There is no man more controversial in all of Wisconsin Badger athletics right now than John Blackwell. As many know, Blackwell chose to enter his name into the NBA Draft following a strong junior campaign at Wisconsin in which he averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. However, that’s not where the controversy lies, as along with entering his name into the draft pool, Blackwell also put his name in the transfer portal, eventually committing to Duke.
This understandably left Badger fans as angry as ever, creating a lot of negative buzz around the 21-year-old heading into the NBA Draft Combine. None of that matters, however, as at the end of the day, the combine presents an opportunity for Blackwell to impress league executives and firmly assert his name into draft circles. Although he is just through the measuring and athletic testing stage, it seems as if Blackwell hasn’t quite been able to do that.
Subpar Measurables
Although he was able to live up to his previous listing of 6-foot-4, measuring in at 6-foot-3 and a quarter, Blackwell undoubtedly disappointed in other departments. His wingspan came in at just 6-foot-2 and a quarter, meaning he was the only player at the combine to measure in with a negative height-to-wingspan ratio.
2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine anthro measurements for Wisconsin’s John Blackwell (Duke commit):
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) May 12, 2026
6’3 ¼" barefoot, 199.6 pounds with a 6’2 ¼" wingspan and 8’2" standing reach pic.twitter.com/hbrhauJsgY
His length concerns wouldn’t be as much of an issue if they didn’t flash on tape as well, but for Blackwell, that isn’t the case. Arguably, the two most potent flaws in his game last season were his subpar rim finishing — converting on just 55.8% of his looks around the rim — and his lack of defensive event creation, recording a steal rate of just 1.9% and a block rate of 0.3%. Both of these issues are directly tied to length, painting the picture that the hill he has to climb in order to reach the NBA may be steeper than previously expected.
Middle of the Pack Athletic Scores
Although the length is undoubtedly an issue, Blackwell had a chance to redeem himself on the second day of the combine, as strong athletic scores could help mask what he lacks physically. Although he was by no means a slouch, Blackwell didn’t exactly steal the show, testing with a 35.5-inch max vertical, completing the pro lane drill in 11.23 seconds, and finishing the shuttle run in 3.08 seconds.
John Blackwell posted a 35.5 inch max vertical and a 11.29 second pro lane drill pic.twitter.com/fUZNKNnOm2
— Finn Kuehl (@finleykuehl) May 12, 2026
As for where those numbers placed him amongst the rest of the pack, it wasn’t exactly impressive. Blackwell’s vertical ranked 43rd out of 71 competitors, his shuttle run placed him 58th out of 71, and his pro lane drill also landed around the middle of the pack, although scores aren’t yet official.
In short, Blackwell has some work to do. Although it may seem silly, NBA scouts do put a lot of weight into athletic and physical testing, two areas that he doesn’t exactly excel in. Blackwell will have a chance to redeem himself, as shining in the combine scrimmages will likely outweigh any shortcomings he had in the testing. However, the start of his week, along with previous indicators, suggests that Blackwell may be destined for another year of school, enrolling at Duke in the fall.
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