Texas A&M small forward Khris Middleton is among the invitees headed to Chicago on June 7-8 for the 2012 NBA Draft Combine. The 6-foot-7, 215 pound junior guard was a surprise declaration after a rough season for the entire A&M program. Middleton had knee surgery in November, and finished with lower averages (13.2 points, 5 rebounds per game) than expected. Despite a poorer junior season than previous seasons, the defection of key early enrollees and the departure last season of his coach (Mark Turgeon, to Maryland) likely played a key role.
Draft Express projects Middleton as a late pick, or possibly a project player with a strong upside:
Looking forward, Khris Middleton possesses a fairly unique skill set for his position, and is an interesting player trying to project to the next level. While his ability and feel scoring the ball in isolation situations is certainly attractive, his shortcomings in most areas traditional role players excel in pose some questions for how his game will translate and what types of adjustments he'll need to make.
For more on Khris Middleton and the 2012 NBA Draft Combine, be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA page.