Best of Tuesday at the NBA combine: Day 1 standouts, what we're hearing, draft buzz

The NBA's predraft season is in full swing as the league held its draft lottery Monday, with the Dallas Mavericks winning the No. 1 pick, and the chance to select projected top pick Cooper Flagg -- an opportunity a source told ESPN Tuesday that the Mavericks intend to see through during the draft on June 25-26 in Brooklyn, New York.

There are more than 100 prospects in Chicago this week for the draft combine and agency pro days.

The G League camp got things going Saturday, and Monday and Tuesday marked the start of drills, measurements, athletic testing and medical examinations at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis. On Wednesday and Thursday, players will take part in team interviews, media availability and hit the court for scrimmages and games.

All invited players are required to attend and participate in the combine, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement. The NBA may excuse an invited player's attendance or participation at the combine and require the player to complete combine activities at a later date.

ESPN basketball insiders Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo, Bobby Marks, Zach Kram and Jeff Borzello recap the biggest takeaways from the combine, assess the prospects who are rising (or potentially falling) and address league reaction and news around the draft.

MORE: ESPN's post-lottery mock draft | NBA draft

Tuesday's recap | Who stood out? | Injury news
What we're hearing | What's next?

What's your biggest takeaway from Tuesday?

Givony: Flagg looked every bit the part of a franchise NBA player and sure-fire No. 1 pick in his 75 minutes on the court Tuesday. I was on the floor, standing face-to-face with Flagg and every other projected lottery pick and was blown away by the energy, charisma and spirit Flagg brought to everything he did. He dominates every drill with his voice, cheering on teammates, lifting up the energy in the building, and pushing players to be the best version of themselves, especially himself.

Flagg measured 6-foot-7 3/4 and 221 pounds -- an inch taller than at the Nike Hoop Summit a year ago and 12 pounds heavier with dimensions comparable to those of former Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen coming out of Central Arkansas as a 21-year-old in 1987. He shot the ball well in drills, catching fire in stretches, showing significant improvement he's made over the past year.

While Flagg initially looked shocked by the results of Monday's draft lottery, sources told ESPN that his camp realized how fortunate he is to land in Dallas. Flagg is said to be thrilled by the idea of joining a playoff-caliber roster with strong veterans and a team that has a void at the small forward position. The Mavericks have a need for shot creators and will need Flagg to shoulder significant offensive responsibility as a rookie (similar to what we saw at Duke), which will be great for his long-term development.

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MacMahon reports Mavericks will draft Cooper Flagg at No. 1

Tim MacMahon reports the Mavericks plan to select Cooper Flagg with the top pick in the NBA Draft.

Marks: No offense to the on-court activities, but the past 24 hours is all team executives wanted to talk about Tuesday. In a two-hour window, the future of Dallas, Boston and possibly San Antonio changed significantly.

The Mavericks traded a generational player in Luka Doncic in February, only to be rewarded with another one, Cooper Flagg. In New York, there was the scene of Jayson Tatum down on the court with an Achilles injury. As one team executive told ESPN: "The Tatum injury is seismic and league changing."

The Celtics, the prohibitive favorite to repeat as champions, are now one game away from elimination and face an uncertain future. The Tatum injury and a projected $500 million-plus payroll next season will likely see changes coming in Boston.

The significance of moving from No. 8 to No. 2 in the lottery puts the Spurs in the driver's seat if the 2021 Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is made available in a trade. San Antonio also has the No. 14 pick and future assets, including an unprotected 2027 Atlanta first. They also have the right to swap with the Atlanta Hawks next season.

Woo: Much of the chatter around the combine centered on the lottery fallout -- not just the breaks favoring the Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers, but also what it means for the other teams. For the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards -- who shared top odds with the Charlotte Hornets for the No. 1 pick -- dropping out of the top four was a devastating result. With each team enduring losing seasons and likely staring down another lottery campaign, the results underscore the downside of tanking.

Take for example the Detroit Pistons, who dropped out of the top four and selected fifth in the past three drafts before breaking through as a playoff team this season. Detroit still struck lottery gold in 2021, but it took Cade Cunningham time before his star turn, and the front office that drafted him was replaced before it happened. Even the best-case scenarios for rebuilding teams -- particularly those in smaller markets -- are often arduous and unforgiving.

With the lottery system continuing to bear randomness and surprise annually, it's fair to ask the question whether it balances power across the league. Dallas, San Antonio and Philadelphia all expect to be competitive next season, while most of the teams directly behind them might have to spin their wheels for yet another year.

Borzello: From a college perspective, the biggest news coming out of Tuesday was Boogie Fland's decision to withdraw from the draft and return to college, as first reported by ESPN. Fland is ranked No. 42 in ESPN's draft rankings and was a projected second-round pick in the latest mock draft.

A former five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American, Fland entered the transfer portal before the deadline last month and now becomes one of the best players still available. For Arkansas, he averaged 15.1 points and 5.7 assists over the first 18 games of his freshman season before suffering a hand injury in mid-January that forced him to miss most of the rest of the season.

