The NBA will implement a new rule change starting next year that
any player invited to the combine that does not attend will be ineligible to be drafted. This is evidently a concession to owners (as opposed to the players' union) because many prospects were opting out, either by citing nebulous injuries or simply because of draft "guarantees" from specific franchises. The new rule forces them to show up, bringing the NBA event closer to the NFL's pageantry. Players will not have to scrimmage, but must interview and undergo medical exams.
I see this as another bottleneck for white players entering the league. Considering that only half of this year's record number of combine attendees can be drafted, there will be a lot of names rubber-stamped for consideration before a team takes a second-round "flier." Even if the number of white players drafted is not hypothetically affected, there will be differentiation on players prioritized for Summer League signings. Of the remaining playoff teams, Austin Reaves, Maxi Strus, Duncan Robinson, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser, Cole Swider, Collin Gillespie, Jack White, and of course Mac McClung are all undrafted white players who have had to start their careers in the G-League, many getting there only after Summer League tryouts. Might any of them have been overlooked altogether if not "invited" to a mandatory combine beforehand?
It's not worth boiling over about, since this is a sports-entertainment product anyway, and the product the NBA is selling is NOT white athletic excellence. Where is former combine standout Joe Wieskamp these days?