The deadline for underclassmen declaring early entry for the NBA draft has come and gone, and now begins the next phase of the draft process: individual workouts and the Chicago combine. This year, the Chicago combine (May 12-17) will again consist of 5-on-5 scrimmages and individual drills. Although the best players will attend the combine, most agents will advise they do so with restrictions; most of the top players will only participate in the medical exam, measurements and individual interviews with requesting teams.

Each NBA team is allowed two meetings with potential draft choices. These can either be at the team’s facility or away from their building. The Chicago combine does not count against the number of allowed contacts.

Seniors who have played their final game and European players over the age of 22 can begin individual team workouts following their season, while underclassmen are not allowed to start until after the NBA league office sends its final early entry list.

If a player has multiple workouts, it is important to schedule them correctly. Crisscrossing the country for workouts can be exhausting and affect the player’s performance. The prospect and the team may want to accommodate as many potential teams as possible, but the schedule cannot be so demanding that it has diminishing returns. Agents want to put their clients in the best possible situation to demonstrate their value when devising a schedule.

Teams have joined together in the past to hold multiple-team workouts to help alleviate travel complications. The downside is it takes away from the personalization of the workout.

Teams will use the Chicago interview to help build their profile of a player and get a better understanding of the person behind the skill set. Teams will use their security staff, as well as hire outside investigators, to gather as much information as possible in order to understand the person they are bringing into their locker room.

The individual workout is, in essence, a job interview for the potential draft choice. For many prospects, this is the first time in their competitive basketball career where the roles are reversed -- instead of being recruited, the goal is to impress.

Individual workout groups can consist of no more than six players. The workouts are carefully constructed to ensure that the right mix of players will help teams answer questions they might have. Agents might veto a workout group if they do not like the group their player is in.

Sometimes, a particular player who a team has no intention of evaluating will be placed in a workout group because he presents an obstacle to the player the team is really trying to learn more about. If a team wants to evaluate a player’s toughness, or his ability to get by his man, they might find a prospect who is physical, tough, athletic and an aggressive defender. Answering these specific questions is the object of the workout. This could happen in the case of a player like R.J. Hunter, who teams know is skilled but has yet to compete consistently against athletes of similar size. Having Hunter matched up against a long, athletic wing to challenge him could help answer if he can create separation one-on-one and off screens.

Players are also being evaluated on how they can function within a team environment in a short period of time. Having players who can compete, yet work together, is extremely valuable during the course of an 82-game season. Case in point: The Harrison twins were great teammates this season at Kentucky, but they have always been together. Separating them, and seeing how they function on their own, could be something clubs would evaluate.

Workouts are between 45 minutes and 75 minutes and they are tailored specifically to test the skills of the workout group. The workouts are far more than just shooting and ball-handling drills -- they test the prospects’ competitive spirit, toughness, basketball IQ and ability to accept coaching. Can they follow instructions? Most teams like to keep the pace of the workout brisk to challenge the players both physically and mentally. The feedback I have gotten from a number of teams is that some players come to the workouts in less than great shape, despite most of their agents hiring workout gurus prior to the workouts. This can be a red flag for teams.

There will be individual drills, as well as 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 concepts. Some of the concept work will be relayed verbally, while at other times instructions will be given in a simulated timeout on a grease board. The teams are testing how quickly a player can process information, and his baseline basketball IQ. Some teams have gone as far as bringing a player into the film room to get a feel for the players’ ability to see the game.

Teams are upfront and honest in the process, but make no mistake: for them it is a fact-finding mission. They have already watched the prospect on tape, in person and possibly in a college practice. They have a clear picture of a prospect’s strengths, but they also have questions.

A team might wonder about a frontcourt player’s ability to stretch the defense off a ball screen, so in the concept portion of the workout or in a shooting drill they might put that player in a pick-and-pop or slip drill, also evaluating the player’s footwork and technique. This would probably happen in a workout for a player like UTEP's Vince Hunter. If the team has concerns on a player’s ability to rotate defensively out of ball screens, they might create a situational action that puts the defense in rotation to see if that player can close out in rotation, or show on a ball screen and recover back to the rim. This drill would be used to evaluate a player like Kentucky's Dakari Johnson, or Texas post Myles Turner.

For a point guard or "ball guard,” teams might put the player in a situation where he has to read the defense as a player comes off a screen, in rotation or in a ball screen. Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan, who was predominately a scorer, would be a good fit for this evaluation. Teams also might watch a player to see their leadership skills in communicating to other players in the group. If a team is concerned with a player’s ability to defend in isolation, they might create an action in the concept portion of the workout to put the player “on an island.” NC State’s Trevor Lacey, who can shoot the ball but has question marks defensively, could be tested in this scenario. This would allow the team to evaluate the player’s individual defense and the alertness of the other players in helping early.

Player evaluation is an inexact science, but with film, live evaluations, college practices and individual workouts, a team can get a good handle on a player’s potential. The hardest evaluation comes when projecting a player’s competitive spirit, what type of teammate he will be and his love for the game. In the end, that’s the difference between merely a good selection and a winning player with the pedigree needed to compete for a championship.