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2017 NBA Draft

Tatum, Monk, Other Top Prospects To Skip Combine

May 2nd, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

10:09pm: V.J. Beachem, Nigel Hayes, Peter Jok, Derrick Walton and Chris Boucher, originally alternative invitees, have now made the official NBA combine list, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter).

9:19pm: Lonzo Ball won’t be the only top prospect skipping this year’s NBA draft combine. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), a handful of other standout prospects expected to be top-10 picks won’t participate in the event next week in Chicago.

[RELATED: Lonzo Ball to skip combine]

Jayson Tatum, Malik Monk, Josh Jackson, Lauri Markkanen, Jonathan Isaac, and Dennis Smith Jr. will skip this year’s combine, Charania reports. While none of those players are quite as highly regarded as Ball, most are in the tier right below him — DraftExpress, which has Ball at No. 2 on its big board, ranks those six players between Nos. 3 and 9.

The mass exodus from this year’s combine leaves Markelle Fultz and De’Aaron Fox as the only elite prospects whose status for the event hasn’t been reported. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see either player – particularly Fultz – skip the combine, as more and more players in recent years have passed on attending and haven’t seen their draft stocks suffer as a result.

For a player like Ball, there’s little upside to attending the combine, since he’s already viewed as a near-lock to be a top-two pick. The event has more appeal to prospects whose stocks aren’t as high, since they could potentially move up a few spots on teams’ draft boards if they have a strong week in Chicago.

As Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets, the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement indicates that the NBA and NBPA have agreed to work on a solution to address this issue.

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Draft Roundup: Bullock, Johnson, Taylor, Williams

May 1st, 2017 at 1:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

May is an important month for draft-eligible players, with the draft combine next weekend in Chicago, the lottery on May 16th and the deadline to withdraw on May 24th.

Several early entries have made their commitments, and Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports passes along the decisions:

  • Providence forward Rodney Bullock will return to school for his senior season. The Friars’ top scorer and rebounder this season had declared for the draft, but did not hire an agent.
  • Darin Johnson of Cal State Northridge signed with an agent and will stay in the draft. A transfer from Washington, Johnson averaged 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds during his lone season at Northridge. He did not receive an invitation to the combine and is not projected to be selected on draft night.
  • New Mexico’s Matt Taylor also signed with an agent. The junior guard averaged just averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds and is not projected as a draft pick.
  • Ohio State’s Kam Williams will return to school for his senior year. The junior guard is shooting 39% from 3-point range as a collegian and was not projected to be drafted.
  • Khadeem Lattin will return to Oklahoma for his senior season. He averaged  8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last season after being named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team as a sophomore.
  • Central Michigan’s Cecil Williams will return for his senior season. The swingman averaged 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds last season.
  • Trae Bell-Haynes will return to Vermont next season. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.9 assists last season as the Catamounts won a record 29 games.
  • Tony Farmer, a junior college standout at Lee College, has signed with an agent and will stay in the draft. He is not projected to be selected.
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Indiana’s Thomas Bryant To Remain In Draft

April 29th, 2017 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thomas Bryant, a sophomore center from Indiana, will sign with an agent and remain in the NBA draft, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com.

The 6’10” Bryant declared for the draft April 11th, but wasn’t sure until now whether he planned to stay in. He informed new Hoosiers coach Archie Miller of his intentions today, Daniels reports.

Bryant is ranked 42nd on the DraftExpress list of Top 100 prospects and 45th by Chad Ford of ESPN.com. He averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game this season.

Bryant was among the players invited to the draft combine next month in Chicago.

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Invitations Issued For May Draft Combine

April 29th, 2017 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Earlier today, we passed on Lonzo Ball‘s decision to skip the draft combine, which will be held May 9-14 in Chicago. The UCLA point guard, who is expected to be among the first three players selected, may not be there, but Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com has compiled a list of known invitees.

