McKinley Wright IV invited to NBA Draft Combine

Colorado Buffaloes guard McKinley Wright IV will be one of 69 prospects to attend the NBA Draft Combine. The pre-draft event will be from June 21-27 in Chicago, Illinois.

Wright, a three-time All-Pac-12 first team selection, will hope to improve his stock ahead of the NBA Draft on July 29. The combine will give him a chance to speak to teams one-on-one, compete in five-on-five games, test his strength and agility, and show off his jump shot.

Despite his record-setting career, Wright is projected to be undrafted by just about every media outlet. Many writers don’t even have him in their top-100 prospects. As to why, it’s because he’s a 22-year-old, 6-foot-nothing guard with a shaky jumper, and even though he’s an elite playmaker and cagey defender with a long wingspan, it’s almost impossible for older, undersized guards to be drafted.

The best chance Wright has at being drafted is to crush the combine, particularly the shooting drills and scrimmage games. He’s going to test well athletically, but teams will want to see progress on his jump shot. As for for the scrimmages, this is a reminder that Derrick White was barely a second round prospect until he started dominating five-on-five games in the pre-draft invitationals.

If Wright goes undrafted, it doesn’t really affect his NBA chances. There isn’t much of a difference between a late-second round pick and going undrafted; if anything, the latter is preferable because players can choose their situation. The NBA is littered with undrafted players who needed to fight along the fringes, improve their game wherever needed, and break through whenever the chance is provided. Wright has always played best with a chip on his shoulder.