REPORT: NBA teams preparing to make draft selections with no workouts or combine

Franchises are now preparing to make selections for this year’s NBA Draft without conducting workouts, in-person meetings, or watching prospects at the combine. According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, NBA teams are operating under the assumption that picks will need to be made this year based entirely on prospects’ body of work during the college basketball regular season. In fact, the only way they’ll be able to pick up new, updated information on prospects is via Skype conversations. “Several NBA teams are preparing to make their selections for the 2020 NBA Draft based on Skype interviews and prior in-person scouting,” Rothstein wrote. “Many are moving forward with the expectation of no combine, no workouts, and no in-person interviews.” https://twitter.com/jonrothstein/status/1241366513812221957?s=21 This news comes just days after Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com reported that the NBA Draft could be pushed back to July or August, an indication the league was looking to buy time during the coronavirus outbreak to allow for a pre-draft process. https://twitter.com/adamzagoria/status/1239996918283096064?s=21 With this latest update, it appears potential draft prospects will now only have previous game film and Skype interviews to build their stock. For guys like Immanuel Quickley and EJ Montgomery, two Kentucky players expected to be on the fence about leaving for the NBA or returning to school, have even tougher decisions to make. With no workouts, combine, or in-person meetings, will they rely on their current draft positions and potentially bet on themselves as late second-round picks or undrafted free agents? Or will they view this as an opportunity to return to school and build draft stock as the stars on a loaded Kentucky roster, with a potential national title run being the key prize? Things could get very interesting.