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2018 NBA Draft

Jontay Porter Returning To Missouri

May 30th, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Freshman big man Jontay Porter has elected to withdraw from the 2018 NBA draft and return to Missouri for his sophomore year, the program announced today in a press release.

“We are excited that Jontay will return,” Mizzou head coach Cuonzo Martin said in a statement. “He had a great experience going through the pre-draft process, got the feedback that he needed to do what is best for him and he will learn from it to improve in all areas of his game. Jontay has the potential to make a big jump from his freshman season and he’ll be a great leader for us on and off the court next year.

In his freshman year, Porter averaged 9.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG for the Tigers, flashing an ability to protect the rim on the defensive end (1.7 BPG) and to shoot from outside on offense (.364 3PT%). Porter is currently the 42nd-ranked prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.

While Porter will head back to Missouri for at least one more season, his older brother – Michael Porter Jr. – has entered the draft and is forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility. Despite missing most of the season with a back injury, the elder Porter is viewed as a probable top-10 pick.

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Draft Decisions: Azubuike, Hands, Bowman, Reed

May 30th, 2018 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Kansas big man Udoka Azubuike is the latest early entrant to pull out the 2018 NBA draft, a source tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Azubuike, the No. 77 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, had entered the draft without hiring an agent, but now appears poised to rejoin the Jayhawks for his junior year.

As a sophomore, Azubuike enjoyed a breakout season in 2017/18, averaging 13.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in just 23.6 minutes per contest for Kansas. The seven-footer will have another opportunity to declare as an early entrant in 2019.

Here are more of the latest draft decisions from early entrants in advance of today’s deadline:

  • Jaylen Hands, who ranks one spot behind Azubuike on Givony’s top-100 list, is also headed back to school, a source tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The UCLA guard will be a sophomore in 2018/19.
  • Boston College sophomore guard Ky Bowman will return to school for his junior year after testing the draft waters, according to Rothstein. Bowman had a big sophomore season for the Eagles, putting up 17.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 4.7 APG, but wasn’t considered likely to be drafted.
  • The Clemson basketball program got some good news today, according to Rothstein, who tweets that Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell are both withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters. Reed and Mitchell were the Tigers’ first- and fourth-leading scorers in 2017/18.
  • DePaul’s top scorer Max Strus will return to school for his senior year, the program announced today in a press release. “I’m glad I was able to go through the process and receive feedback from NBA teams,” Strus said in a statement. “Now we can look forward to my senior season at DePaul and we’re already working and getting better this spring as a team.”
  • Junior guard Tyler Hall is withdrawing from the draft and returning to Montana State, per ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Hall averaged 17.5 PPG on .407/.372/.907 shooting in 2017/18.
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Omari Spellman To Remain In 2018 Draft

May 30th, 2018 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Another key Villanova contributor is going pro, with Omari Spellman announced today in an Instagram post that he’ll forgo his final three years of NCAA eligibility and remain in the 2018 NBA draft.

Spellman, a 6’9″ forward, had an impressive freshman season with the Wildcats in 2017/18, posting 10.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. In addition to grabbing boards and protecting the rim, Spellman also showed an ability to knock down outside shots, converting 43.3% of his three-point attempts.

The No. 47 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Spellman is one of four Villanova underclassmen who could be drafted next month. Mikal Bridges projects as a lottery pick, while Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson are candidates to come off the board late in the first round.

To keep tabs on the latest early entrant decisions for the 2018 draft, be sure to check out our tracker.

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Kevin Huerter To Remain In 2018 NBA Draft

May 30th, 2018 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

11:20am: Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports and ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter links) have each independently confirmed that Huerter will remain in the draft.

11:15am: Maryland sophomore Kevin Huerter plans to keep his name in the 2018 NBA draft rather than withdrawing and returning to school, sources tell Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link).

Huerter himself tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com that his decision isn’t official yet, but Zagoria hears from a source that the prospect is expected to sign with Priority Sports for representation (Twitter links).

Huerter, the 20th-ranked player on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, is perhaps the most notable prospect who has yet to announce a decision leading up to today’s deadline. Within his latest mock draft, Givony writes that Huerter has “really helped himself” during the pre-draft process with strong showings at the combine and during team workouts, so it’s no surprise that the 19-year-old guard is expected to go pro. Givony has Huerter going 19th to Atlanta in his latest mock.

In his second year with the Terrapins in 2017/18, Huerter boosted his numbers across the board, averaging 14.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.4 APG. He also posted a very respectable .503/.417/.758 shooting line.

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Withdrawal Deadline Looms For NCAA Early Entrants

May 30th, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

NCAA early entrants in the 2018 NBA draft have until the end of the day on Wednesday, May 30 to make a decision on whether or not to keep their names in this year’s draft pool.

While the NBA’s deadline for draft withdrawals is on June 11, the NCAA has its own deadline. A college player who withdraws from the draft between May 31 and June 11 would become draft-eligible in a future year, but would be ineligible to return to his NCAA team next season. As such, the NBA’s June 11 deadline is generally only worth watching for international early entrants.

A record-setting 236 early entrants declared for the 2018 NBA draft, but many of those prospects were simply testing the draft waters without an agent and have since announced their intent to return to college for at least one more year.

We’ve been making an effort to keep tabs on all the latest early entrants news right here. As our list shows, a number of notable prospects still have decisions to make today. Kevin Huerter (Maryland), Tyus Battle (Syracuse), Jontay Porter (Missouri), PJ Washington (Kentucky), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Jarred Vanderbilt (Kentucky), Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State), Caleb Martin (Nevada), and Cody Martin (Nevada) are among the highly-regarded prospects who have yet to announce their intent one way or the other.

