Chris Youngblood is not going to be drafted in June's NBA Draft. That doesn't mean his professional dream is dead, however. Plenty of players who went undrafted carved out roles in the NBA. Those players typically work their way from the NBA's developmental G-League.
Alabama has had several former players do it. Guys like JaMychal Green and Braxton Key are recent examples.
Youngblood hasn't yet been invited to the NBA Combine, but he has an opportunity to work himself into it. On Saturday night, it was announced that Youngblood was one of 44 players invited to the NBA's G League Elite Camp:
Youngblood transferred to Alabama from USF where he won the AAC Player of the Year award in 2023-24. In his one season with the Crimson Tide, Youngblood started 18 of the 28 games he played in, averaging 10.3 points per game while shooting 38.8% from three-point range.
Youngblood is a bit undersized for a two-guard, and his ball-handling will have to improve for him to have a shot as a pro, but he's got 3-and-D potential. He's a proven shooter and a tenacious defender with the strength to not get bullied by bigger players.
Youngblood impressed scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational
Right after the season, Youngblood went to Virginia to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. At the PIT, Youngblood impressed NBA scouts in interviews his basketball acumen. His three-point shot wasn't there, but he still averaged over 11 points per game and shot 46% from the field despite hitting under 32% of his three-point attempts.
It was his performance at the PIT that gave Youngblood the forthcoming opportunity at the NBA G-League Elite camp. A handful of the top performers during the camp, which runs for three days from May 9th to May 11th, will get the call-up to the NBA Combine in Chicago from May 11-18.
Even if Youngblood isn't one of the lucky few who gets called up, he'll still have an in-person opportunity to impress decision makers who could ultimately give him a shot in the NBA's Summer League and ultimately in the G-League for next season.