From nbl.com.au :
Sydney Kings youngster, and NBL Next Stars player, Brian Bowen has been invited to the NBA Draft Combine next week.
Bowen is one of 66 players who have been invited to the combine, which will be held in Chicago on Friday May 17 and Saturday May 18. He joins highly touted prospects such as Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Ja Morant as other players invited to the combine.
According to the NBA, the Draft Combine “is the first step in the Draft process for NBA hopefuls and features five-on-five games as well as shooting and strength and agility drills”.
While being invited to the combine is a step forward for Bowen’s NBA aspirations, NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger explained how the 20-year-old could still return to the Kings next season.
Bowen is still contracted to Sydney for the 2019/20 NBL campaign. This means he could be drafted by an NBA team, who then sends him back to Sydney for next season as part of a draft and stash, similar to the Terrance Ferguson and Devon Hall stories.
As Bowen is a contracted Kings player, any NBA team who drafts him will need to buy him out of his NBL Next Stars deal.
“First things first, let’s cross our fingers and hope that Brian gets picked up in this draft,” Loeliger told SEN’s The Sporting Capital.
“He is doing workouts and training camps over there at the moment and he has been performing well enough that he has been invited to the draft combine.
“There are a couple of different combines over there, but the draft combine is the pick of the bunch. That means he is still in consideration for potentially a first round draft pick, let’s hope first round but if not most likely second round draft pick, I guess.
“We could see him return to the NBL as a second round draft pick, he could come back and play another season for Sydney before he goes off and joins the NBA.”
Bowen averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game for the Kings this past season.
The NBA Draft will be held on Friday June 21.
