Utah basketball commit receives NBA G League Combine invite

Utah basketball commit Noam Yaacov has been granted an opportunity to showcase his skills in front of NBA personnel and scouts.

The Israeli guard who signed with the Runnin' Utes in late April was among the 44 college and international players who've been invited to the NBA G League combine, a scouting event in Chicago held just prior to the main NBA draft combine.

The three-day event will give Yaacov a chance to gain insight and feedback from NBA decision makers as he competes and tests alongside other draft hopefuls in five-on-five scrimmages and strength and agility drills from Chicago's Wintrust Arena.

Yaacov isn't projected to get picked in the 2026 NBA Draft according to most mock drafts, though he's considered by some to be one of Europe's top guard prospects making the transition to the U.S. college game.

Yaacov, who turns 22 years old in October, is averaging 18 points, 5.8 assists and 4 rebounds with Belgium pro club Oos Filou Oostende, which plays in the BNXT League. He's shooting 49% from the field, 40.1% from 3 and 79% from the free-throw line through 28 games, with about a week left in the regular season.

Should the 6-foot-1 guard follow through on his Utah commit, his playmaking and perimeter shooting will be welcomed additions to the Utes backcourt. Utah, which ranked No. 192 nationally in assists last season, lost both its starting guards in Terrence Brown and Don McHenry to either the portal or graduation. Obomate Abbey also departed via the portal, leaving Lucas Langarita as the lone floor general from last season's roster.

Jensen and company replenished their backcourt with the additions of Wright State transfer TJ Burch and Ohio State transfer Taison Chatman, though they still lacked a bonafide playmaker who could set the table for others until they landed Yaacov, who will likely contend with Burch for the starting point guard position if he doesn't go through with the NBA draft process.

Yaacov has until May 27 to withdraw his name from draft consideration. He was the only G League combine invitee with connections to the Utes program.

In addition to the time he's spent with club teams, Yaacov has international experience from his stints with Israel's youth and national teams. His debut tournament was the FIBA U18 European Championship, where he averaged 19.3 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists across seven appearances. His first competition with the senior team was at the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers in 2023

Sources: G League Combine invite list (44 players, alphabetical, subject to change):

Michael Ajayi — Butler
Alijah Arenas — USC
Donovan Atwell — Texas Tech
Nate Bittle — Oregon
Elliot Cadeau — Michigan
Rafael Castro — George Washington
Zach Cleveland — Liberty
Jacob Cofie — USC… https://t.co/GqRrvoEjyf
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 1, 2026

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