The 2026 NBA Draft is less than six weeks away, and the race to impress scouts is heating up. Last weekend, two former Mountain West standouts—Nelly Collins and Jovan Henley—took the floor at the NBA G-League combine in Chicago, hoping to boost their draft stock among 44 hopefuls. Let's break down how they fared in this pivotal showcase.
While neither player earned an invite to the main NBA Draft combine, Collins made a strong case for himself during the athletic testing portion. The explosive guard posted the fourth-highest standing vertical leap at 32.5 inches and the third-highest max vertical at 39.5 inches, turning heads with his raw bounce. He also clocked the ninth-fastest pro-lane shuttle time (10.64 seconds), proving he's not just a leaper but a quick-twitch athlete. In the shooting drills, Collins was dialed in, sinking 24 of 30 mid-range pull-up jumpers and putting up impressive numbers in the 3-point star drill (reports note a 26-of-25 result, likely a typo, but the takeaway is he shot the ball well). However, his scrimmage performance was quiet—just five points on free throws, with no field goals made. Still, the combine was a net positive for Collins, even if his in-game impact didn't match his workout numbers.
On the other side of the ledger, Henley took a different path. His athletic testing was solid but not standout among the 44 participants, yet he came alive when the lights went on for game action. Henley was a force for Team 4, leading the way with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes, while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing one assist, and swiping one steal. He was perfect from the free-throw line (5-for-5) but missed both of his 3-point attempts—a recurring theme that raises questions. In the shooting drills, that inconsistency persisted: he made just nine threes in the star drill (tied for third-fewest, ahead of only a few others), and went 11-for-25 on spot-up shots and 17-for-30 on pull-ups. For a hyper-athletic slasher who shot just 30.7% from deep over four college seasons—including a low 26.8% in his lone year at Grand Canyon—Henley's shooting remains a red flag. But his ability to attack the rim and clean up the glass in scrimmages showed why teams might take a flier on his raw talent.
As the draft approaches, both players have clear strengths and areas to improve. Collins' athleticism and shooting touch could intrigue teams looking for a combo guard, while Henley's relentless energy and scoring in traffic offer a different kind of promise. For now, the Mountain West duo left Chicago with mixed but hopeful returns, keeping their draft dreams alive.