EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2026 NBA draft combine is underway in Chicago, where every participating player went through anthropometric testing Monday. About 25 to 30 also completed their athletic testing and shooting drills at the outset, with the rest of the invitees put through their paces with the same drills and tests on Tuesday. Tune in Wednesday to our NBA draft combine show on ESPN2 from 2 p.m. through 6 p.m. ET.The top three prospects already made what will be their final appearances of the week. AJ Dybantsa measured at 6-foot-8 without shoes with a 7-0 wingspan and a 42.0-inch maximum vertical leap; Darryn Peterson measured at 6-foot-4 with a 6-9 wingspan and 37-inch max vertical; and Cameron Boozer measured at 6-foot-8 with a 7-1 wingspan and a 35.0-inch max vertical. That trio won't play in the 5-on-5 scrimmages Wednesday and Thursday, along with the vast majority of other surefire first-round picks.It's difficult for any player to meaningfully raise or tank their draft stock during the first couple of days of the combine, but the 5-on-5 scrimmages will create some separation. With that said, there were still noteworthy developments from the first 24 hours at Wintrust Arena, so let's run through the early standouts and intel.Quick links:Top 100 rankings | Latest mock draftsCombine measurementsMonday and Tuesday's standoutsAlex Karaban, F, UConnGiven Karaban's status as a borderline first-round pick -- he clocked in at No. 32 in ESPN's latest mock draft -- any boost to his stock could make a sizable difference, and he was the best shooter in the gym during Monday's drills. He went 22-for-30 off the dribble, 18-for-25 in the 3-point star drill (second best so far), 21-for-25 in the side-mid-side drill (best so far) and 18-for-25 in the spot-up shooting drill.Karaban was a consistent 3-point shooter during his four seasons in Storrs, finishing his career as a 37.4% 3-point shooter. His athletic testing was also a win, given that his standing vertical leap improved by 5.5 inches since his showing at the 2024 combine. -- Jeff BorzelloCameron Carr, SG, BaylorCarr was one of the biggest breakout stars of this past college basketball season, averaging nearly 19 points at Baylor after playing just 18 games over a season and a half at Tennessee in 2023 and 2024. He surged into the first round of mocks and big boards, and his measurements and athletic testing numbers could push him higher than No. 18, where ESPN projected him after the lottery.At 6-4 with a 7-0 wingspan, Carr measured out an incredible plus-8.25 wingspan, giving him the second-biggest gap between height and wingspan at the combine. And then on Tuesday, he had the second-best max vertical leap (42) and the fastest pro lane agility drill of any player. He also weighed 184.4 pounds, which is almost 10 pounds heavier than he was listed during the season. Given that one of the concerns is his slender frame, that's a positive. -- BorzelloMorez Johnson Jr., PF, MichiganJohnson had a positive on-court day Monday, measuring 6-9 barefoot (a number that surprised some NBA teams) with a 7-3 wingspan and 8-11 standing reach -- legitimate dimensions for an NBA player at the 5-spot, despite being undersized. He also fared quite well in testing, outperforming most players in his lane drill time.While his shot remains a work in progress, his improving mechanics stood out as a large group of bigs took the floor together in drills -- he made 12-of-35 total 3s at Michigan but looks to have legitimate room to develop his spot-up shooting. This all helped to reaffirm the strong physical component of his game as he makes a case for a spot in the top 20. -- Jeremy WooChris Cenac Jr., C, HoustonCenac made a good decision to participate in drills Monday, as his physical tools and fluidity for his size stood out. He measured and tested quite well at 6-10 barefoot, with a 7-5 wingspan and 9-0 standing reach and established true size for a center, with a 41-inch standing vertical.While the season Cenac had at Houston wasn't statistically prolific, he bought into his role as a rebounder within Kelvin Sampson's scheme and made strides with his physicality. He presents a very intriguing bet on tools, with his brief combine showing a reminder that there are simply no other bigs in this draft with his highly valued skill set. It will be no surprise if he sneaks into the back end of the lottery, with teams such as the Charlotte Hornets (No. 14) and Chicago Bulls (No. 4, 15) in need of a long-term center and likely to take a long look at this position. -- WooOverheard on TuesdayAs soon as the lottery was revealed Sunday, the immediate question around the league and industry was whether the Utah Jazz, holding the No. 2 pick, might make an eventual overture to trade up to No. 1 to select Dybantsa. This is factoring in the strong ties between Utah owner Ryan Smith, CEO Danny Ainge and president of basketball operations Austin Ainge to BYU.While the connection there is logical, there's no indication that it will happen at this stage of the predraft process, with lottery teams having only recently been assigned their selections. At the moment, the thought of Utah trading up is purely speculative, as the Jazz are sitting in a strong position at No. 2 regardless: They can simply wait and see who Washington takes, something that is not being treated as a foregone conclusion.Dybantsa has shaped up as the favorite at No. 1, but that's not the consensus, with most around the NBA having seen Peterson as a strong candidate for that spot all season, and varying opinions on Boozer's and even Caleb Wilson's candidacies. The talent gap between that foursome, particularly Dybantsa and Peterson, might not ultimately be wide enough to trade up from No. 2 to 1 in a vacuum, regardless of which teams owned which picks.While the nature of this draft class, with a consensus top four, could lay the groundwork for trade movement, deals atop the draft are historically quite rare. The last instance was the Philadelphia 76ers trading up to No. 1 with the Boston Celtics (at the time, run by Ainge) for Markelle Fultz. All of this is to say that any trade dynamics that might evolve within that top four might not necessarily be likely outcomes and will require more time to play out over the next month. -- WooWithdrawal watchKoa Peat, PF, ArizonaPeat has one of the more interesting stay-or-go decisions in the lead-up to the May 27 withdrawal deadline. He entered the college basketball season as a projected top 10 pick but saw his stock dip despite Arizona winning the Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament championships before reaching the Final Four.Peat was No. 24 in ESPN's most recent mock draft, and while he tested very well athletically Monday, his shooting was the bigger talking point. He made just seven 3-pointers all season for the Wildcats, then was one of the worst shooters Monday, going just 6-for-25 in the 3-point star drill and 6-for-25 in the spot-up shooting drill. It's also worth noting that Peat's shot looked dramatically different from what it did while he was at Arizona, with a slower motion and much lower release point. He didn't look entirely comfortable with it Monday. -- Borzello
