2013 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Michael Carter-Williams To Enter Draft

April 10th, 2013 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Syracuse point guard Michael Carter-Williams has elected to forgo his remaining two years of NCAA eligibility and will enter the NBA draft, the school announced today (link via Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com).

Carter-Williams helped lead Syracuse to the Final Four, though he had arguably his worst game of the season in the national semifinals against Michigan, scoring a season-low two points and recording five turnovers. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old projects as a likely lottery pick, ranked 9th overall among this year's prospects by ESPN.com's Chad Ford and 12th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

Carter-Williams is the latest addition to our list of early entrants, which now includes 25 players.

Draft Notes: Early Entrants, McDermott, Pressey

April 10th, 2013 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NCAA's early entry withdrawal deadline less than a week away, at least two more underclassmen are putting their names into this year's draft class today. Missouri junior Phil Pressey has declared his intent, while Indiana sophomore Cody Zeller will do the same later this afternoon at a press conference. As we wait to see what other early entrants will enter the mix for the 2013 draft, here are a few of the latest draft-related links:

A number of NBA GMs believe that the NCAA's conference shake-ups, and the "changing caliber of competition" at the college level will influence players' decisions to declare early, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Creighton's Doug McDermott will likely wait until the NBA's early-entry deadline (April 28th), rather than the NCAA's withdrawal deadline (April 16th), to make a decision on the draft, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). As Goodman notes (via Twitter) and as others have pointed out, there's little upside for a player to officially declare his intent before the NBA's deadline, since it limits his options.
Goodman adds in a separate tweet that he believes Missouri's Pressey made a "poor decision" to go pro after his junior year.
With the NCAA Tournament now in the rear-view mirror, NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper updates his mock draft, though there aren't many changes at the top of his board.

Phil Pressey To Enter Draft

April 10th, 2013 at 10:51am CST by Luke Adams

Junior point guard Phil Pressey has elected to go pro, forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility, according to a press release from the Missouri Tigers. Pressey has signed with Creative Artists Agency, making him ineligible to withdraw his name from draft consideration.

"Many college basketball players dream of this day, but when I had to finally make this decision it was difficult because it means I am leaving a place I love so much," Pressey said in making his announcement.

Pressey, 22, averaged 11.9 PPG and 7.1 APG in the 2012/13 season. Though his shooting averages (.376/.324/.735) were all the lowest of his three-year NCAA career, he became Missouri's career leader in assists (580) and steals (196). Pressey ranks 53rd overall on Jonathan Givony's big board at DraftExpress.com and 81st on Chad Ford's at ESPN.com.

Cody Zeller To Enter Draft

April 10th, 2013 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

Indiana big man Cody Zeller has a press conference scheduled for 4:00pm this afternoon, at which point he'll announce that he's entering this year's NBA draft, according to Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). The Star reported yesterday that Zeller would hold a presser today to reveal his decision.

Like his teammate Victor Oladipo, who officially declared his intent to go pro yseterday, Zeller projects as a likely lottery pick in June. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com had Zeller atop his big board earlier this season, though now he has dropped him to No. 6. ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks Zeller 10th among 2013's prospects.

In his sophomore year at Indiana, Zeller averaged 16.5 PPG and 8.1 RPG. Assuming he's drafted and sees action next year, he'll be the third Zeller brother to appear in an NBA game. His older siblings Tyler Zeller and Luke Zeller made their debuts for the Cavaliers and Suns, respectively, in 2012/13.

To keep tabs on all the NCAA underclassmen who have decided to go pro, be sure to check out our complete list of early entrants.

Victor Oladipo To Enter Draft

April 9th, 2013 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

3:20pm: Oladipo has officially announced his intent to enter the draft at this afternoon's press conference.

11:41am: ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported earlier today that Ben McLemore is expected to announce his decision to go pro this afternoon, but McLemore isn't the only likely lottery pick that will declare his intent today. According to Ford, (via Twitter) Indiana's Victor Oladipo will also officially enter the draft today at a 3pm CT press conference. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com confirms Ford's report (via Twitter).

Oladipo, 20, averaged 13.6 PPG on 59.9% shooting in his junior year on a stacked Indiana team. Ranked as 2013's sixth-best prospect by Ford, Oladipo saw the No. 1 seeded Hoosiers fall to Syracuse in this year's NCAA tournament, but provided some late-game heroics a round earlier against Temple, when his late three-pointer sealed a victory for Indiana.

Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Oladipo's draft stock last month.

Russ Smith To Enter Draft

April 9th, 2013 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

3:12pm: Echoing his father's comments, Smith confirmed on SiriusXM radio today that he will enter the NBA draft, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

8:38am: Although junior guard Russ Smith didn't have his best game on Monday night, shooting just 3-of-16 from the floor, his Louisville Cardinals held on to top Michigan and win the national championship. And according to his father, Russ Smith Sr., that'll be the perfect note on which to end his collegiate career.

"When you go out, you want to go out with a national championship," Smith Sr. told SI.com's Michael Rosenberg. "He's got five rings: back-to-back Big East, back-to-back Final Four, national championship. What other way to go out?"

Asked specifically whether his son would be turning pro, Smith Sr. replied, "He's gone."

