rules in 2016 — moving the withdrawal deadline for underclassmen back nearly a month from late April to 10 days after the combine — there has been a surge in early entrants from the college ranks: 117 in 2016, 137 in 2017, 181 in 2018 and 175 this year.