NBA Draft Combine 2017: How to watch Melo Trimble and Justin Jackson in 5-on-5s

Maryland basketball’s Melo Trimble and Justin Jackson have been at the NBA Draft Combine all week. After a couple days of positional drills, fans can get a peek at the process starting Thursday at 3 p.m on ESPN2.

The next two days should particularly pique the interest of anyone who’s been obsessively checking mock drafts all season. It’s five-on-five scrimmage time and draft analysts will be on hand for the four scheduled games Thursday and Friday. For the light viewer, whip-around coverage of the scrimmages, along with coverage of the strength and agility drills will be on ESPN2, and ESPN3 will stream feeds from six different stations for the draft-obsessed.

Justin Jackson quietly declared for the draft, but much of the Terps-related news out of combine has been about him. A couple of analysts already think he should come back for another season, but Jackson’s still the No. 46 prospect on DraftExpress’ big board for this year.

For all his Maryland fame, Trimble is currently ranked 90th.

The next two days hold a mixed bag for Trimble. Though athleticism will never be his calling card, his ability to run an offense could endear him to NBA scouts. The issue is, that’s only part of the equation.

Trimble was the lifeblood of Maryland’s offense the last three seasons, averaging around 16 points, four assists, and four rebounds in 104 games for the Terps. While it’s unlikely he’s ever the focal point of a team again, he displayed some intangibles that project to translate to the next level.

Scouts and analysts have long-praised Trimble’s passing acumen, and while his college assist numbers topped out at 4.9 per game in 2016, it will be his best asset during the scrimmages. At times, Trimble seemed to see the action two moves before they happened, and Maryland’s offense typically went stagnant when he sat.

He’ll have to learn to keep his turnovers down at the next level: nearly 20 percent of his possessions ended in miscue, though his 25.6 percent assist rate was good for fifth in the conference, according to Kenpom. Some of Trimble’s turnover issues could be mitigated by playing at a higher level, though, as his turnovers were almost as often caused by teammates not seeing a play as by Trimble playing too fast.

The odds aren’t in his favor, but with four of the top-five projected point guards not scrimmaging, he’ll have a chance to stand out against a proportionally slim crop of guards. He still has plenty of questions to answer before he sniffs a contract, but the scrimmages should be Trimble’s specialty.

How to watch the NBA Draft Combine

Time: Thursday (5/11) and Friday (5/12) from 3-7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2 (whiparound coverage), hosted by Rece Davis

Live stream: WatchESPN will have ESPN2’s coverage and feeds from six different drill stations, including the scrimmages.

In other news

Maryland basketball made 2018 five-star recruit Cameron Reddish’s top eight teams. The 6’8 small forward is the top recruit from Pennsylvania and the the No. 4 player in his class.

Yesterday, I took a look at what Terps fans can expect from Justin Jackson at the combine. He may not leave this year, but keep an eye on him today.

This week’s baseball roundtable pondered whether Maryland’s roster is made to survive the postseason.

Our SB Nation friends over at Big Ten Powerhouse are looking at the biggest offseason storylines for each basketball team in the conference. Yesterday, it was the Terps’ turn.

What’s red and sure to run up your dental bill? Yup, bricks. Spencer Hall promises to eat a brick if Maryland football wins the Big Ten next year. He’s probably safe, but should this backfire, he could have the brick with a barbequed ‘Bron jersey.