Freshman forward Carter Bryant was the only Arizona player invited to the NBA Combine. The NBA released the list of 75 combine invitees on Friday. Among the noticeable omissions from the list are Arizona guards Jaden Bradley and Caleb Love.
Bradley was an early entrant to the NBA Draft with one year of eligibility remaining and Love completed his college career. Bradley and Love will hope to receive invites to the NBA G League Elite Camp, where the top performers receive invites to the Combine.
The NBA G-League Camp will take place from May 9-11 and the NBA Combine is May 11-18, with both at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. Bryant is moving up on NBA mock draft boards. After initially being projected in the teens, Bryant is predicted to be the ninth pick in the draft by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic on NBA.com.
Arizona has not had a first-round pick since Bennedict Mathurin was selected sixth overall by the Indiana Pacers and Dalen Terry went 18th to the Chicago Bulls in the 2022 NBA Draft. Bryant is emerging as a near lock to be a 2025 NBA first round selection in the consensus projections.
Vecenie projects Bryant to more generally be selected between ninth and 16th. In his one season with Arizona, Bryant showed his adeptness as a three-point shooter and in the open court but has to work on his ball handling and show his ability to create his own shot. Scouts are enamored with Bryant's defensive ability and length.
Bradley likely entered his name into the NBA Draft to receive feedback and to learn what he needs to work on. Love has been an elite scorer throughout his collegiate career with the ability to carry teams. Inconsistency has hindered Love, although he was frequently at his best during big games.