Will the NBA Combine Help Mark Sears and Grant Nelson's Draft Stock? Just a Minute

Watch the above video as BamaCentral staff writer Hunter De Siver discusses the chip on Mark Sears and Grant Nelson's shoulder as they take on the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.

Alabama men's basketball is represented by three players at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago: guards Labaron Philon and Mark Sears plus forward Grant Nelson.

Philon has been listed on a heavy majority of mock drafts over the past couple of months as he's been projected to be selected between the late portion of the first round or the early part of the second round.

Sears and Nelson, however, despite all of their accolades at Alabama, have rarely had their names attached to a mock draft. That said, they've both carried this chip on their shoulder fairly well in the opening days of the NBA Combine.

Sears was lights out during Tuesday's shooting drill as he shot 26-for-30 on off-dribble mid-range pull-ups (tied for first among all prospects); 21-for-25 on spot-up 3s (first); 16-for-25 in the 3-point star drill (tied for 11th); 25-for-27 in the side-mid-side 3-point drill (first). When combining all of his attempts, Sears shot 69 percent from the field—easily the best performance of the day.

Nelson also dropped some jaws during the shuttle run drill, as he unofficially finished it in 2.58 seconds, which is the fastest time in the history of the NBA Draft Combine. The shuttle run is a way to test how well one maintains speed while changing direction. The previous best time was 2.64 seconds by Malcolm Brogdon in 2016.

Although it's a short-distance drill, there is an emphasis on hustle. This is a term that Nelson is all too familiar with as he finished with Alabama's most blue-collar points (554.5) and had the second-most Hard Hat awards this season (10).

And while they've each shined to start the 2025 NBA Combine, Sears and Nelson will compete in the 5x5 scrimmages starting at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN2. They are on separate teams and will likely go head-to-head in a couple of hours.

Can their performances in Tuesday's drills help them in this live-action environment with tons of scouts watching?

And more importantly, should they stand out among some of the best prospects in the scrimmages, will it be enough for each of them to be selected within the 59 picks of the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25-26 in Brooklyn, N.Y.?

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