International prospect Arnoldas Kulboka will withdraw his name from the 2017 NBA draft pool, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link). Kulboka will have the opportunity to re-renter his name in the 2018 draft.
A 19-year-old Lithuanian forward, Kulboka currently plays professional ball in Germany for Brose Bamberg. He made his debut for the team last month, scoring 13 points and grabbing five boards in his first game with the squad.
Kulboka currently ranks in the top 100 for both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Givony places the 6’9″ forward at No. 55 on his big board, while Ford has him at No. 62. However, Kulboka is by no means a finished product. Withdrawing his name will give him the opportunity to develop his game, boost his stock, and move closer to becoming NBA-ready.
While the deadline for NCAA underclassmen to withdraw from the draft passed last month, international early entrants have until Monday afternoon to back out. The NBA figures to release an official list of draft-eligible early entrants later this week.