Brazilian center Lucas Nogueira will enter the NBA draft, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The 20-year-old won't be able to withdraw because he submitted his name for entry in 2011 and withdrew it before the deadline that year. He's a "serious" candidate to become a first-round pick, Wojnarowski writes. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress agrees, listing Nogueira at No. 32 in his rankings, though Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him down at No. 69.
There's debate over exactly how tall Nogueira is, as both DraftExpress and ESPN.com list him at 6'11" while Wojnarowski pegs him as a 7-footer. There's variance on his wingspan as well, which is either 7'5" or 7'6", but in any case, that kind of reach makes him an intriguing prospect.
Nogueira saw limited playing time for Asefa Estudiantes of the Spanish ACB league this season, averaging 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 12.6 minutes per game. Still, his athleticism and improvement on offense have him on the radar for NBA clubs, as Wojnarowski notes.