The most recent buzz surrounding his potential destination has centered on Florida, the reigning national champions, as the Gators are in desperate need of a playmaking guard next to Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee.

Kram: The league is still digesting Monday's shocking lottery results, and it was felt all throughout the combine. The fact that three win-now teams -- Dallas, San Antonio and Philadelphia -- landed the top three picks increases intrigue around potential trades at the top of the draft, especially after Monday's report that Antetokounmpo is "open-minded" about potentially leaving Milwaukee. While the Mavericks are reportedly set on drafting Flagg rather than trading the no. 1 overall pick, but that might not hold true for the Spurs and 76ers.

The incentive is clear for a win-now team to add a two-time MVP still in his prime. And rival executives wonder if it might be easier for the Bucks to stomach a Giannis trade if they're getting back a prospective franchise cornerstone as part of the return.

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Draft Cooper Flagg? Trade for Giannis?! Weighing the Mavericks' options with the top pick

Who stood out during Tuesday's drills and tests?

Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, UAB/Michigan: The highest-ranked prospect, and lone projected first-round pick who is fully participating in all competitive action, Lendeborg did nothing to diminish his standing with an outstanding all-around day in drills and 3-on-3 play. His measurements are outstanding, a hair under 6-foot-10 in shoes, 235 pounds with a 7-4 wingspan, a 9'0 ½ standing reach, and huge hands, comparable to the likes of Isaiah Stewart and Amare Stoudemire, per the DraftExpress historical database.

Lendeborg demonstrated legit skill in drills -- converting 69% of his aggregate field goal attempts (tied for 10th best at the combine) and also showed off his ballhandling and passing ability in 3-on-3, showing off in impressive plays as both as a creator and finisher. Lendeborg's defense is a work in progress, something another year in college could certainly help with, but there's little doubting his skill and talent, and he has more upside than most 22 year olds, barely playing any organized basketball prior to graduating high school.

Michigan's Dusty May, Lendeborg's potential future coach, was present Tuesday to support him along with much of his coaching staff. Whether Lendeborg ever plays a game for May will likely depend on how he performs in 5-on-5 play over the next two days, as the crowd of NBA executives had greatly diminished when Lendeborg appeared in the very last session of prospects. -- Givony

Drake Powell, SG/SF, North Carolina: Powell tested as arguably the best athlete in Chicago, with the best no-step (37 ½ inch) and max [running] vertical (43 inches), while also finishing fourth in the ¾ court sprint (3.07 seconds), seventh in the shuttle run (2.79 seconds) and seventh in the pro lane drill (10.71 seconds). He also measured a huge 7-foot wingspan and grew nearly an inch since ESPN's last batch of measurements, with overall dimensions similar to those of New Orleans Pelicans wing-stopper Herb Jones.

Powell didn't shoot the ball particularly well in drills, converting 55% of his aggregate attempts (in the bottom third of combine participants) something NBA teams will want to take a closer look at in private workouts in coming weeks, especially if he elects to stay in the draft as expected. -- Givony

Drake Powell jumps a 42 1/2 and then a monster 43 inch max vertical leap, tops by a wide margin so far at the NBA draft combine and an impressive mark historically. pic.twitter.com/FGp7Xwk5Hg

Chaz Lanier, SG, Tennessee: We knew Lanier would look like one of the best shooters entering the combine, and that carried over Tuesday. He has been one of the premier perimeter shotmakers in college basketball over the past two seasons, making 44% of his 3s in 2023-24 at North Florida and 39.5% last season at Tennessee.

He finished in the top five in all three 3-point shooting drills, and his touch and agility also caught scouts' eyes. He had the fifth-fastest time in the pro lane agility drill, the third-highest no-step vertical leap and the fourth-highest max vertical leap. -- Borzello

Mark Sears, PG, Alabama: Sears entered the week ranked No. 78 in ESPN's NBA draft rankings but his elite shooting ability could intrigue teams late in the second round. He was clearly the best shooter during Tuesday's sessions, finishing first in three of the four drills.

Sears put on an exhibition, going 26-for-30 on off-dribble midrange pull-ups, 21-for-25 on spot-up 3s and 25-for-27 in the side-mid-side 3-point drill. His athletic testing wasn't great, but his shooting ability stood out. -- Borzello

Tre Johnson, SG, Texas: While top prospects don't typically do a lot of on-court activities at the combine, getting to see projected top picks get up shots in this setting is additive for evaluation. Teams took notice of Johnson's shooting performance in drills (68% on all shots attempted), as he displayed quick and clean mechanics from long range and left a strong impression. Johnson also tested well athletically.