Alphabetically, they are:

Bam Adebayo, Kentucky

Rawle Alkins, Arizona*

Jarrett Allen, Texas

Kadeem Allen, Arizona

Ike Anigbogu, UCLA

OG Anunoby, Indiana

Dwayne Bacon, Florida State

Lonzo Ball, UCLA

Jordan Bell, Oregon

Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson

Tony Bradley, North Carolina*

Isaiah Briscoe, Kentucky

Dillon Brooks, Oregon

Thomas Bryant, Indiana*

John Collins, Wake Forest

Zach Collins, Gonzaga

Hamidou Diallo, Kentucky*

Tyler Dorsey, Oregon

Damyean Dotson, Houston

P.J. Dozier, South Carolina

Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State

De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky

Markelle Fultz, Washington

Harry Giles, Duke

Josh Hart, Villanova

Isaiah Hicks, North Carolina

Jonathan Isaac, Florida State

Wesley Iwundu, Kansas State

Frank Jackson, Duke*

Josh Jackson, Kansas

Justin Jackson, Maryland*

Justin Jackson, North Carolina

Andrew Jones, Texas*

Luke Kennard, Duke

Kyle Kuzma, Utah*

T.J. Leaf, UCLA

Tyler Lydon, Syracuse

Lauri Markkanen, Arizona

Frank Mason, Kansas

Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina

Eric Mika, BYU*

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville*

Monte Morris, Iowa State

Malik Monk, Kentucky

Johnathan Motley, Baylor*

Semi Ojeleye, SMU*

Cam Oliver, Nevada*

Justin Patton, Creighton

Davon Reed, Miami

Devin Robinson, Florida

Kobi Simmons, Arizona

Dennis Smith Jr., N.C. State

Edmond Sumner, Xavier

Caleb Swanigan, Purdue*

Jayson Tatum, Duke

Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina

Melo Trimble, Maryland

Moritz Wagner, Michigan*

Thomas Welsh, UCLA

Derrick White, Colorado

Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga

D.J. Wilson, Michigan*

Omer Yurtseven, NC State*

*-participating in five-on-five action

Alternates, according to Goodman, are Deng Adel of Louisville, Chris Boucher of Oregon,
Trevon Bluiett of Xavier, L.J. Peak of Georgetown and Derrick Walton of Michigan.

The annual event gives potential draftees an opportunity to work out for teams, conduct interviews and undergo medical tests. Players have until May 24th to withdraw from the draft if they don’t like what they hear at the combine.

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Lonzo Ball Will Not Attend Combine

April 29th, 2017 at 12:59pm CST by Austin Kent

The possible top pick in this year’s draft won’t be attending the combine, says Shams Charania of The Vertical. Lonzo Ball formally told the league he would not participate and several other top prospects are expected to do the same.

As The Vertical’s Bobby Marks explains in a tweet, more and more top picks are refusing to partake in the event, a growing trend over the course of the past five season. Just last season, Ben Simmons refused to participate with no impact on his draft position.

Previously, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins all refused to attend the combine.

Without standardized combine results, teams are on their own to gather medical information about the prospects. Last year, Derek Bodner of USA Today explained what exactly the event consists of.

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Draft Updates: Rabb, Boatwright, Ball, Diallo

April 28th, 2017 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

While our friends at Pro Football Rumors cover this week’s NFL draft, we’ve still got nearly two months until NBA draft day. However, that doesn’t mean there are no draft-related stories worth following in the NBA at the moment.

For instance, as Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com tweets, each NBA team has now voted for its top 70 candidates for 2017’s draft combine, and the league figures to announce this year’s invitees next week. That list will be crucial for many prospects, especially for early entrants who are testing the draft waters — they don’t have to decide whether or not to withdraw until 10 days after the combine, so getting a chance to talk to and work out for NBA teams in Chicago could significantly impact those decisions.

Here are a few more 2017 NBA draft notes:

  • As expected, former Cal forward Ivan Rabb is staying in the draft. Rabb, who is viewed as a possible lottery pick, has agreed to hire Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management for representation, per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • USC’s Bennie Boatwright, who had been testing the draft waters, announced (via a Twitter video) that he’ll head back to school for his junior year, removing his name from the draft pool.
  • Speaking to Shams Charania of The Vertical, top prospect Lonzo Ball said that – while he’d love to be drafted by the Lakers – he’s ready to play for any NBA club and is prepared for “the challenge of helping turn around any team in the league.”
  • A handful of NBA teams are doing their homework on Kentucky prospect Hamidou Diallo, who is testing the draft waters without an agent. As Adam Zagoria details at FanRagSports.com, Diallo’s former coach Andy Borman has fielded calls from the Spurs, Hawks, and Thunder, among other teams.
  • Sam Vecenie of Vice.com decries the practice of “concern trolling” when it comes to the high number of early entrants declaring for the draft. According to Vecenie, those early entrants are well aware that only 60 players are drafted each year, but many of them have their own personal reasons for exploring the possibility of going pro.
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Draft Notes: Ferguson, Blakeney, Berry

