Alabama basketball guard Mark Sears brought his best self to the floor on Day 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft Combine .
The Muscle Shoals native walked away from Tuesday's drills as the best shooter, not just topping the charts, but overwhelming runner-ups Chaz Lanier of Tennessee and former Memphis Tiger PJ Haggerty by five percent or more.
Sears finished shooting 69% on NBA Draft Combine Drills per a report from ESPN's Jonathan Givony. Lanier shot 63% and Haggerty shot 60%, tying Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje and Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard for third overall. UAB Birmingham's Yaxel Lendeborg and Kentucky 's Koby Brea capped the top 10 shooting 57%.
MEET MARK SEARS, CADET: Alabama basketball star's adventures in military school
REQUIRED READING: Alabama basketball's Mark Sears hits back at criticism for 3-point shooting before Sweet 16
According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Sears dominated shooting drills — going 26 for 30 on off-dribble mid-range pull-ups (tied for first), a scorching 21 for 25 on spot-up 3s (first), 16 for 25 in the 3-point star drill (tied for 11th), and an impressive 25-for-27 in the side-mid-side 3-point drill (first).
NBAdraft.net projects that Sears will go 59th overall to Houston . At the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, Sears measured 5-foot-10 1/4 barefoot, weighed 192.4 pounds, recorded a 6-2 wingspan and an 8-8 standing reach. This year, Sears' measurements came out to 5-10 3/4 barefoot, 183.4 pounds with his wingspan staying the same.
The 2025 NBA Draft starts on Wednesday, June 25 at 7 p.m. CT.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball star finishes as best shooter at NBA Draft Combine
