Allonzo Trier

East Draft Notes: Wizards, Raptors, Bulls, Magic, Nets

UCLA point guard Aaron Holiday heads the list of six players the Wizards will work out on Wednesday, according to the team’s website. Holiday is ranked No. 17 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. He will be joined by two Kansas guards, Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, along with forwards Johnathan Williams (Gonzaga), Moritz Wagner (Michigan) and Zach Thomas (Bucknell).

In other draft news regarding Eastern Conference teams:

Draft Workouts: Raptors, Lakers, Knicks, Wolves

The Raptors won’t have any picks in the 2018 NBA draft unless they trade back in, having sent their first-rounder to the Nets in last summer’s DeMarre Carroll trade and their second-rounder to the Suns as part of their deal for P.J. Tucker. Still, Toronto should be able to bring in several prospects for workouts in the coming weeks. Given the success they had with an undrafted rookie like Fred VanVleet, the Raptors will be keeping an eye out for draft-eligible players who might not be selected with one of this year’s 60 picks.

According to an announcement from the team (Twitter link), the Raptors are holding a pre-draft workout on Wednesday with Giddy Potts (Middle Tennessee State), Joe Chealey (Charleston), Alan Herndon (Wyoming), and – most notably – Kostas Antetokounmpo (Dayton). Antetokounmpo is, of course, the younger brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Draft Updates: Ayton, Trier, Okogie, Black, Dixson

A bracket-busting upset on the first evening of March Madness saw Arizona ousted from this year’s NCAA tournament, as the fourth-seeded Wildcats fell to No. 13 Buffalo. Arizona’s loss accelerated the timeline for top prospect Deandre Ayton to make the leap to the NBA, as he confirmed after the game that – as expected – he’ll enter this year’s draft.

Ayton has a reasonable chance to be the No. 1 pick this June, and a report early in March had already indicated that he’d enter this year’s draft, so his announcement on Thursday came as no surprise. As ESPN’s Linda Cohn tweets, Ayton’s teammate Allonzo Trier also confirmed after Thursday’s loss that he’d be leaving the Wildcats and entering this year’s draft, as previously reported.

Here are more updates on NCAA underclassmen who are eyeing a potential move to the NBA or another professional league:

  • Georgia Tech guard Josh Okogie plans to test the draft waters by declaring without hiring an agent, as Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Okogie currently ranks as the 44th-best prospect on ESPN’s big board, making him a viable candidate to be drafted. The sophomore averaged 18.2 PPG and 6.3 RPG for the Yellow Jackets this season.
  • Illinois forward Leron Black will forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and enter the draft, head coach Brad Underwood announced on Thursday. Black, who plans on signing with an agent, led Illinois in PPG (15.3), RPG (5.2), FG% (.547), and 3PT% (.512) during the 2017/18 season.
  • Dikembe Dixson, a redshirt sophomore at UIC, will pursue a professional career, the school announced in a press release. While the announcement doesn’t specify whether or not the young forward will sign with an agent, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be back. Coach Steve McClain said in a statement that the program wishes Dixson “great success in the pursuit of his professional career.” Dixson added: “Though I am leaving the university at this time, it is definitely my intention to finish the work necessary to graduate from UIC someday.”

Arizona Stars To Enter NBA Draft

Deandre Ayton, Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier will leave Arizona early and declare for the NBA draft, according to Daniel Rapaport of Sports Illustrated. Coach Sean Miller informed reporters of their intentions Saturday, and all three players participated in the Wildcats’ senior night ceremonies.

The turmoil surrounding the Arizona program may have figured into their decisions, although Ayton was a lock to leave as an expected top five pick and Alkins and Trier are both potential first-rounders. Miller’s future as Wildcats coach is in jeopardy in the wake of reports that the FBI has recordings of him discussing a $100K payment to bring Ayton to Arizona. Miller strongly denied any wrongdoing in a press conference this week.

Ayton is projected second overall in the latest mock draft compiled by Jonathan Givony of ESPN. A seven-footer with game-changing abilities on both ends of the court, the freshman is averaging 19.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per night.

Alkins, a sophomore swingman, is slotted as the 41st pick by Givony. He missed the first nine games of the season with a broken right foot, but appears fully recovered, averaging 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 19 contests.

Trier, a junior shooting guard, is comes in at pick 45 on Givony’s list. He was recently reinstated by the NCAA after being declared ineligible for testing positive for a banned substance. Trier is the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer at 18.9 points per game.

Draft Updates: Milton, Trier, Maten, Okobo

A pair of notable NCAA underclassmen have decided to return to school for at least one more year, according to reports. Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports tweets that SMU guard Shake Milton will stay in school for his junior year, while Arizona guard Allonzo Trier tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that he’ll remain with the Wildcats for his junior season. Both players would have been candidates to be selected if they had entered the 2017 draft — they currently rank back to back at Nos. 59 and 60 on the DraftExpress big board.

Here are a few more draft updates worth passing along:

  • Georgia power forward Yante Maten will test the draft waters, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Maten won’t hire an agent, so he’ll have the opportunity to withdraw from the draft by May 24 and return to Georgia for his senior year.
  • Elie Okobo, a combo guard from France, has declared for the 2017 NBA draft, agent Herman Manakyan tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Okobo’s ranks ninth on DraftExpress’ list of 1997-born international prospects.
  • Brandon Goodwin, a Florida Gulf Coast junior guard, has decided to enter the draft without hiring an agent, the school announced in a press release. Despite averaging 18.5 PPG for FGCU in 2016/17, Goodwin is not viewed as a top prospect by DraftExpress.
  • Southern Utah shooting guard Randy Onwuasor will enter his name into the draft pool without hiring an agent, according to Ryan Miller of The Spectrum. Onwuasor, who is not considered likely to be drafted, is planning to return for his senior season, Miller writes.

Draft Notes: Davis, Ingram, Hield, Trier

Michigan State freshman Deyonta Davis is “50-50” on entering the draft, his coach Tom Izzo told the Detroit News’ Matt Charboneau and other media members at the Final Four. Izzo isn’t sure if Davis is ready physically and mentally for the next level and believes he could benefit from staying in school, the story adds. The 6’10” big man is ranked No. 12 by ESPN Insider Chad Ford and No. 13 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress“To me, if he is drafted 12 or 25, it doesn’t change my opinion,” Izzo said. “Maybe there is a little more money but I think it’s more what he can handle and what is good for him to get to the second contract. That’s how I’m going to give my final advice, but he’s gonna make his own decisions.” 
In other news regarding this year’s NBA draft:
  • Duke freshman and potential top pick Brandon Ingram, who declared for the draft on Monday, isn’t quite the prospect that Kevin Durant was coming out of college but there are similarities, as Mike Schmitz of The Vertical examines in great detail. Ingram was more of a facilitator in his freshman year, though Durant has developed into a superior passer as a pro, Schmitz continues. Durant was a prolific scorer and threat from anywhere on the court at Texas while Ingram only showed flashes of taking over games in his season at Duke, Schmitz adds.
  • Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield gets the nod over Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine in NBA.com David Aldridge’s rankings of the top shooting guard prospects. Though scouts that Aldridge interviewed do not consider Hield a “turnaround kind of talent,” his shooting ability stands out among his peers. France’s Timothe Luwawu, who’s played in Serbia this season, is ranked third on Aldridge’s list.
  • Arizona shooting guard Allonzo Trier will return to school for his sophomore season, ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman tweets. The 6’5” Trier, who averaged 14.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in his freshman season, is rated No. 79 by Ford and No. 76 by Givony.