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Caleb Swanigan is not the only Boilermaker that will be at the upcoming NBA combine. A.J. Hammons, the outgoing 7-foot center that was A.J. HAMMONS, DESTROYER OF WORLDS for a good portion of the 2015-16 season, is also headed to the NBA combine on May 17 in Chicago.
Unlike Swanigan, Hammons is gone no matter what. Most places project him as a late first round or early second round selection. He will get to battle several other centers at the combine such as Jakob Poeltl of Utah, who took his Kareen Abdul-Jabbar Award and Damian Jones, who Hammons tore limb-from-limb in the matchup with Vanderbilt just before the New Year.
While the end of the season was about the worst possible ending we could all imagine, we do wish AJ the best. I want to see him tear it up in Chicago and head into the League with confidence. Yes, he is an old school center in a league that now values pace and space, but there is always room for a defensive shot blocker.