North Carolina State sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu intends to test the waters and enter the 2016 NBA draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Abu won’t hire an agent right away, Goodman notes, so he’ll retain his college eligibility if he pulls out in advance of the May 25th withdrawal deadline.
The power forward has demonstrated some raw potential as a post player during his two seasons with the Wolfpack, who ended the 2015/16 campaign with a mark of 16-17. Abu appeared in 33 games this season and averaged 12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28.3 minutes per contest to accompany a shooting line of .490/.000/.630.
It’s probably a wise decision for Abu to delay hiring an agent since he’s not a surefire draft pick this season. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the No. 25 overall sophomore, and he doesn’t even appear on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s list of his top 100 players.