2015 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dakari Johnson To Enter NBA Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 5:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky sophomore center Dakari Johnson will enter this year’s NBA draft, Josh Newman of SNY.tv reports. The University has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow that “will include UK players who are ready to announce their NBA Draft decisions, as well as head coach John Calipari,” the school has announced. The Wildcats could lose as many as seven players to the NBA next season, including Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison, who also reportedly intend to formally announce their decisions to leave Kentucky on Thursday as well.

The seven-footer is currently projected to be a second round pick, though I suspect that Johnson will creep into the first round after his individual pre-draft workouts are complete. Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) has Johnson ranked as the No. 39 overall prospect, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has him slotted at No. 40.

Johnson’s numbers weren’t all that eye-popping thanks to the Wildcats’ ridiculous frontcourt depth. In 39 games this season Johnson averaged 6.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 16.3 minutes per contest. His career numbers are 5.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG. Johnson’s career NCAA shooting numbers are .537/.000/.559.

Malik Pope To Return To SDSU

April 8th, 2015 at 4:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

San Diego State freshman forward Malik Pope will return to school for his sophomore season, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Pope’s play this season helped the Aztecs to achieve a 27-9 record and a trip to the NCAA tournament, where his team fell to National Champion Duke in the third round.

There are varying opinions on the 6’10” Pope as an NBA prospect. Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) rates the forward as the No. 15 overall prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has Pope pegged as the No. 43 overall player. The player’s numbers this season weren’t eye-popping, so the decision to remain in school was likely a wise one for the 18-year-old.

In 31 contests for SDSU this season, Pope averaged 5.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 14.8 minutes per game. His shooting numbers were .455/.408/.675.

Draft Notes: Harrisons, Labissiere, Allen

April 8th, 2015 at 2:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Preparations are well underway for this year’s NBA draft, and Thursday should be a landmark day, with Kentucky’s slew of prospects scheduled to formally announce their respective decisions about entering the draft or staying in school. Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison have reportedly already made up their minds to turn pro, and there’s more on them amid the latest draft news.

Just about everyone around the league to whom Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com has spoken believes that both Harrisons will be drafted in the second round (Twitter link). That jibes with the projections for Andrew, but it’s a surprise for Aaron, whom Ford and Givony have well outside their top 60 prospects.
Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns took over the top spot on 2015 draft boards last week, and now forward center Skal Labissiere, who’s committed to Kentucky, is the new No. 1 in the 2016 mock draft that Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress maintains (Twitter link). An impressive showing at this week’s Nike Hoops Summit helped him vault over small forward Jaylen Brown and combo forward Ben Simmons.
Dozens of NBA personnel and at least one GM think Grayson Allen would be worthy of a first-round pick this year, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in a chat with readers. The Duke freshman shooting guard has reportedly decided to stay in school, and Ford believes there’s nonetheless incentive for him to remain at Duke, since the ESPN scribe thinks he has a decent chance to be a late lottery pick next year.

Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison To Enter Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 12:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kentucky sophomores Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison will enter this year’s draft, and each twin has decided upon the agency that will represent him, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The news is not surprising, since Kentucky coach John Calipari said Monday that they were among five Wildcats likely to declare, but the father of the Harrisons told Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal today that they had yet to come to a decision and that they weren’t really leaning toward turning pro. Andrew stands the better chance of getting drafted, as he’s No. 53 in the rankings that Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress compiles and No. 57 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Aaron is 80th on Ford’s list and not within Givony’s top 100.

The more well-regarded Harrison, a combo guard, saw his minutes dip from his freshman season, though that wasn’t unexpected given the unprecedented depth that Kentucky had this year. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per game to go along with 38.3% three-point shooting this season. Andrew showed improvement this year in just about every conventional per-36-minute category. Still, his stock has fallen drastically since he entered Kentucky as the No. 5-rated high schooler in the 2013 Recruiting Services Consensus Index.

Aaron was only one spot behind him on that list, so his tumble has been even more profound. A full-time shooting guard, Aaron’s scoring average of 11.0 this season was better than his brother’s, but he made only 31.6% of his three-point shots, off from last season’s 35.6% mark. Still, he, like his twin, was a starter for a Wildcats team that carried an unbeaten record into a national semifinal loss to Wisconsin, as Calipari gave him the nod over freshman Devin Booker, a first-round draft prospect.

