After announcing last month that he’d be testing the 2018 NBA draft waters, Louisville power forward Ray Spalding has decided to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility. In a post on his Instagram page, Spalding called his three years at Louisville a “journey like none other” and confirmed that he’d be hiring an agent and going pro.
The No. 56 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Spalding averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.7 RPG in his junior year for the Cardinals, contributing on the defensive end with 1.7 BPG and 1.5 SPG.
Here are a few more of the latest draft notes and updates:
- Three juniors from the University of Nevada have declared their intent to enter the 2018 NBA draft without hiring agents. Twin forwards Cody Martin and Caleb Martin will test the draft waters, along with teammate Jordan Caroline (all Twitter links). The Martin twins each earned a spot on Givony’s ESPN big board, coming in at No. 87 and No. 96, respectively.
- Miami sophomore forward Dewan Huell announced (via Twitter) that he has decided to test the 2018 draft waters without hiring an agent. A 6’11” big man, Huell is coming off a 2017/18 season in which he posted 11.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG for the Hurricanes.
- Junior guard Barry Brown is entering the draft, but won’t hire an agent, giving him the option of returning to Kansas State for his senior year (Twitter link). Brown averaged 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.8 SPG for the Wildcats in 2017/18.
- Junior guard Chris Clemons, who became Campbell’s all-time leading scorer this season, will test the draft waters, as Evan Moesta of MillbrookBasketball.com details. Clemons averaged 24.9 PPG in his junior year after putting up 25.1 PPG as a sophomore.
- With the NCAA Tournament in the books, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News spoke to an NBA scout and GM about which prospects increased their value during March Madness, while Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com examines the rising stock of Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, the star of Monday’s championship game.
Jalen Brunson just got National Player of Year. His stock has gone up to. He would be a nice pick for the Pacers to replace Corey Joseph if he leaves.
Jalen Brunson will not even get drafted.
He doesn’t have an NBA body.
I’ll start by saying he is a great College Point Guard Heady, strong, can shoot a little, smart, plays both ends with heart and will do anything he’s asked.
As a Pro Prospect Brunson’s short, squatty, slow, can’t get his own shot, doesn’t shoot well enough to be a spot-up shooter, and won’t be able to guard his shadow in the NBA.
Great person, great college player. NBA Prospect? No.
I think he’ll be drafted but be nothing more than a bench player for all the reasons you said. Frank mason got drafted last year despite being undersized and not that athletic. Someone will take a chance on him in the second despite the little upside he has.
I’m a Nova fan, and obviously will love Donte forever after last night, but I wonder if he’s got it in him to be a good Pro. I’m on the fence, in one sense I could see him possibly being another Kuzma, but it would not shock me if he becomes a bit or G League regular.
Brunson has quality backup guard written all over him.
I feel like the easy comparison is Sam Dekker – athletic and can shoot the three … donte can handle better while Dekker has more size, but they seem comparable in style
Sam Dekker is a terrible comparison. Decker is six nine and a turnover waiting to happen. Shoots it a little bit but other than that…. and well you got to love his Hustle, but other than that he’s got nothing to keep him in the league. Not sure why Houston gave him that contract cuz he is done when it’s over.
Dante is 6-4, if he was 6 9 he could be another kuzma. Needs 5 inches. But wow I love the way he played last night and maybe he’s got a chance, maybe like Luke Kennard in Detroit. He definitely showed Hops quickness and shooting ability so I think he’s good to go.
The three juniors at Nevada– why not come back for a big senior year! They’re all low- rated by the NBA, but they played an exciting style at Nevada and were having a great time in the tourney. They’re all 6-7 forwards but the Martins were bringing the ball straight up the court and down the middle. Why leave that, and Reno… for light pay and instability probably.
I hope they stay one more year too. They had an exciting run and with one more year of experience plus the incoming class maybe they can go a little further. It’s not like they’re big time draft prospects so they may as well up their stock with another great showing.