The NBA Combine wasn’t all business last week for Jeremy Fears Jr. and the rest of the class. It was an important event for many college basketball stars who are hoping to make the leap to the NBA, but they got some breaks from competing on the hardwood to answer some questions.
Not all of the questions were your typical “what are your goals?” or “what do you need to work on?” inquiries that you often get at pre-draft events. Some were actually light-hearted and probably more-than-welcomed by the guys at the Combine who could use a break after competing at the highest level all week.
One of the questions was about who in the Big Ten could win the NBA Dunk Contest. Almost every answer was immediate and exactly the same.
It’s obviously Coen Carr.
Flight 55 in the NBA Dunk Contest one day⁉️👀 we’d love to see it. pic.twitter.com/S1Y16SfN5W
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) May 21, 2026
There were only a couple of guys who didn’t mention Carr as the Big Ten’s favorite to win the NBA Dunk Contest and both picked their own teammates so you can’t really fault them. Morez Johnson picked Yaxel Lendeborg and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton chose teammate Amare Bynum. Those two were kind of cop-out answers because half of the guys said Carr without hesitation.
Which is obviously no surprise given that he’s the best athlete in college basketball and has probably had a Sportscenter Top 10 highlight against each one of their teams.
Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd laughed at the question. That’s how unanimous this answer should be.
Coen Carr is trying to do it all
Being a great dunker is cool and all, but Carr is trying to prove that he’s much more than just college basketball’s craziest athlete. He wants to be a well-rounded player.
Carr took some steps toward that this season with an increase in 3-point attempts and makes and an improvement on the defensive end. With his length and athleticism, he has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the Big Ten.
While I watched the Detroit Pistons’ NBA Playoff run, I thought to myself that Carr could use Ausar Thompson as the blueprint for getting to the league. Thompson is not a shooter, but if left wide-open, he’ll take the shot. He’s an elite athlete, though, and his defensive prowess makes him one of the most valuable players on the entire roster. He’s able to play big minutes despite being a non-factor on offense because he’s an elite defender.
I’m not saying that Carr should abandon his pursuit of offensive improvement, but focusing a heavy amount on defense and being elite there could turn him into a legitimate first-round talent.
Improve that jumper, add a dribble-drive, and become an elite defender and you may see Carr going in the first round a year from now.
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