Rashad Vaughn Declares For Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Chuck Myron

APRIL 8TH: Vaughn announced today that he is entering the draft with a video message on his YouTube account (hat tip to Zagoria).

MARCH 27TH: 2:29pm: Vaughn took to Twitter to deny that he’s decided to turn pro (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). Still, it’s common for underclassmen to issue such denials after they’ve made up their minds but before they’ve made a formal announcement, so we’ll wait to see what path Vaughn takes.

1:59pm: UNLV freshman shooting guard Rashad Vaughn is planning to declare for entry into this year’s draft, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Teammate Christian Wood, a sophomore power forward, is seriously considering early entry, too, Wojnarowski also hears. Vaughn is the 56th-ranked prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 48th in Givony’s mock draft. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him 63rd, though Wojnarowski writes that Vaughn has a chance to become a first-round pick if he performs well in workouts leading up to the draft. Wood is more well-regarded, checking in at No. 23 on Givony’s board and 33rd with Ford.

The 6’5″ Vaughn averaged 17.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game for the Runnin’ Rebels this season, with 38.3% three-point shooting. The 18-year-old, who turns 19 in August, saw action in 23 games despite missing 10 because of a knee injury, as Wojnarowski notes. Vaughn was a sought-after recruit coming out of high school last year, when he was the 10th-ranked player in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, a few spots ahead of lottery prospect Justise Winslow, among others.

UNLV finished only 18-15 in spite of the presence of Vaughn and Wood, with the team’s season ending in its conference tournament. Anthony Bennett was the most notable name to come from the school in recent years, and he’s struggled to live up to having been the surprise No. 1 overall draft pick of the Cavaliers in 2013.

2014/15 NBA Reverse Standings

April 8th, 2015 at 9:30am CST by Chuck Myron

There’s just one week left in the 2014/15 regular season, meaning that for the 14 teams that don’t make the playoffs, the lottery and the 2015 NBA draft become the primary focus. Much of the draft order and many of the lottery positions remain in flux, and with the Hoops Rumors Reverse Standings, which list the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, you can follow along as it comes down to the wire. We update these standings daily to reflect the outcomes of the games that took place the night before.

The Reverse Standings take into account playoff teams in each conference, so they’re essentially a reflection of what the 2015 first-round order would look like if the lottery goes according to the odds. Traded picks are indicated via footnotes. For instance, the note attached to the Thunder’s pick shows that they’ll send it to the Sixers if it falls outside the top 18 selections. The final week of the season will determine the pick’s fate, since the Thunder are in 14th place in the Reverse Standings as the non-playoff team with the best record, but they’re only a half-game back of the Pelicans, who occupy the 18th spot.

The existence of the lottery means there’s no guarantee that teams atop the Reverse Standings will draft in the order in which they finish, but the worse a club’s record, the better shot it has at landing the cream of the 2015 draft class. This year’s top prospects include Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, all of whom carry plenty of star potential.

Our Reverse Standings feature can be found at anytime on our right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protection will be changing hands in 2015. Be sure to check back often as the season draws to a close!

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera Withdraws From Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Chuck Myron

APRIL 8TH: Smith-Rivera has changed his mind and won’t enter the draft, reports Brian Snow of Scout.com (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether he formally submitted paperwork, but even if he had, the NCAA allows players to withdraw and maintain college eligibility until this coming Monday.

MARCH 31ST: Georgetown junior shooting guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has decided to enter the NBA draft, the school announced. Smith-Rivera faces long odds to find his way to an NBA roster, as he isn’t among the top 100 prospects that either Chad Ford of ESPN.com or Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress compile. Ford has him at No. 185, and while Givony doesn’t list an overall ranking, he tabs him as the 61st-best prospect among college juniors. It’s unlikely that the 6’3″ Smith-Rivera would have been any more than a fringe prospect had he remained in school for another season, Givony tweets. Still, Givony surmises that he’ll undoubtedly draw interest from European teams (Twitter link).

