2020 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Nakic, Sylla, Alocen, Williams

April 26th, 2020 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Today marks the deadline for early entrants to declare for the NBA draft, and three overseas players have decided to wait another year, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Potential second-round picks Mario Nakic (Twitter link), Amar Sylla (Twitter link) and Carlos Alocen (Twitter link) will all bypass this year’s draft.

Nakic, 18, is a former MVP of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. The 6’8″ wing played for Real Madrid this season, and Givony considers him a “breakout draft candidate” for 2021.

Sylla. a 6’9″ center from Senegal, played for the Belgian/BCL team Oostende this season. The 18-year-old could be a first round-pick next year, according to Givony.

Alocen is 6’5″ and is the starting point guard with Zaragoza in the Spanish ACB at age 19.

There are more draft decisions to pass along:

LSU sophomore Emmitt Williams has declared for the draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Williams, who also tested the draft waters last year, made the announcement on his Instagram page. He averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season.
Northern Iowa’s AJ Green has decided to enter the draft while keeping his college eligibility, according to basketball analyst Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Green was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore, averaging a league-best 19.7 PPG.
Tennessee’s Yves Pons has also declared for the draft and will hold onto his eligibility, Goodman adds (Twitter link). The junior forward was Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC.
Brazilian guard Caio Pacheco has opted to enter the draft, tweets Raúl Barrigón of HoopsHype. Pacheco averaged 19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season with Bahía Blanca Basket in Argentina.

Texas Tech’s Jahmi’us Ramsey Declares For Draft

April 25th, 2020 at 4:36pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 25: Ramsey announced on Twitter that he will enter the draft.

APRIL 24: Texas Tech freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey will declare for the 2020 NBA draft prior to Sunday night’s early entry deadline, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).

Following Precious Achiuwa‘s announcement this afternoon, Ramsey is the highest-rated underclassman on ESPN’s big board who has yet to officially enter the 2020 NBA draft class, ranking 23rd on that list.

As a freshman, Ramsey averaged 15.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 27 games (31.2 MPG) for the Red Raiders, making an impressive 42.6% of his attempts from outside the three-point line.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Early entrants have until the end of the day on Sunday to submit their paperwork to the NBA for the 2020 draft. College players who are testing the waters will then have until at least June 3 to make a final decision on whether or not they’ll keep their names in this year’s draft pool.

Draft Notes: Maker, Petrusev, Ayayi, Trifunovic

April 25th, 2020 at 12:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Big man Makur Maker is declaring for the draft, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 6’11” Maker was ruled eligible for the draft in February despite being two credits short of graduating with his original 2019 high school class in California. The younger cousin of Pistons center Thon Maker, Makur Maker is ranked No. 75 overall and No. 14 among center prospects by ESPN. Maker, a five-star recruit, attended Hillcrest Academy in Phoenix this winter.

We have more draft decisions:

Gonzaga big man Filip Petrusev has declared for the draft but hasn’t hired an agent, Matt Babcock of Babcock Hoops tweets. The 6’11” Serbian native started 33 games for the Bulldogs this season after coming off the bench as a freshman. He averaged 17.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG and scored in double digits in all but two games. He is ranked No. 60 overall and No. 12 among power forwards by ESPN.
Petrusev’s teammate Joel Ayayi is also declaring for the draft, Evan Daniels of 247 Sports tweets. Ayayi, a 6’5” sophomore guard, averaged 10.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.2 APG for Gonzaga this season.
Serbian wing Uros Trifunovic has declared for the draft, according to Sportando. The 6’6” Trifunovic, 19, played for Partizan Belgrade this season. In nine EuroCup games, he averaged 5.4 PPG in 13.2 MPG.

Paul Eboua Opts To Declare For Draft

April 25th, 2020 at 9:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Power forward Paul Eboua has submitted paperwork to enter the draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports.

The Cameroon native projects as a second-round pick. He’s ranked No. 53 overall and No. 11 among power forwards on ESPN’s Best Available list.

The 6’9” Eboua played in Italy Serie A division this season, averaging 7.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 22 MPG for Pesaro.

It’s no surprise Eboua chose this path since he had already selected BDA Sports for representation. He’s quite familiar with the draft process. He declared last year and worked out for a number of teams before withdrawing his name two weeks before the draft.

