Bronny James and Other Notable NBA Draft Combine Performances Since 2015

Although the NBA Draft Combine is one piece of a draft prospect's evaluation, the testing event can generate big headlines.

Most recently, those reports centered on Bronny James. Such is life for the son of the NBA legend.

Before we dive in, these are not necessarily the best performances at the combine during the last decade. Several fit that criteria, but others—in particular, Bronny—attracted a whole lot of attention.

The choices ultimately are subjective, but each player improved his stock in some way at the event.

What a fascinating memory.

Hamidou Diallo declared for the draft in 2017 after enrolling at Kentucky during the season and playing zero minutes. He dazzled at the combine with a 44.5-inch vertical, the second-highest mark recorded in the event's history. Diallo also had the second-fastest three-quarters-court sprint and measured a 6'11" wingspan at his 6'5" height.

As a result, the explosive guard attracted some first-round buzz. It would've made perfect sense for Diallo to capitalize on the billing as a unique "none-and-done" prospect.

So, naturally, he returned to Kentucky. Diallo ended up being a second-round selection (45th overall) in 2018 and has since become a journeyman, playing for three teams in six seasons.

Again, the NBA combine is merely one part of an overall scouting report. But there was no questioning Jordan Bone's athleticism.

In addition to finishing second in the sprint and max vertical, the Tennessee product topped the 2019 charts in standing vertical, lane agility and the shuttle run.

Not a bad effort, I would say.

Bone ultimately went in the second round (57th overall) to the New Orleans Pelicans. A couple of weeks later, he was officially included in three separate trades that led him to the Detroit Pistons. Bone played one season in Detroit and one with the Orlando Magic.

Tacko Fall showed up—and it made him memorable.

Obviously, we knew the center was incredibly large. He roamed the paint at UCF with considerable success, averaging 10.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in four seasons.

Fall broke NBA combine records for height in shoes (7'7"), wingspan (8'2.25"), standing reach (10'2.5") and hand length (10.5").

Although he went undrafted, Fall quickly signed a contract with the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 26 games for the Celtics before an 11-game stint on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021-22.

Two years after Bone's impressive day, another Tennessee prospect stood out in athletic testing.

Keon Johnson broke the combine record with a 48-inch max vertical, clearing the previous mark of 45.5 inches set by Kenny Gregory in 2001. Johnson also paced the event with a 41.5-inch standing jump.

That explosiveness alone didn't make Johnson—who averaged 11.3 points as a freshman at UT—the No. 21 pick of the draft.

But it certainly didn't hurt his case.

Johnson split his rookie year between the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. He played one more season in Portland before a brief stint on the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24.

Jalen Williams had a great junior year at Santa Clara, averaging 18.0 points with 4.2 assists per game. He looked like a quality, draftable wing—especially thanks to a 39.6 three-point clip.

But the combine made him a lottery pick.

Williams measured 6'6" yet boasted a 7'2" wingspan and flat-out shined in the second scrimmage. He finished 7-of-8 with 19 points, and the performance rocketed him up draft boards. Williams landed on the Oklahoma City Thunder as the No. 12 overall selection.

Fast-forward two years, and OKC appears to have pulled off a heist with the fast-rising talent.

Williams tallied 14.1 points and 3.3 assists per game as the Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2022-23 and raised those outputs to 19.1 and 4.5, respectively, in 2023-24.

No matter how Bronny James fared, there was no question his performance would be well-documented.

You couldn't expect anything else, really.

Bronny rode a bit of a roller coaster during his time in Chicago, beginning with an eyebrow-raising height measurement. Listed at 6'4" on recent teams, he officially checked in at 6'1.5". The USC product had a forgettable showing in the first scrimmage, too.

On the second day, though, Bronny put together a more impactful day. He scored a team-high 13 points in the scrimmage while looking comfortable in a complementary role.

Recent buzz has Bronny going from potentially undrafted to a fringe first-round pick. Of course, the siren song of luring his father to play with him has plenty of teams considering taking the 19-year-old on that alone.