Connecticut junior DeAndre Daniels is headed into the NBA draft, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The small forward is No. 28 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list of the top prospects, while he checks in 34th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com, putting him squarely on the bubble to become a first-round pick.
Daniels, who turned 22 earlier this month, was a key part of UConn’s title-winning team this year, averaging 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. His three-point shooting has improved consistently over his college career, vaulting from 24.0% accuracy as a freshman, to 30.9% last season, and 41.7% this year.
A lack of consistency has plagued Daniels, who followed a season-high 31 points against Temple with just seven against Rutgers. He sprung for 20 points and 10 rebounds versus No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Final Four, then put up only eight points and six boards in the championship game against Kentucky.