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Canes Hoops: Bruce Brown & Lonnie Walker at the NBA Combine

Did either guard help their stock for the upcoming draft?

By Evan Hadrick
NCAA Basketball: Duke at Miami Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA is holding it’s annual NBA Draft Combine this week in Chicago. The festivities started on Wednesday as participants underwent measurements and medical testing as well as initial meetings with NBA GMs. Basketball is a sport notorious for doctoring up body measurements, so it’s always interesting to see where players stack up. Here’s how that process went for the 2 Canes:

Combine Measurements

Player Body Fat % Hand Length Hand Width Height w/o Shoes Height w/ Shoes Standing Reach Weight Wingspan
Player Body Fat % Hand Length Hand Width Height w/o Shoes Height w/ Shoes Standing Reach Weight Wingspan
Lonnie Walker IV 5.65% 9" 9.5" 6' 3.75" 6' 4.5" 8' 3.5" 196.2 6' 10.25"
Bruce Brown Jr 3.75% 8.5" 8.5" 6' 3.5" 6'5" 8' 2.5" 194.6 6' 9"

Most of this information we already know from the recruiting process, but a few numbers stood out to me:

  • Bruce Brown has 3.75% body fat? No one can question how hard he’s been working leading up to the draft (He also must be very hungry.)
  • Bruce Brown has thicker shoes. Lonnie is taller than Bruce without shoes, but shorter with shoes. I’m assuming Lonnie’s hair doesn’t factor into either figure.
  • Lonnie has longer and wider hands. I had no idea they took 2 different measurements for hand size.
  • Both guys have great wingspans, which contributes to both having a reputation for being strong defenders.

Lonnie appears to check all the boxes physically. Decent height, big hands, long arms, and solid build. Bruce doesn’t quite hit every mark, but overall has the measurables to still be considered in the first round.

On Thursday and Friday, players go through more interviews, shooting drills, athletic testing and competitive 5-on-5 scrimmaging. Here’s how the Canes fared in the strength and agility drills:

Strength and Agility Drills

Player Lane Agility Time Shuttle Run Three Quarter Sprint Standing Vertical Leap Max Vertical Leap
Player Lane Agility Time Shuttle Run Three Quarter Sprint Standing Vertical Leap Max Vertical Leap
Lonnie Walker IV 10.87 sec 2.87 sec 3.06 sec 31.5" 40"
Bruce Brown Jr 11.11 sec 3.43 sec 3.2 sec 32.5" 38"

These results were more impactful for Lonnie than they were for Bruce. Lonnie placed second overall in the shuttle run, and third overall in the three-quarter sprint. Coming in, everyone knew Lonnie was a high-flyer, but now it’s been established that he is one of the best athletes in this class on the floor as well. Bruce had a solid collection of results, even besting Lonnie in the standing vertical which was surprising. I don’t believe he improved his stock, but he definitely didn’t hurt it either. Neither player participated in shooting drills, on-court work or scrimmages, so the total shift in draft value did not and will not happen until teams bring in the players for a closer look in the coming weeks. The good news is, neither Cane was exposed this past weekend, so both Bruce Brown Jr and Lonnie Walker IV’s first round dreams are still intact. We will take a closer look at where both players may end up in the coming weeks, but what do you think of the Canes’ showing at the combine? Let us know in the comments below.