CHICAGO − Trey Kaufman-Renn suffered a minor ankle injury on Tuesday that kept him from participating in NBA Draft Combine scrimmages on Wednesday and Thursday.
That’s been the lone hiccup thus far for the former Purdue basketball star in his quest to make it to the NBA.
Not originally a combine invite, Kaufman-Renn earned his way in front of NBA scouts as a late addition after performances in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase for 64 college seniors last month, and the G League Combine.
“It’s just kind of reinforced the idea that I belong here,” Kaufman-Renn said at the NBA Draft Combine on Wednesday. “I should have been in the combine already. I shouldn’t have had to do the G League Combine to get there. I belong with the best. I’ve done it for so long.”
Accolades and statistics say Kaufman-Renn deserved to be there, but he needed to show NBA teams things he didn’t do much of at the college level.
Including, apparently, magic tricks.
During one interview, Kaufman-Renn was asked to perform a magic trick, a former hobby to entertain friends and family, and he obliged.
But more to the point, Purdue utilized Kaufman-Renn mostly as a low-post player or in pick-and-rolls. He rarely had opportunities to show his outside shooting and ability to guard multiple positions.
“Trey Kaufman is very explosive, but he does a lot of his work with his touch shot and things of that nature,” said former Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, who added Kaufman-Renn’s experience and Purdue’s success pads the résumé.
Kaufman-Renn needed to prove he wasn’t only the player NBA front offices had seen if they’d only watched his college film.
At Portsmouth, Kaufman-Renn averaged 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, while also knocking down a couple of 3-pointers, in three games to make the all-tournament team. A 17-point, 12-rebound performance on 88% shooting in a G League Combine scrimmage proved again his skills could translate to an NBA roster.
It’s shot Kaufman-Renn into a projected second-round pick in some mock drafts.
“I knew he is capable of it. He works so hard and tries to develop his game,” said Braden Smith, Kaufman-Renn’s point guard the past four seasons at Purdue. “He has an understanding that probably that push floater that he shoots that he is so good at it probably isn’t a realistic shot (in the NBA). But he still has that. He’s working on his game and working on his shot.”
Admittedly, Kaufman-Renn has spent a fair amount of time in Los Angeles developing a better shooting stroke since his college career ended. Other skills from his college game have transferred seamlessly, where those witnessing can determine his basketball future, namely passing and rebounding.
“I love Trey’s game. Me and him are both bruisers so we’ve had some battles,” said former Northwestern star Nick Martinelli. “He was shooting it well in the G League Combine. He plays hard as heck. He’s a smart player. I think 100% he’s got a shot.”
Now lies the unknown. Where Kaufman-Renn’s basketball journey goes next is not up to him, but he believes he’s done everything he’s capable of to play at the highest level.
“I’m nervous. But as a basketball player, it’s what you work for,” Kaufman-Renn said. “You work to be in a position where you can hear your name get called on draft night. At the same time that I am nervous, I am hopping on every opportunity that I get.”
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Trey Kaufman-Renn’s NBA Draft stock rises after combine performances