The NBA draft combine wrapped up last week, giving scouts and executives a better idea of what this year’s selection event has to offer. A total of 73 players participated in agility testing, shooting drills, team interviews and two days of scrimmages as professional franchises evaluated the top talent available this summer.
One of the biggest questions of the draft — one that has significant implications on the college basketball landscape this coming season — is whether Florida’s starting center Rueben Chinyelu will stay in the draft or return to Gainesville next season. The 6-foot-10-inch reigning Defensive Player of the Year recently stated that his decision hinges on when he is expected to be picked in June.
“My decision, it just depends on where I’m going to be picked in the draft. I had this conversation when I was being interviewed by some of the teams,” Chinyelu told Andy Katz last week.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, who spent the week in Chicago alongside other experts evaluating draft prospects, Chinyelu is projected to be selected in the second round with the 48th pick by the Dallas Mavericks (via the Phoenix Suns). His prediction has not changed much since the previous mock, in which he projected the Nigerian to be selected by the Denver Nuggets at No. 49, as well as his big board rankings, which had him at No. 43 overall.
Landing outside of the first round pretty much assures the center’s return to the Gators for next season. While his physical traits, which include a combine-best wingspan of 7-feet-7.5-inches and an impressive standing reach of 9-feet-3.5-inches, are intriguing, there are aspects of his game that could still use some refinement — particularly on offense, where he had just begun to emerge in the second half of the 2025 campaign.
Chinyelu has until Wednesday, May 27, to decide whether to return to school for his senior year or remain in the draft and roll the dice.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Where Rueben Chinyelu is expect to be picked in latest NBA mock draft
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
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