The NBA Combine headlined a big back-half of May for the NBA Draft, specifically for teams like the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix picks 29th, on a first-round bubble that is about get more clarity ahead of May 28’s NCAA withdrawal deadline. This is always a notable day, but holds more precedent in the age of NIL. As we outlined earlier this month, there is far more (literal) incentive for players to go back to school now.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo and Jeff Borzello have covered this storyline throughout the week, with prospects using refreshing honesty about what they’re looking for out of meeting with NBA teams.
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There are players like Florida center Alex Condon that straight up spoke on knowing his range is 20-35, and said if he’s not hearing enough certainty on his odds getting picked in the first round with that guaranteed contract, he’s going back to school to play for the defending national champs.
This matters to the Suns because it has a chance to further shrink the amount of talent in that range of the draft. Let’s say a team in the mid-20s loves a prospect (like Condon) and Phoenix isn’t as interested in him, eyeing other prospects instead. If that prospect isn’t in the draft, that team would then dip into the pool of guys the Suns are coveting. That can spiral and unwind pretty quickly.
Alabama guard Boogie Fland and Duke wing Isaiah Evans were two early-to-mid second-rounders that already withdrew from the draft the week of the combine. More of those announcements will come.
Here are the names with some of the most buzz to keep an eye on if they stay in or not.
Yaxel Lendeborg, F/C, Michigan, 22 years old
Lendeborg’s story that we previously covered, going from barely playing competitive basketball in high school to Yuma’s Arizona Western to the top transfer in college basketball this summer, further emphasizes what a decision like this means.
The 6-foot-9 forward has a modern game. In his breakout season for UAB, Lendeborg completely overwhelmed the American Athletic Conference with an athleticism and skill package no one could handle. He’s a consistent presence on the glass and just all over the floor in general, with serious ball-handling chops to be a playmaker and score off the dribble inside.
Yaxel Lendeborg is having a great week at the Draft Combine, measuring NBA center dimensions (7’4 wingspan), but showing a diverse skill-set in scrimmages, pushing off the glass, creating his own shot, passing on the move, shooting off the bounce and scoring inside. pic.twitter.com/mYoBpKAepm
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 15, 2025
Lendeborg got to show this in the combine scrimmages and impressed, while also bringing a spotlight to his improving jump shot. He measured at just about 6-foot-10 with a gigantic 7-foot-4 wingspan, making him the ideal “power forward” build in many ways since that’s big enough to be a small-ball 5 at times too.
The 22-year-old committed to Michigan in the portal, presumably for nearly as much money as his salary would be as a pick in the 20s, if not more. He could easily go back to school, be an All-American and still go in a similar spot next summer. He told Borzello he wants to go in the top-20, which might be a smidge too high for the type of guarantee he can get.
Cedric Coward, G/F, Duke, 21 years old
The Ringer’s Zach Lowe on The Zach Lowe Show had a handful of front office members declare Coward as their secret find they hoped would stay under the radar but the secret is out for a guy all over draft conversations the last couple of weeks.
The 6-foot-6 wing out of Washington State came in at a 7-foot-2 wingspan and the scouting profile of the typical 3-and-D guy, showing a proclivity to defend smaller guards and bigger wings while shooting 40% from 3 last year.
Footage of Duke-commit Cedric Coward at the NBA draft combine. 6’6 1/2 wing shot the ball well in drills (made 72% of his aggregate jumpers) and measured a 7’2 wingspan. Sounding increasingly unlikely he’ll step foot on campus in Durham. pic.twitter.com/rSkaylz5vE
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 15, 2025
Coward, like Lendeborg, transferred to a big-time program in Duke that comes with a big-time pay day. On Wednesday, he said he’s leaning toward staying in the draft, and is exactly the type of prospect contenders will hope is there toward the end of the first round, which would be a big help to the Suns.
Tahaad Pettiford, PG, Auburn, 19 years old
Pettiford was one of the stars of the NCAA Tournament and collegiate basketball season as a whole, offering explosive scoring off the bounce as a reserve on the best team in the country for most of the year.
He is a more traditional prospect in terms of the decision he has. Pettiford could return to Auburn, a team depleted by graduates that would essentially be his to lead and star on. He’s only coming off his freshman season, so the sell for him on the amount of development he could do in another year of school is easier.
But Pettiford also starred in the scrimmages, would likely do very well for himself in workouts over the next month and is the type of high-upside guard teams outside the lottery like to take swings on. He’s all over the place on big boards, ranging from the mid-teens to the mid-second round.
Strong week for Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford at the NBA Draft Combine. Tested as one of the best athletes in the draft and showed his feel, skill, toughness and talent in the scrimmages. Has a lot of fans in NBA front offices. pic.twitter.com/bD8GPEdx2V
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2025
Yanic Konan Niederhauser, C, Penn State, 22 years old
Niederhauser earned the rare call-up from the G League Elite Camp, one of a few prospect camps that is a tier below the combine. Occasionally, guys will make their rise via these camps, and that’s what Niederhauser accomplished.
Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser’s stats in a scrimmage at the NBA Draft Combine today:
12 points 7 rebounds 2 blocks 4-for-8 FG
Some highlights from his performance: pic.twitter.com/iMBJD7OVis
— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) May 15, 2025
His combine performance, per Woo, was not great. But he’s got the pure size and mobility teams will always want out of a big as a pure seven footer with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. And at his age, there is a question of if he would just be better off using the momentum he has now and staying in the draft. ESPN moved him all the way to the top-40 of its rankings.
Miles Byrd, G/F, San Diego State, 20 years old
Byrd is someone we highlighted to keep an eye on in the NCAA Tournament as a fringe first-rounder with a lot to offer on both sides of the ball. The Aztecs, however, got steamrolled in the First Four and Byrd only had four points, not giving him an opportunity to build up his profile.
The combine gave him another chance, and in the scrimmages, Byrd flashed his defensive playmaking by picking up steals and blocks in each game he played in. The amount of production he had in those categories as a sophomore is rare. The big one teams were watching with Byrd was his jumper, as he shot 30% on six attempts per game with an off-the-dribble game that still needs some improvement as well.
Miles Byrd displayed his unique basketball instincts at the NBA draft combine that made him one of the best defensive playmakers in college basketball, racking up a ton of blocks, steals and assists. pic.twitter.com/S6t1zTJweO
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2025
Byrd did not enter the portal and went back to San Diego State, which is unusual given the jump he could have taken like Lendeborg or Coward. Byrd is one of those guys as it stands that could easily go in the 30s as much as he could go in the 20s, so it’s a tough decision ahead for him.
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