2020 NBA Combine: Jalen Harris, Malachi Flynn, Sam Merrill Earn An Invite
NBA Draft Combine is a go and three Mountain West players are going.
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Three possibly MW draft picks
The NBA Draft combine is back on after being postponed when the NBA season was postponed back on March 11. The combine now has sent out a letter to 104 athletes that include former Utah State guard Sam Merrill and San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn.
However, there is a chance that the list could be dropped by 35 players to 70 and thus Merrill and Flynn might not be attending if they don’t make that cut.
Sam Merrill
The rescheduled date is reportedly going to be two days after the NBA Draft lottery on Aug. 20, but nothing is official.
In 131 games at Utah State, Merrill was an elite player in the Mountain West and beyond. He averaged 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
In 2019-20, Merrill upped his game and scored 19.7 points, pulled down 4.1 rebounds, and averaged 3.9 assists per game. He also had the one and only March Madness moment since the NCAA Tournament was canceled.
According to NBA Draft Room, Merrill is the 78th ranked prospect in the draft, which would put him on the outside looking in of being drafted.
Malachi Flynn
Flynn came to San Diego State and was a star from Day 1. He played just one year in the Mountain West and earned first-team honors, player of the year, defensive player of the year and was a consensus second-team All-American.
His one year with the Aztecs he put up 17.6 points per game, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. He was an all-around player who could make plays on both ends of the deal. It will be his ability to make over 44 percent of his shots as to why he should be taken in the NBA Draft.
Flynn is ranked 42nd in NBADraft.net’s big board meaning he is projected as a second-round pick.
Jalen Harris
Of the three, Harris might be the most likely to be cut as Harris is seen as a potential second-round draft pick and currently is 85th in the latest ESPN big board.
This does not mean that Harris is not pro bound because he certainly is. He was named to MWWire’s co-newcomer of the year with Flynn and named to the first-team.
This past year, Harris put up 21.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and was the clear leader for the Wolf Pack. He also was a pretty good shorter by converting 49.5 percent of his two-point shots and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.
He is clearly more advanced on the offensive side of his game and that is good enough to get him a shot in the NBA but he will need to get a bit better on the defensive end of the court. Getting to the combine could help improve his stock.