The 22-year-old averaged 16.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 34.4 minutes per game with 38.7% three-point shooting this season, certainly a respectable line, though with the exception of his assists, those numbers were all down from his sophomore year. He was fairly well-regarded coming out of high school in 2012, as he ranked 37th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index that year, one spot ahead of current lottery prospect Willie Cauley-Stein.

Smith-Rivera was the leading scorer for this year’s Hoyas, who entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed and advanced to the round of 32 before falling to fifth-seeded Utah. He plans to sign with an agent, according to the school’s announcement, though if he holds off on doing so, he can still withdraw his name by April 12th and retain his eligibility for his senior year.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson To Enter Draft

April 7th, 2015 at 7:44pm CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 7:44pm: Hollis-Jefferson will indeed enter this year’s NBA draft, Brandon Schlager of The Sporting News relays. “I’ve decided to move on to the next chapter of my life and enter my name in the 2015 NBA Draft,” Hollis-Jefferson said during a joint press conference with coach Sean Miller. “After talking with my family and coach Miller to weigh the pros and cons, I fully believe this is the right choice. I’m excited for the challenges that lie ahead, and with the knowledge that God rewards hard work, I plan to attack them.”

6:23pm: Hollis-Jefferson took to his personal Twitter account (hat tip to Zagoria) to say that he had not made a decision regarding the draft as of yet. He indicated that he still needed to discuss the matter with his mother and Arizona coach Sean Miller.

WEDNESDAY, 6:18pm: Arizona sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The 20-year-old is currently ranked No. 24 by DraftExpress and No. 25 by ESPN.com. Hollis-Jefferson played his last game in a Wildcat uniform last Saturday in Arizona’s 85-78 loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. The sophomore went out with a good game, despite the loss, logging 17 points and 8 rebounds on 6-12 shooting.

The swingman was overshadowed a bit this season by highly heralded freshman Stanley Johnson, who is also likely to enter the draft, though that is merely my speculation. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets that Johnson is 50-50 on leaving school. The 6’7″ Hollis-Jefferson is a fantastic athlete and defender, and both are skills that will translate well to the professional level. But he is extremely limited on the offensive end, which is why he is projected to last until the late first round. Hollis-Jefferson is exciting on the break and a monster when attacking the rim, but his outside shot needs significant work. He’s a player who will benefit from spending significant time in the D-League in 2015/16.

Hollis-Jefferson appeared in 38 games for the Wildcats this past season, averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 28.7 minutes per contest. His career averages in two seasons at Arizona are 10.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.5 APG. His career shooting numbers are .496/.205/.697.

Grayson Allen Plans To Stay Out Of Draft

April 7th, 2015 at 6:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Duke freshman shooting guard Grayson Allen plans to stay out of the draft this year and return to school for his sophomore season, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). While Allen’s freshman campaign wasn’t a stellar one from a statistical standpoint, the guard turned some heads with his 16 point performance in Monday night’s NCAA Championship win against Wisconsin where Allen drained five of his eight field goal attempts.

Allen is the 32nd-ranked prospect on the list that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles, though Ford said today that he’s hearing lots of positive feedback from NBA personnel, which means there’s a decent chance he would have vaulted into the first round (Twitter link). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t have Allen among his top 100 prospects ranking, likely because Allen has been expected to stay in school. The 19-year-old is No. 30 on Givony’s list of the top freshmen.

In 35 appearances this season for the Blue Devils Allen averaged 4.4 points, 1.0 rebound, and 0.4 assists in 9.2 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .425/.346/.849.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Cliff Alexander To Enter NBA Draft

April 7th, 2015 at 4:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:58pm: Alexander is indeed entering the draft, Kansas coach Bill Self announced.

4:26pm: Kansas freshman Cliff Alexander intends to enter this year’s NBA draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The big man’s season came to an early end on February 28th when Alexander was ruled ineligible due to an NCAA investigation into his family’s finances. The Jayhawks made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season before falling to Wichita State.

The 6’8″ forward entered the season as a potential lottery selection, but his inconsistent play caused his stock to plummet. Alexander is currently ranked No. 32 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 39 overall by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). These projections peg Alexander as a likely second-rounder this June.

In 28 appearances for the Jayhawks this season, the 19-year-old averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 17.6 minutes per contest. Alexander’s shooting numbers were .566/.000/.671.