A few of the latest early entrant draft withdrawals are noted below. These players won’t go pro yet, opting instead to continue their respective college careers:

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Draft Decisions: Ward, Morgan, Edwards, Waters

May 29th, 2018 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Michigan State sophomore center Nick Ward has decided to return to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG for the Spartans last season. The Bulls, Knicks, Thunder and Pistons were among the teams that worked him out this month.

We have more draft decisions with Wednesday’s deadline fast approaching:

  • Indiana forward Juwan Morgan revealed he’s going back to school via his Instagram page, Rothstein tweets. Morgan averaged 16.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG as a junior.
  • Purdue’s Carsen Edwards is removing his name from the draft, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter told Nathan Baird of the Lafayette Journal and Courier (Twitter link). Edwards, a 6-foot point guard, was ranked No. 70 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Edwards posted averages of 18.5 PPG and 2.8 APG as a sophomore.
  • LSU’s Tremont Waters posted on Instagram that he will return to college for his sophomore season, Cody Worsham of Tiger Rag tweets. The 5’11” guard averaged 15.9 PPG and 6.0 APG in an impressive college debut.
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St. John’s Shamorie Ponds Returning To College

May 29th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

St. John’s Shamorie Ponds has decided to withdraw his name from the draft prior to Wednesday’s deadline, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

The Lakers, Nets, Cavaliers, Jazz and Nuggets were among the teams that worked out the 6’1” guard this month. However, the odds were stacked against him when he didn’t receive an invite to the draft combine.

The sophomore guard put up a 21.6/5.0/4.7 line for the Red Storm this past season. He was ranked No. 61 among ESPN Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospects.

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Draft Decisions: Harper, German, Schofield, Moss, Barefield

May 29th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by clarkcrum

It’s been a busy day for Auburn basketball. Both Bryce Brown and Austin Wiley have already indicated they are returning to school, and now Auburn has officially announced that their teammate, sophomore guard Jared Harper, is also electing to withdraw his name from the 2018 NBA Draft and return for his junior season with the Tigers.

Harper, who like Brown was not listed among Johnathan Givony’s top 100 prospects list on ESPN, averaged 13.2 PPG and 5.4 APG last season while sharing team MVP honors with Brown and Mustapha Heron. He was named Second Team All-SEC by both the coaches and the media.

Tomorrow is the last day for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain their NCAA eligibility. With that in mind, here are four more underclassmen who will return to school:

  • Sophomore guard Eugene German will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return for his junior season at Northern Illinois, the school announced today. German, 20, led the Mid-American Conference in scoring last season, averaging 20.6 PPG on his way to being named All-MAC Second Team.
  • Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield will return to school for his senior season, tweets Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Schofield, 21, averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a junior and was named to the 2018 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team.
  • Redshirt sophomore guard Isaiah Moss will withdraw from the 2018 NBA Draft and return for his junior season at Iowa, the school announced today. Moss, 21, started every game for Iowa during the 2017/18 season and was named the team’s Most Improved Player.
  • Utah guard Sedrick Barefield will withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior season, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. Barefield, 21, began his career at SMU before transferring to Utah during his freshman year. He averaged 12.0 PPG last season.
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Kris Wilkes Returning To UCLA

May 29th, 2018 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Freshman guard/forward Kris Wilkes has withdrawn his name from the 2018 NBA draft pool and will head back to UCLA for his sophomore season, the school announced today (via Twitter). Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports first reported Wilkes’ decision (via Twitter).

“I’m grateful to everybody at UCLA who has been supporting me and helping me through the pre-draft process,” Wilkes said in a statement. “It was certainly an eye-opening experience, one that I know is going to help me get better. I’m excited for the summer and for our season ahead, and I’m ready to get to work. Go Bruins!”

In his freshman season with the Bruins, Wilkes emerged as a reliable contributor for Steve Alford‘s squad, averaging 13.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG with a .441/.352/.655 shooting line. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony ranked Wilkes 69th on his big board of 2018 NBA draft prospects.

Wilkes’ decision was one of two big ones the Bruins were waiting on — Jaylen Hands will also have to decide by the end of the day on Wednesday whether he’s going pro or returning to UCLA.

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Donte DiVincenzo To Remain In 2018 NBA Draft

May 29th, 2018 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Villanova sophomore Donte DiVincenzo, the star of last month’s NCAA championship game, will keep his name in the 2018 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Charania initially reported last week that DiVincenzo was likely to remain in the draft.

DiVincenzo, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, racked up 31 points in this year’s title game against Michigan, knocking down five three-pointers to help Villanova secure its second championship in three years. For the season, DiVincenzo averaged 13.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.5 APG with a .481/.401/.710 shooting line.

The 6’5″ shooting guard raised his stock substantially during the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament run, and impressed NBA evaluators again at this month’s draft combine in Chicago. DiVincenzo, currently ranked No. 33 on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, suggested at the combine that the prospect of being a first-round pick made it likely he’d go pro.

“I think I have a really good chance to being a late first-round pick,” DiVincenzo told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski at the time. “Obviously, things can change, other people can fall in the draft. I’m aware of that. But my confidence level is that I can be a first-round pick.”

Villanova is also losing Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson to the NBA draft this offseason, with Omari Spellman‘s decision due on Wednesday.

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