Iowa basketball: Tyler Cook faces uphill battle to make NBA roster

Tyler Cook declared for the NBA Draft with no intention to return, but he faces an uphill battle to make an NBA team after his Iowa basketball career.

It’s not uncommon to declare for the NBA Draft and ultimately return to your college team. That’s what we expect freshman star Joe Wieskamp will do here shortly. Tyler Cook, however, declared and seemed to make it pretty clear he would not be returning to the Iowa basketball program.

While some may question that decision, it ultimately comes down to one of two things.

First, is he talented enough to make an NBA roster right now?

Or, does he feel like he has reached his maximum potential with the Iowa basketball team would be better served to learn the pro game either in the United States or overseas.

While I can’t tell you what Tyler Cook is thinking, based on the information, it’s certainly looking like reason #2 makes the most sense.

With the NBA Combine coming up, Tyler Cook did not receive an initial invitation, which is not a good thing if you look at historical trends.

According to this article detailing the importance of an NBA Combine invite:

"Over the last five years, NBA teams have drafted a total of 12 college players who did not secure combine invitations."

It’s a minor setback, but not one that is impossible to overcome. Despite not receiving an initial invite to the combine, Cook does have an opportunity to impress at the G-League Combine which takes place in Chicago May 12-14.

Cook is one of 80 guys invited to this combine, and more importantly, based on performances at the combine, a few select players will be invited to stay in Chicago and attend the actual NBA Combine taking place May 15-19.

While some mock drafts during the season had Cook pegged as a second-rounder, sites such as ESPN do not even list Cook in their top 100 eligible players. Again, this does not entirely rule out the possibility that Cook can make an NBA roster, but if you read through the tea leaves, it certainly feels like he is on the path to the G-League or even overseas in Europe at this point.