Good Morning, Illini Nation: An NBA draft combine primer
May 12—The 2026 NBA Draft combine began Monday evening in Chicago with 27 players going through strength and agility tests and shooting drills at Wintrust Arena. The anthropomorphic testing includes measuring height (without shoes), weight, hand length, hand width, standing reach and wingspan. The strength and agility testing includes lane agility, shuttle run, three-quarter court sprint, standing vertical and max vertical.
The shooting drills include off dribble, spot up, three-point star, three-point side and free throw. Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic was in the second group of nine on the court Monday night. Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell will both go through the testing and drills today.
Wagler's measurements Monday came back at 6-foot-5 (without shoes) with a 6-6 1/4 wingspan and 8-4 standing reach. Part of the strength and agility testing will be repeat for Boswell, who went through something similar last month at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The 6-foot-2 guard had the sixth-best vertical of the 64 players tested in Portsmouth, Va.
, at 32 1/2 inches, while his 6-8 wingspan (plus-5 1/2) was notable. Wednesday at the combine is part media day, part game day. All three Illinois guards will be available for interviews, while only Boswell will play 5-on-5.
Wagler's exclusion from the games is not a surprise given his status as a projected lottery pick. Stojakovic not playing is also worth noting given he projects as a late second-round pick at best and announced his return to the Illini for the 2026-27 season before officially entering his name in the draft. Boswell's 5-on-5 team includes a pair of former Big Ten rivals, including Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd.