2017 NBA Draft: Nigel Williams-Goss and Zach Collins invited to draft combine

Nigel Williams-Goss and Zach Collins were two of sixty players invited to the NBA Draft Combine, taking place on May 9-14, in Chicago.

This is good news for Williams-Goss’ draft stock. He has been pegged as a low second-round pick by many mock drafts, and partaking in the combine drills and 5-on-5 game allows him to get some crucial airtime in front of NBA personnel.

The invitation doesn’t mean as much for Collins, who has been pegged as a mid-to-late first-round pick, but it also gives him a great way to showcase his skills to a community that largely only paid attention to him starting in March. Interestingly, Draft Express notes Collins will not be taking part in the 5-on-5 game, although more and more players have declined that aspect of the combine recently because of injury concerns.

Last season, Domantas Sabonis turned down his invitation, a likely sign he had already been guaranteed a deal by a team. This year, 10 players have turned down invitations, including Lauri Markkanen, Josh Jackson, Malik Monk, and Lonzo Ball. Those players are already sitting in good draft position and do not need a whole lot of info tossed their way.

The 2017 NBA Draft will take place on June 22, at 4:00 pm.