Despite playing off the bench at Arizona, Tobe Awaka could still become NBA Draft pick

The proposed rule would allow players unlimited eligibility within a strict five-year window starting at high school graduation or their 19th birthday, instead of just four seasons within a five-year clock that is sometimes extended via waivers.

Awaka has played four straight seasons, two for Tennessee and two for Arizona. He is only four years removed from his high school graduation window.

And, with Koa Peat believed to have definitively declared for the NBA Draft at that point, the Wildcats had an opening for a starting power forward.

But...

“I heard a little bit about it, but I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen.” Awaka said during his NBA Combine interview earlier this week. “I heard a lot of noise about it and the next day, they were like ‘nobody’s being grandfathered in.’"

As it turned out, it was no big deal for Awaka. He said he was really only thinking “what’s next?” after the season ended, and it turns out, what’s next might be a job in the NBA anyway.

Awaka received one of just 73 initial invites to the NBA Combine, a sign he is under consideration for one of the 60 draft spots or at least a two-way contract between an NBA team and its G League affiliate.

Awaka’s nation-leading offensive rebounding was undoubtedly a reason why he was invited, and UA coach Tommy Lloyd said he still has room to grow.

“Tobe’s a high-level player whose best basketball days are ahead of him,” Lloyd said Thursday at the Combine. “People who understand and evaluate the game, they see that. So I'm not surprised he got invited, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him drafted.”

Awaka also may have helped himself by accepting a backup role behind Peat and center Moteijus Krivas in 2025-26.

An honorable mention all-Big 12 pick after starting most of the 2024-25 season, Awaka instead became the league’s runaway choice for its Sixth Man Award, smoothing the way for the Wildcats to develop a tightly knit eight-player rotation they rode all the way to the Final Four.

“I think it just goes to show that sacrificing for the team isn't a negative,” Awaka said. “It's not something that derails your career or hinders you, but it could be a new opportunity for you to showcase yourself.”

NBA Draft analyst and former UA player Matt Babcock said Awaka’s “intelligence and character” make him an appealing choice to fill out a roster spot on top of his blue-collar production on the court.

Also helping Awaka’s case for a spot in the NBA Draft, or at least a two-way deal: That NIL is keeping many of the top players with remaining eligibility in college, allowing seniors to move up on the draft boards and/or take G League spots that otherwise might have gone to younger players.

“A lot of these players are gonna be on G League pathways because there are so many fewer underclassmen,” Babcock said. Awaka "has clear cut limitations, there's no doubt about it — he's a big body guy that doesn't cover space real well. But what he does well is apparent: Physicality, hard work, rebounding and winning all those things.”

Awaka finished his senior season averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds a game despite averaging only 20.8 minutes. He led Division I in offensive rebounding percentage, collecting Arizona’s missed shots 20.2% of the time he was on the floor, and ranked No. 19 in defensive rebounding.

He knew that was a pathway to somewhere, if not the NBA Combine directly.

“I didn't know what to expect, to be honest,” Awaka said. “I knew there was kind of a lot of buzz around the whole rebound deal and all that. But I didn’t really have any expectations. I didn't know if it was going to be here or the G League Combine or whatever. Whatever opportunity I got, I was happy to put my best foot forward and make the most of it.”

Awaka chose not to participate in NBA Combine five-on-five scrimmages, saying he figured it would be better to focus on interviews and testing. While that decision stirred some questions — an NBA scout said Awaka wouldn’t have hurt himself by playing in them — Awaka did put up shooting and testing numbers that may have helped.

Awaka posted a 37.5-inch maximum vertical leap, while shooting 63.3% off the dribble and 52.0% in spot-up shooting. He also ranked second among players labeled as a center in the lane agility test (10.94 seconds) and was third in the three-quarter-court sprint (3.19 seconds).

Off the court, Awaka also had a chance to excel in interviews with NBA team executives, though he said the questions he faced weren’t as off-the-wall as he had expected.

“Nothing crazy,” Awaka said. “I've heard a lot about that going into it, but I haven't really gotten that at all. They have asked what I like to do outside of playing, so I just kind of told them I read and I’m a big movie guy, too.”

Overall, Awaka said the entire process has been “cool,” a chance to hang out with and compete against players he has seen throughout his basketball journey, all together in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.

Including, of course, those guys he joined for their memorable Final Four run: Peat, guard Jaden Bradley and guard Brayden Burries have also been participating in the NBA Combine.

“It means a lot being able to wear that Arizona jersey the past two years. It was definitely a dream,” Awaka said. “I'm glad that we were able to do what we did for Tucson this past season, and obviously it's also an honor to represent Arizona here, being one of four guys trying to make it to the league and have a great career.”