Russian center Artem Klimenko will enter the 2014 NBA draft, his agent tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 20-year-old is the fifth-rated International prospect born in 1994 on Jonathan Givony’s list at DraftExpress, and though he’s not listed in Givony’s top 100 overall prospects, he’s ahead of No. 76 overall prospect Mouhammadou Jaiteh in the International rankings. No. 4 on the same list of international prospects is Vasilije Micic, who checks in 41st overall, so it appears as though there’s a decent chance Klimenko is drafted in June.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com nonetheless has Klimenko way down at No. 236 in his Insider-only rankings, so it appears as though NBA scouts don’t have a solid read on the 7’1″ prospect who’s playing for BC Avtodor Saratov this season. He’s averaging 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game.
Klimenko, like all overseas prospects, has extra time to decide whether to back out of the draft. He can withdraw on June 16, just 10 days before the draft, while American college players only have until next month to withdraw without losing their NCAA eligibility.