The final event of the pre-draft process took place this last week in Chicago with Rueben Chinyelu attending the official NBA Draft Combine, the top event for any player looking to hear his name called in June’s draft. Chinyelu is still weighing a possible return to Florida, and the performance and feedback at this event was going to weigh into what he chooses to do.
As is the case with most combines, the week kicked off with measurements and athletic testing. Chinyelu came in at 6’9.25” in shoes, but what really mattered was his wingspan with checked in at 7’7.5”–which wasn’t only the longest wingspan measured, but was a whopping inch and a half higher than the player in second (Michigan’s Aday Mara). This mix of height and wingspan combination also gave Chinyelu a 9’3.5” standing reach, the fifth highest at the event. Lastly, and for whatever it’s worth–Chinyelu had 10” wide hands–the largest at the event.
Next came athletic testing. Chinyelu had a 33” maximum vert, one of the stations every player looks forward to, and he didn’t seem particularly happy with his performance and he was behind a lot of the other forwards. Fortunately, he performed admirably in the lane agility, ¾ court sprint, and shuttle run, and that would help support his pitch of being one of the top defensive prospects in the draft.
What came next was one of the most surprising parts of Chinyelu’s combine experience, and that came in the shooting drills. Now, for centers like Chinyelu who haven’t been shooters in their careers, these are drills that are often entirely ignored and these players often don’t even compete. However, Chinyelu chose to do the shooting portion of the combine and started things with a bang hitting 18 of 30 off the dribble threes–notably matching Cam Boozer’s mark. From there things didn’t go quite as easily as he went 12-25 in the spot up and 11-25 in the three-point star drill before going 6-25 in the “three-point side” drill, but at least he showed enough touch for a team to possibly think he’s capable of knocking down an open look at some point in the future.
Then came the scrimmages where players go five-on-five to try and prove their merit in a game setting. The bright spot for Chinyelu came on Thursday where he had 14 points and 15 rebounds–a statline that will look familiar to all Florida fans from his dominant string of double doubles this past year. Content to let a lot of the volume-shooting guards handle the rock, Chinyelu was able to feast on offensive rebounds and rolls to the rim which conveniently showcased the exact type of roll he would have in the NBA.
Now, the question is whether Chinyelu will stay in the draft or return to Florida for another season. Chinyelu performed well at the combine, but whether or not he showed anything that scouts wouldn’t have already seen is up for debate. Most mock drafts have Chinyelu projected in the second round which would pay him much less than he would make at Florida, so the question won’t be a financial one as much as a decision regarding lifestyle and if he wants to start his pro journey immediately.
Chinyelu has until the May 27 deadline to make his choice.
Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) defends during the game against the Saint Francis Red Flash at Stephen C. O'Connell Center on December 17, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. Gator Country Photo by Kan Li.