North Carolina junior swingman J.P. Tokoto intends to enter this year’s NBA Draft, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Tokoto, 21, won’t initially sign with an agent, he told Wojnarowski. This means he won’t have to formally declare for the June draft until the April 26th deadline, and he’ll retain his college eligibility if he decides to return to school.
“Going in, I know I’m not a first-round pick,” Tokoto said. “I know my jumper needs work, and I’m putting in that work now – and will keep doing it. My jumper is something that has me as a second-round pick right now, but I have a mindset of work to improve the form and range of my shot.” Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress rates Tokoto the No. 53 prospect overall, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) doesn’t rate the 6’6″ swingman quite as high, placing Tokoto at No. 77 overall on his top 100.
Tokoto said he believes that his best chance for developing his game will come from immersing himself in a professional environment, Wojnarowski relays. “I feel like there can be a lot more to me as a player, more than just the defensive player who can occasionally dunk the ball,” Tokoto told the Yahoo! scribe. “I know I can be so much more, but I’m not sure that I’m pushed to be that much more [in college].”
In 38 appearances for the Tar Heels this season Tokoto averaged 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 29.1 minutes per game. His career tallies are 6.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.7 APG. Tokoto’s career slash line is .462/.266/.544.