The 2013 NBA scouting combine is coming up shortly, giving scouts, general managers and even fans a chance to evaluate a number of lesser-known prospects in the draft.
It's not as well known or hyped as the NFL's version of a pre-draft meat market, but the combine is an important event that will make or break a number of NBA hopefuls over two grueling days.
You may not see the biggest names or the brightest stars competing in all the drills, but there will be plenty of talent on display and many will go on to have fruitful careers in the Association.
Let's take a look at where you can watch or live stream all the action, check the complete list of participants and highlight a handful of players to keep an eye on during the workouts.
The German-born point guard has been generating a ton of buzz since showing up on American soil and dominating the competition at the Nike Hoops Summit in mid-April.
He led the international team to victory against the top prep stars in the nation, putting up 18 points, six assists and two rebounds in his 29 minutes of play. The young stud hit on five-of-10 field-goal attempts, seven-of-10 free-throw shots and went one-of-two from beyond the arc.
This 19-year-old is vying to become the first PG off the board after Trey Burke and Michael Carter-Williams in this draft, so his performance in this event will be crucial.
While many international stars shy away from the combine and some show up to only participate in few events, Schroeder could buck the trend and put on a show that will land him inside the top 20 come June.
This young swingman has taken the D-League by storm and putting up huge numbers for the RioGrande Valley Vipers. During the postseason, he elevated his game even further—dropping 25 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 39.1 minutes per night across six contests.
He has an NBA pedigree as well, and a good one at that. His father—Glen Rice—put together a 15-year career in the Association, averaging 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists at the same position.
While those numbers and tremendous upside are the markings of a first-round pick, it's the character issues that scouts and general managers will want to evaluate in Chicago.
Rice Jr. was removed from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after numerous suspensions and a shooting incident outside an Atlanta nightclub.
If he can prove he has matured, Rice could easily come off the board at the end of the lottery into the mid-first round.
As of now, he's likely a borderline second-round pick, but could vault all the way up to a late first-rounder if he shows improvement in a few crucial areas.
The 49ers swingman is one of the better athletes and physical specimens in the class—standing at 6'6", 206 pounds. He's even developed a solid three-point shot and is capable of defending multiple positions well.
However, Ennis is prone to making some extremely questionable decisions and is prone to long stretches of poor shot selection.
Fortunately, the combine drills emphasize his positives and shouldn't shine much light on his weak areas. If he's able to knock down shots and dominate his workouts, there will be plenty of hype around this Long Beach State star.
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