April 25th, 2017 at 8:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Terrance Ferguson has hired Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group to be his agent, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The shooting guard opted to play in Australia over attending a university this season and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express pegs him as the 15th best prospect in the draft.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Antonio Blakeney is staying in the draft and he has hired Aaron Turner of the Verus Management Team, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. The shooting guard is the 97th best prospect in the draft, according to Givony.
  • Joel Berry is withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to North Carolina, according to the university’s website. “I know I can continue to improve my game and be better prepared for the NBA after another year playing against the best college competition in the country. There’s no reason to rush leaving school,” Berry said.
  • B.J. Johnson is will return to La Salle for his senior season, according to the school’s website. Johnson had previously declared for the draft but didn’t hire an agent.
  • Elijah Stewart will head back to USC, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reports (Twitter link). Stewart initially intended to declare for the draft without hiring representation, but that didn’t happen because he never submitted the proper paperwork.
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NBA Confirms 182 Early Entrants For 2017 Draft

April 25th, 2017 at 5:40pm CST by Luke Adams

With the deadline for early entrants to enter the 2017 NBA draft now behind us, the league has officially released the list of this year’s early entry candidates, and it’s a long one. According to the NBA’s announcement, 182 players have declared early for the draft — 137 college players and 45 international prospects. That’s a new record.

As was the case a year ago, NCAA rules changes allow underclassmen to “test the waters” before officially committing to the 2017 NBA draft. NCAA early entrants can withdraw their names any time up until May 24 while maintaining their NCAA eligibility, as long as they haven’t hired agents. That means that prospects testing the waters can take part in the NBA draft combine from May 9-14 – if invited – and they can work out for individual teams in the coming weeks.

International early entrants can also withdraw their names from the draft pool within the next several weeks. The final draft list will be set after the early entrant withdrawal deadline for international and other non-NCAA players passes on June 12.

A year ago, a whopping 162 NCAA and international players declared their intent to enter the draft early, but 91 of those players eventually withdrew. This year should follow a similar pattern, so the group of eligible draftees for 2017 figures to be reduced significantly by June 12.

Listed below are the current early entrants, according to the NBA. Players whose intent to declare wasn’t previously reported on Hoops Rumors are listed in italics.

Read more

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Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Johnson Staying In Draft

April 24th, 2017 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of college underclassmen who were previously said to be testing the draft waters have decided to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring representation, per various reports.

One of those players is Kentucky freshman big man Bam Adebayo, who will sign with an agent and won’t return to the Wildcats, sources tell Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Adebayo is considered likely to be drafted in the first round, so it makes sense that he’ll keep his name in the draft, joining former UK teammates De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe, and Isaac Humphries among this year’s early entrants going pro.

Also going pro is Louisville junior forward Jaylen Johnson, who announced that he won’t return for his senior season. “I will miss my teammates and coaches, but it is really important that I help out my mom and family,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m going to work incredibly hard to give it my best shot. I’ll be rooting for the Ville next year.”

Here are several more early entrants who are declaring for the draft in advance of this year’s deadline:

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Frank Ntilikina Enters 2017 NBA Draft

April 24th, 2017 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

French point guard Frank Ntilikina has formally filed his paperwork to enter the 2017 NBA draft, his agency CAA Sports confirms to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link). The move had long been expected, and now it’s official.

Ntilikina, who has been playing for Strasbourg in France, is considered a probable lottery pick by most draft experts, who generally rank him in the tier of point guards below top options like Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. Both Givony and Chad Ford of ESPN.com currently have the 18-year-old at No. 10 on their respective big boards.

According to Ford, who praises the Frenchman’s speed, passing ability, toughness, and shooting ability, Ntilikina has the upside to be a top-five pick in a draft class less stacked with top point guards. In this year’s draft, Ntilikina will likely come off the board at some point after Fultz, Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., and De’Aaron Fox are selected.

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