With the portal season starting to slow down the basketball calendar turns to the events leading up to the NBA Draft where hopeful players will angle to hear their name called, or earn one of the several available contracts between the NBA and G League.
Xaivian Lee already competed in the first event of the pre-draft process, the Portsmouth Invitation Tournament. This event is a bit unique in that it isn’t officially affiliated with the NBA and is only for seniors that have run out of college basketball eligibility. Even though it isn’t officially associated with the NBA, pretty much every team has scouts in the building, as well as top professional teams in Europe and Asia. Lee made a name for himself by testing remarkably well in the athletic testing portion of the event, ranking as one of the quickest players in attendance in a number of the speed and agility tests. He also was the MVP of the first game he played in, before having a slower second game and bowing out before his team’s third.
With the solid Portsmouth performance, Lee earned an invitation to the G League Elite Camp which takes place in advance of the coveted NBA Combine–the most illustrious of pre-draft events and the one where every player wants to be. Though the G League Elite Camp isn’t the first choice of the players invited, there is an opportunity for the top performers to get an invitation to the main NBA Combine the week after. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for players who were invited to the G League combine to still get drafted, as seen last year with Will Richard attending the G League Elite Camp and playing well, ultimately earning a spot with the Golden State Warriors.
Also attending last year’s G League Elite Camp was Rueben Chinyelu who measured tremendously with his 7’7” wingspan, though he didn’t do quite as well in the athletic testing and basketball portions of the camp. However, after the 2025-26 season where he was one of the most improved players in the country, Chinyelu earned a trip to this year’s main event in the NBA Combine.
In total there were 73 players invited to the NBA Combine, with opportunities for top performers from the G League Elite Camp to join should NBA teams request it. That means that not everyone who was invited is a projected pick as there are only 60 selections total–but a selection almost certainly suggests a player would at minimum earn a two-way contract. In going through the NBA Combine Chinyelu will look to both better his draft stock as well as learn where he sits in the projected picks which will allow him to make a decision whether to stay in the draft or remain at Florida. Most draft experts have Chinyelu as a second round pick should he choose to remain in the draft, a position that would have him earn less money in the upcoming season than he would make at Florida. With the finances, and the opportunity to better his stock, in Florida’s favor–the thought is that Chinyelu will return. However, his performance at the Draft Combine in May will be extremely informative as to what he may do.