Mar 11, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Jamir Watkins (1) brings the ball up court against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Former FSU Basketball star shines at 2025 NBA Draft Combine

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated May 17, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The 2025 NBA Draft process is well underway. They held the Draft Lottery on Monday night, with the Dallas Mavericks jumping up from 11th to win the top pick, while the NBA Combine has also been held this week, both in Chicago, Illinois.

For the second year in a row, Florida State star guard Jamir Watkins has taken part in the week's festivities while also entering the transfer portal, looking to get an evaluation on his professional chances. And he's turning in a good week.

Watkins measured in at 6'5" without shoes, 214.6 pounds, and a wingspan of over 6'11". He did the lane agility drill in 11.19 seconds, the shuttle run in 3.21 seconds, the three-quarter sprint in 3.14 seconds, had a 31.5-inch standing vertical, and a 37-inch max vertical. Both of his vertical jumps were in the top 20 for Combine participants this year.

In the shooting drills, Watkins went 16/30 on off-the-dribble shots, 16/25 on spot-ups, and 18/25 in the three-point star drill, a great number for him.

But the Combine scrimmages are the real make-or-break for the players looking to prove themselves. He was fine in the first scrimmage on Wednesday, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds, but shot just 2/7 from the floor (2/3 from three, 6/6 from the free-throw line), a steal, and a block. He was dynamite in the second and final scrimmage on Thursday, finishing with 23 points (17 in the first half) on 8/13 shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a ridiculous 5 steals, and a block while being an insane +35 in a game his team won by 17.

That performance on Thursday named him a winner of the day on Sports Illustrated, was the first talking point on Bleacher Report and was a player of note on ESPN.

Watkins' ceiling as a prospect will be limited because of his age (24 years old) and a lacking three-point shot throughout his college career, but teams love his defensive abilities and shot creation off the dribble. He's looking at a second-round grade more than likely, but he'd make a lot more money if he returned to college for his final year of eligibility, where he's likely to earn a multi-million dollar deal from a big program. Whether he wants the quicker paycheck or to go ahead and get into the NBA and look to grind out a career, likely on a two-way contract initially.

Jamir Watkins averaged 18.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.4 APG in his second season at Florida State after starting at VCU, making the All-ACC Second Team.