Multiple scouts I spoke with were impressed with his stroke -- and while that's not a shocker for a player that shot 39.7% from 3 on nearly seven attempts per game last season -- it does offer insight into what teams will see from him in private workouts. Based on what he showed today, Johnson figures to impress in that context as he vies for a spot among the draft's top-five picks. -- Woo

Tre Johnson spot-3 shooting drill at the NBA draft combine pic.twitter.com/lG7omdrnQq

Injury news: Duke's Knueppel sits out drills, tests

Kon Knueppel, the projected No. 8 pick and shooting guard/small forward out of Duke, did not participate in the combine's athletic testing or shooting drills because of an injury, his agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN.

"Kon sprained his ankle three weeks ago and is not all the way back yet," Bartelstein said. "He's at 85% now and we want him at 100%. He's really close. Hopefully, he's back by the end of the week and can participate in our pro day Friday."

Due to the NBA's mandatory combine participation rules, Knueppel will be required to complete the athletic testing and shooting drills portion at a NBA team facility in the coming weeks. -- Givony

What we're hearing in Chicago

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Shams: Spurs' lottery jump could impact Giannis sweepstakes

Shams Charania breaks down the options for the San Antonio Spurs after they move up in the lottery to claim the second pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

What do the Spurs do at No. 2?

Reaction reverberated around the league when San Antonio's pick jumped to No. 2 in Monday's lottery, not only because of the prospect of the Spurs adding consensus No. 2 prospect Dylan Harper alongside Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, but also the implications of what that specific pick could mean as a trade chip.

The Spurs have had exceptional fortune, their draft pick having now jumped into the top four in three straight lotteries. While there has been speculation already about what San Antonio could do at No. 2, there's a case for standing pat and selecting Harper, who stands out as the best available talent at that spot and would be an excellent roster addition.

While the prospect of aggressively targeting a star such as Giannis Antetokounmpo would accelerate San Antonio's playoff path, the Spurs can also afford to think big picture, thanks to the presence of 21-year-old Wembanyama as the team's centerpiece.

San Antonio has the trade ammunition to execute a major move: they control the Atlanta Hawks' next two drafts, own their future picks other than 2027, and hold far future swap rights to picks from Boston (2028, top-one protected), the more favorable of Dallas and Minnesota (2030, top-one protected), and Sacramento in 2031. Those assets are also far enough out that the Spurs can hold them until they're ready to upgrade or ultimately select with them.

With Fox already in the fold and the attractive option to build around the young trio of Wembanyama, Harper and Castle in the long run, there's plenty of rationale behind letting the team develop organically. That approach led to sustainable contention two decades ago as the Spurs laid the foundation around Tim Duncan. And at the moment, San Antonio is playing with a strong enough hand to dictate its own urgency.

The coming weeks should bear out more in terms of how proactive the Spurs want to be in trade talks. The expectation around the league is Harper will come off the board at No. 2 whether it's the Spurs or another team ultimately selecting there, leaving the 76ers -- another team that will weigh trade opportunities -- with a less-clear decision selecting at No. 3. -- Woo

First-round buzz on Coward grows

When Cedric Coward picked Duke over Alabama a couple of weeks ago, it looked like Duke coach Jon Scheyer might have found the missing piece to another team built for a potential Final Four run.

But the Washington State transfer might not make it to Durham.

On Monday, he measured at 6-foot-5 1/4 with a 7-foot-2 1/4 wingspan, and then was one of the best performers in Tuesday's shooting drills (hitting 72% of his aggregate attempts, tied for sixth best). Despite the fact Coward will not be participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages due to a shoulder injury he suffered in November, there is growing talk about NBA personnel that Coward is going to play himself into the first round. -- Jeff Borzello

Cedric Coward shooting it in the NBA draft combine side-mid-side drill pic.twitter.com/HIJg1czs0t

Context is key for lottery prospects from non-powerhouse schools

Other than the three Duke players projected in the lottery, none of the other top prospects in this draft were in ideal situations in college. Rutgers didn't make the NCAA tournament despite the presence of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, because so little talent surrounded those freshman phenoms. Baylor (with VJ Edgecombe), Oklahoma (Jeremiah Fears), Texas (Tre Johnson) and South Carolina (Collin Murray-Boyles) were all middling teams at best as well.

NBA executives always have to consider context when forecasting the transition from college to the pros -- but they say that step is especially crucial with this crop of prospects, because they have to determine whether the weaknesses they see on players' tape are actual problems or merely the result of inferior teammates. Playing next to much better talent could mitigate some issues as prospects find their roles in the NBA. -- Kram

Coming up Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday brings the first day of 5-on-5 scrimmages, and while the majority of highly-ranked draft prospects won't participate, there are plenty of intriguing names to watch. Yaxel Lendeborg (former UAB big man who has committed to Michigan) is the only projected first-rounder slated to play, but a long list of players who are on the fence about staying in the draft or returning to college are on the rosters. Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford, Darrion Williams and San Diego State's Miles Byrd headline the list.

There will be plenty of eyeballs on Penn State's Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who tested incredibly well and was the best prospect at the G League Elite Camp recently, earning a call-up to the Combine and slotting in as a top-45 pick in ESPN's mock recent mock draft. -- Borzello