The NBA Draft Lottery made headlines in Chicago this week with the San Antonio Spurs coming away with the first overall pick, but another important event took place in the city with the NBA Draft Combine 2023 at Wintrust Arena.

With the 2023 NBA Draft less than five weeks away now, all 30 teams around the league are formulating their plans for draft night on June 22. While Victor Wembanyama was not at this year's combine and some of the draft's other top prospects in Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller did not participate in the scrimmages, scouts and league executives got a great glimpse at how deep this draft actually is.

Over 70 different prospects were measured and worked out in front of the entire league, but every single year, the scrimmages played at the combine leave the greatest impact. For some who are projected to be top picks like Henderson and Miller, the scrimmages really do not help them in any way, but it does wonders for those projected to be second-round picks and possibly even go undrafted.

Plenty of current NBA players like Bones Hyland, Jalen Williams and even Jose Alvarado have made a name for themselves by playing in the scrimmages through the years. Once again, we will see plenty of those who stood out in these games find success at the next level.

Here is a list of the top performers at this year's NBA Draft Combine.

Amari Bailey – Guard – UCLA

Scrimmage #1 Stats (Wednesday): 26 minutes, 17 points (8-15 FG), 8 assists, 4 rebounds

Scrimmage #3 Stats (Thursday): 24 minutes, 19 points (6-9 FG), 6 assists, 2 rebounds

Whether he came off the bench or started in the scrimmages, Amari Bailey came to play and put his full offensive repertoire on display at the combine. Bailey's passing really stood out as he displayed his impressive playmaking skills, even despite his five turnovers on the second day of scrimmages. Bailey played much bigger and stronger than his 6-foot-3 frame would suggest, and he was truly one of the better ball-handlers at the combine in pick-and-roll sets.

A high-IQ player with the ball in his hands, Bailey proved that he is more than capable of be a primary ball-handler for his team, as his vision to make some of the passes he did was impressive.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper – Forward – Marquette

Scrimmage #1 Stats (Wednesday): 22 minutes, 21 points (5-11 FG, 10-12 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists

Olivier-Maxence Prosper only played in one scrimmage on Wednesday due to an “injury,” but he likely sat out due to the feedback he received from this first scrimmage. Prosper led all players on Wednesday with 21 points, and what stood out about his game was his physicality to get to the free-throw line. Playing strong with the basketball and running the floor well in transition definitely caught the attention of scouts.

Prosper also measured a 7-foot-3 wingspan and proved to be more than capable initiating the offense from the perimeter, something he did not always do in college at Marquette. There is a chance that with this performance and based on what he does in the pre-draft workouts that he can become a sure-thing first-round prospect.

Brandin Podziemski – Guard – Santa Clara

Scrimmage #2 Stats (Wednesday): 21 minutes, 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-6 3PT), 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

Scrimmage #4 Stats (Thursday): 18 minutes, 2 points (1-4 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Santa Clara had a standout at the combine last year in Jalen Williams, who wound up going 12th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Brandin Podziemski will not be going as high as Williams did in the NBA Draft, but he will surely be drafted after his performances at the combine. An underrated athlete, Podziemski ranked eighth at the combine in vertical leap (39.0 inches) and played well in the scrimmages despite scoring just 12 points across two days.

It was the little things that Podziemski did that got noticed, as he was very active on the defensive side of the floor and flirted with a triple-double on the first day. Three of his 10 total rebounds at the combine came on the offensive glass. For a 6-foot-4 guard, that says a lot about what kind of player Podziemski is. NBA teams are always looking for guys who give it their all to help the team win, and that's exactly what the Santa Clara product did in Chicago this week.

Jordan Walsh – Forward – Arkansas

Scrimmage #1 Stats (Wednesday): 19 minutes, 0 points (0-5 FG), 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Scrimmage #3 Stats (Thursday): 21 minutes, 15 points (4-11 FG), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Though still maintaining his college eligibility while participating in the combine, Jordan Walsh is leaning towards keeping his name in this year's draft. Walsh had a decent freshman year at Arkansas, but at the combine, he was able to show that he can do a lot to help his team win.

Whether it was cutting the basket on offense, playing stronger than his defender or diving on the ground for a loose ball, Walsh's hustle and strength definitely stood out. Proving that he can consistently make perimeter shots will make teams fall in love with him throughout the pre-draft process. A truly unselfish player, Walsh has late first-round potential.

Ben Sheppard – Guard – Belmont

Scrimmage #2 Stats (Wednesday): 21 minutes, 10 points (4-8 FG, 1-3 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 steal

Scrimmage #3 Stats (Thursday): 20 minutes, 25 points (8-10 FG, 3-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

Perhaps nobody was having more fun than Ben Sheppard at the NBA Combine this year, as the Belmont guard truly embraced being a part of this process. Sheppard was everything teams look for during their evaluations at this event, building relationships with his teammates in their short time together and having the best scoring performance out of any player at the combine.

Sheppard may just have the best character in this draft class. One NBA scout who was in attendance at the combine told ClutchPoints that teams are going to “fall in love” with him. Sheppard shot 50 percent from three-point range over the two scrimmages he participated in and could be one of the biggest risers in this draft class after not being on many people's radars.

Seth Lundy – Forward – Penn State

Scrimmage #2 Stats (Wednesday): 19 minutes, 12 points (4-5 FG, 4-5 3PT), 4 assists

Scrimmage #3 Stats (Thursday): 23 minutes, 18 points (6-9 FG, 4-6 3PT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists

NBA teams are always looking to add viable shooting options on the wing, which is exactly what Seth Lundy proved to be at the NBA Draft Combine this week. Lundy shot 8-11 (72.7 percent) from deep in his two scrimmages and proved to have one of the better shooting strokes out of all the participants at the combine.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, there is a lot to like about Lundy's potential heading towards June's draft. Assuming he continues to shoot the ball well throughout the pre-draft workout, he will undoubtedly have his name called on draft night.

For more 2023 NBA Draft coverage, be sure to check out ClutchPoints 2023 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0, as well as ClutchPoints 2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0.