Assuming Smith does officially declare his intent for June's draft, he's a good bet to be drafted, albeit not necessarily in the first round. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com currently ranks him as the 39th-best prospect on the board, while ESPN.com's Chad Ford has him at No. 49. The 21-year-old averaged 18.7 PPG for Louisville in his junior year.

Ben McLemore To Enter Draft

April 9th, 2013 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

2:50pm: McLemore has officially announced that he'll declare for this year's draft, as Ford tweets.

11:20am: Ben McLemore has a press conference schedule for 2:30pm CT today, at which point he is expected to announce that he'll enter this year's NBA draft, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

It comes as no surprise that the 20-year-old guard will go pro after just one season at Kansas. Projected as a lock to be a top-five pick in June, draft pundits have suggested McLemore could even go as high as first overall, depending on which team lands the No. 1 pick.

In his lone season with the Jayhawks, McLemore averaged 15.9 PPG on .495/.420/.870 shooting. He struggled in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, making just two of his 14 shots from the field, but looked good in the team's overtime loss to Michigan, scoring 20 points and making four three-pointers.

Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors profiled McLemore as a draft prospect in March.

Ricky Ledo To Enter Draft

April 9th, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Freshman guard Ricky Ledo didn't appear in a single game for Providence College this season due to failing to meet the NCAA's academic requirements. However, despite the lack of game action, he will enter this year's NBA draft, according to Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal.

Ledo was rated a top-25 high school prospect in 2012, and according to Donaldson, is still viewed as a player with first-round potential by NBA scouts. One veteran NBA scout confirmed as much to Joshua Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link), suggesting that Ledo could be selected late in the first round or early in the second. Back in January, ESPN.com's Chad Ford said the 20-year-old has lottery upside, but almost certainly wouldn't be selected that high after sitting out this season. As Ford indicated, Ledo's eventual landing spot may depend in large part on his pre-draft workouts.

For a complete list of the underclassmen to declare for this year's draft, check out our list of early entrants right here.

Draft Notes: Zeller, Ford’s Mock Draft, Bennett

April 9th, 2013 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

With the nets in Atlanta cut down and this year's NCAA season in the books, focus now turns to which players will enter 2013's draft class and which will return to school. Here are the latest updates on what has already been a busy day for draft news:

Indiana's Cody Zeller has scheduled a press conference tomorrow to announce whether he'll go pro or return to school, tweets Ronnie Ramos of the Indianapolis Star. I expect Zeller will enter the draft, but we'll wait for official word.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has unveiled his first official mock draft of 2013, based on the NBA's current reverse standings.
Ford's top five includes Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo, both of whom will announce later today that they're going pro.
Last month, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reported that Mike George, formerly of CIA Bounce, was set to become an NBA agent. Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has the details on George's new role, reporting that he'll join Jeff Schwartz at Excel Sports Management. How does this relate to the draft? Surefire lottery pick Anthony Bennett of UNLV is expected to come aboard as George's first client (Twitter links).
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines the respective draft stocks of many of the players involved in last night's Louisville/Michigan national championship game.

Draft Notes: Hairston, Burton, Wolters, Greek Freak

April 8th, 2013 at 10:58pm CST by Alex Lee

With a blank slate tonight in the professional ranks, expect most NBA fans to turn their attention to the NCAA title game between Michigan and Louisville. Both teams are loaded with future NBAers. Let's round up all draft-related news and notes from tonight here:

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN), New Mexico guard Tony Snell will enter the NBA draft. There were reports a few weeks back that Snell was leaning towards the draft and on Monday he made it official, stating at an on-campus news conference, "in my heart, I feel like it's a good decision to leave now."
Mitch McGary's NBA draft stock is soaring, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY. Quoting a pair of pro scouts, Zagoria implies that McGary needs to at least consider leaving Ann Arbor because it is unlikely that his stock will ever be this high again.

Earlier updates:

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports tweeted yesterday that North Carolina sophomore guard P.J. Hairston will be returning to Chapel Hill. However, Hairston's mother says that they are still in the process of making that decision, writes Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer. Hairston emerged as a legitimate scoring threat once he was inserted into the starting lineup for the Tar Heels in mid-February. According to Carter, Roy Williams is optimistic that Hairston, James McAdoo and Reggie Bullock will all return, though he cautioned that no announcement will be made by the school until all three decide.
Nevada's Deonte Burton will return for his senior season, reports Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal. The point guard, who averaged 16.3 points and 3.6 assists per game as a junior for the Wolf Pack, was projected anywhere from a late second-rounder to undrafted.
South Dakota State senior Nate Wolters has signed with agent Jared Karnes, tweets HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, who adds that the Jack Rabbits star is expected to be an early second round pick. Wolters has been one of the best mid-major players in the country in his career, averaging 19.5, 21.2 and 22.3 points-per-game from his sophomore to senior seasons.
Giannis Antetokoumpo, a 6-foot-10 point guard from Greece with a giant wingspan, is shooting up NBA draft boards, reports Chris Sheridan in a video courtesy of Sheridan Hoops. As we've seen, the "Greek Freak" is drawing a ton of interest from NBA teams and Sheridan opines that Antetokoumpo could end up being a lottery pick if he decides to enter this June's draft.
Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops shares his latest NBA mock draft here, adding that Antetokoumpo could end up being this year's Bismack Biyombo.