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Former Maryland basketball stars Dez Wells and Rasheed Sulaimon enjoyed successful seasons in the NBA’s Development League. Now, they’ve both been invited to the D-League’s Elite Mini Camp in Chicago, a two-day scouting event similar to the draft combine.
Forty players were invited for the opportunity to get in front of scouts from May 8-9, ahead of the combine. The rest of the invitee list is littered with former college stars like Louisville’s Russ Smith, Arizona’s Gabe York, and NC State’s Cat Barber.
Like the combine players, players will scrimmage each other and go through athletic testing. This is the eighth annual mini camp, giving these players an opportunity to make an impression on NBA scouts ahead of summer league and training camps.
Wells’ athleticism was on full display during his time at Maryland, but he averaged more turnovers than assists his last two years and left college sporting an inconsistent shot. He went undrafted but may have hit a turning point with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate. In his second D-League season, Wells averaged 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, two assists and 1.3 steals a night. He also brought his turnovers down to 1.8 a game, while shooting 42.4 percent from deep.
Sulaimon spent his first post-grad season back in North Carolina with the Charlotte Swarm, the Hornets’ affiliate. He had a solid rookie season, averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in almost 34 minutes a night for the Swarm.
After Wells and Sulaimon will get their shot to impress NBA scouts, Maryland’s Melo Trimble and Justin Jackson will be at the NBA Draft Combine from May 9-14.