Eboua believes his experience in Italy will make him better prepared for the NBA process this time around.

“This last year in Pesaro was a great experience for me,” Eboua wrote to Givony. “They provided a wonderful atmosphere to get better in and I definitely tried to take advantage of that as much as possible. I believe NBA teams saw the energy, athleticism, competitiveness I bring every moment I am on the floor and that I’m definitely not afraid of a little contact.”

According to Givony, Eboua projects as a versatile defender who can contribute with his energy, rebounding and evolving offensive game. Eboua has been working out regularly in Rome during the coronavirus pandemic.

Potential First-Rounder Aleksej Pokusevski Enters Draft

April 24th, 2020 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski has entered the draft, according to announcements from agent Alexander Raskovic of Wasserman and from Pokusevski himself (Twitter links).

The 27th overall prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2020, Pokusevski spent most of the season playing in the Greek 2nd Division with Olympiacos’ B team. He was called up by Olympiacos to play for the EuroLeague squad, but appeared in just a single game before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pokusevski, who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic camp back in 2017, has also been part of Serbia’s junior national teams in recent years, playing in the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and in the 2019 FIBA European Championship.

Pokusevski won’t turn 19 years old until December, so NBA teams may view him as a candidate to be drafted-and-stashed, rather than as a prospect who will immediately sign a rookie contract.

Precious Achiuwa Entering 2020 NBA Draft

April 24th, 2020 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the most notable college prospects who had yet to announce his draft intentions has now made his decision. Memphis freshman forward Precious Achiuwa tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he is entering the 2020 NBA draft and will go pro, hiring an agent in the process.

In his first and only college season, Achiuwa emerged as one of the nation’s most impressive freshmen, averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG while shooting 49.3% from the floor in 31 games (30.4 MPG). He was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and currently ranks 12th among 2020 prospects on ESPN’s big board.

In his scouting report on Achiuwa, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz says that the youngster’s feel for the game is a “major work in progress,” noting that he finished the season with 87 turnovers and just 30 assists. However, Schmitz praised Achiuwa’s physical profile, defensive versatility, and his potential to improve as a shooter. Givony suggests that the strides the 6’9″ forward has made as a shooter, passer, and ball-handler have evaluators optimistic about his potential development at the NBA level.

For his part, Achiuwa suggested his freshman year at Memphis showed NBA teams what he’s capable of doing on the court.

“I’d summarize my season as spectacular. Even though a lot of things were thrown at us early and we had a lot of ups and down, we found a way to be successful,” Achiuwa told ESPN. “I think I was able to show NBA teams my versatility on defense and that I am able to adjust to whatever role that is given to me and still find a way to be successful. We all had to adjust to different roles because of the uncertainty that was thrown at us early in the season.”

Draft Notes: Ado, Hart, Velicka, Mouaha

April 24th, 2020 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Following the first round of the NFL’s first ever virtual draft on Thursday, we have a better idea of what that “virtual draft” actually looks like. Which means, as Zach Harper of The Athletic writes, the NBA can evaluate what works and what doesn’t as the league prepares for the possibility that it will have to conduct its 2020 draft in a similar manner.

Harper pointed to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s appearance on the telecast and the presence of prospects’ family members and pets as things that worked, but wasn’t a fan of the national anthem to start the night, commissioner Roger Goodell’s wooden delivery, and the looping videos of fans on a screen behind Goodell.

As we wait to see what exactly the 2020 NBA draft will look like, here are a few updates on players entering the draft pool:

Mississippi State center Abdul Ado has entered the 2020 draft, as Joel Coleman of The Starkville Daily News writes. Ado, who averaged 5.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.9 BPG as a junior this past season, will be maintaining his college eligibility during the process and will likely end up returning for his senior year in 2020/21 after getting feedback from NBA evaluators, a source tells Coleman.
Fresno State freshman guard Niven Hart has announced (via Twitter) that he’ll be testing the draft waters following a 2019/20 season in which he averaged 8.7 PPG with a .398 3PT% in 26 games off the bench for the Bulldogs.
Lithuanian point guard Arnas Velicka, who tested the draft waters a year ago, has entered the 2020 draft, as reported by David Hein and confirmed by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links). Velicka, who spent the 2019/20 season on loan to CBet Prienai from Zalgiris Kaunas, has been a standout for Lithuania’s junior national teams in FIBA competitions, Givony notes.
Cameroonian guard Aristide Mouaha has declared for the draft, agent Mario Scotti announced on Twitter (hat tip to Sportando). The 19-year-old played this past season for the Roseto Sharks in Italy’s Serie A2 league.

