Gonzaga forward Michael Ajayi receives invite to NBA Draft Combine

<p><p>Michael Ajayi, who announced his transfer from Pepperdine to Gonzaga a few days before the Zags’ season ended against Purdue in the Sweet 16, has been invited to the NBA draft combine.</p></p><p><p>The 6-foot-7 forward declared for the draft in early April while maintaining the option of returning to school for his senior season.</p></p><p><p>Ajayi is one of 78 players invited to the combine, which runs from May 12-19 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.</p></p><p><p>Gonzaga’s Anton Watson wasn’t on the invitation list. Watson attended the NBA G League Elite Camp last year in Chicago before returning for his fifth season as a Zag.</p></p><p><p>Watson was a first-team All-West Coast Conference selection after posting career highs in scoring (14.6), rebounding (7.1), assists (2.5) and 3-point accuracy (40.0%).</p></p><p><p>Invitations for the G League Elite Camp haven’t been released, but a select number of standouts at that event Friday through next Saturday at Wintrust Arena will be invited to the draft combine.</p></p><p><p>San Francisco forward Jonathan Mogbo was the only other WCC player to receive a combine invitation. Former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis, named first-team All-ACC in his first season at Wake Forest, is also on the list.</p></p><p><p>Ajayi is working out in the Los Angeles area with Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves, Indiana’s Kel’el Ware, Virginia’s Ryan Dunn and Florida State’s Jamir Watkins under the tutelage of former UCLA standout Don MacLean. Those four also received combine invitations.</p></p><p><p>Ajayi paced the WCC in scoring (17.1) and rebounding (9.9) in his first Division I season. The Kent, Washington, native, who played two years at Pierce College, made 46.6% of shots inside the arc and 47.0% on 3s while earning first-team All-WCC honors.</p></p><p><p>Ajayi said an NBA draft evaluation he received shortly after declaring had him as a second-round pick or undrafted. “I just want to get feedback and work on my game and it’ll just better prepare me for next year,” he said.</p></p>