Karim Mane Enters 2020 NBA Draft

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Canadian guard Karim Mane has declared for the 2020 NBA draft, just three days before the early entry deadline, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. For now, Mane is testing the draft waters without hiring an agent, suggesting he wants to get feedback on his stock directly from teams.

“If I can get a guarantee I’ll be drafted, I will probably need to think about staying in,” Mane said.

Viewed as a five-star recruit, Mane previously attended Vanier College in Quebec, turning 19 last May. Although he’s eligible to declare for the draft and go pro, he could end up choosing to attend a U.S. college instead. Michigan State, Marquette, Memphis, DePaul, and Pittsburgh are among the programs he’d consider in that scenario, per Givony.

According to Givony, Mane – who currently ranks second on ESPN’s list of international prospects born in 2000 – has strong physical tools, including a 6’10” wingspan. Givony adds that the young guard had an impressive showing at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Greece last summer and would have been in position to boost his stock at this year’s Nike Hoop Summit if the event hadn’t been canceled.

“NBA teams haven’t been able to see me that much because I played in Canada and was hurt most of the season,” Mane told ESPN. “They know I am a good athlete with a versatile skill-set for a point guard. They know my potential and how hard I work. I’ve heard people compare me to Jrue Holiday, who is a player I study quite a bit.

“… Hoop Summit would have been great to showcase myself,” he added. “I haven’t had enough of a chance to play in front of NBA teams because of my injury, but I am 100% and would like to show them the real me. Unfortunately people will have to settle for film now.”

Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert Enters 2020 NBA Draft

April 23rd, 2020 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Gonzaga junior forward Corey Kispert has submitted his paperwork to enter the 2020 NBA draft, the program announced today in a press release. Kispert will test the draft waters without hiring an agent.

“It’s always been my dream to play in the NBA and going without an agent allows me to see where I stand,” he said in a statement. “If the evaluations tell me I need to elevate my game further, I would be thrilled to return to Gonzaga and play for Zag Nation.”

Kispert is coming off a breakout junior season in which he averaged 13.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a .474/.438/.810 shooting line in 33 games (33.0 MPG).

The 6’7″ forward, who is the only Gonzaga underclassman to enter the draft pool so far, ranks 47th on ESPN’s big board, making him a viable candidate to be drafted.

If the NBA’s pre-draft dates remain unchanged, Kispert will have until June 3 to withdraw his name while retaining his college eligibility. That deadline could be pushed back if the NBA draft is postponed.

Draft Notes: Simonovic, Miskovic, Bajo, A. Jones

April 23rd, 2020 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed on Wednesday, the deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2020 NBA draft is just days away. Players who aren’t automatically draft-eligible have until the end of the day on Sunday, April 26 to submit their names into this year’s draft pool.

With that in mind, 2020’s list of early entrants continues to grow. Here are details on a few of the latest names joining that group:

Montenegrin center Marko Simonovic, who played this season for Mega Bemax in Serbia, has entered the 2020 draft, according to agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). The 20-year-old is not to be confused with the Serbian player of the same name who has been playing professionally since 2003 and is currently a member of Unicaja.
Serbian forward Nikola Miskovic has entered the draft, Raznatovic announced (via Twitter). The MVP of 2017’s Europe U18 Championship was also playing for Mega Bemax this season after testing the draft waters last spring.
Another of Raznatovic’s clients, Croatian forward Darko Bajo, has declared for the draft again after withdrawing last spring, the agent announced (on Twitter). The 21-year-old played this season for Croatian team KK Split.
Nicholls State junior guard Andre Jones recently announced on Twitter that he has decided to test the draft waters. Jones, who transferred after two years at Little Rock, averaged 12.3 PPG and 2.8 APG on .513/.313/.732 in 30 games (24.3 MPG) in 2019/20.