If not for the coronavirus pandemic, the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament would have taken place over the last few days, with draft hopefuls getting a chance to show their skills – and potentially improve their stock – on a national stage.
Instead, college basketball – like virtually every other sport in North America – has been shut down indefinitely, leaving possible early entrants for the 2020 draft to make their decisions under unusual circumstances.
Here are a few updates on college players who may end up being part of the 2020 NBA draft class:
- A report earlier this month indicated that Jordan Bruner is expected to declare for the draft and go pro. However, as Evan Daniels of 247Sports details, the former Yale forward has also entered the NCAA transfer portal and is drawing plenty of interest. Bruner explained to Daniels that he wants to keep his options open, given the uncertainty created by the coronavirus crisis. “I’d like to keep my options open and hear what NBA scouts and other people think I’m capable of and what they think about me,” he said. “I don’t want to get stuck in a place where I can’t play in college if I want to.”
- Buffalo junior guard Jayvon Graves announced on Twitter that he intends to test the draft waters. Graves bumped his scoring average from 9.7 PPG as a sophomore to 17.1 PPG as a junior, chipping in 5.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 32 games (34.4 MPG) for Buffalo.
- Ohio State forward Alonzo Gaffney won’t be returning to the Buckeyes for his sophomore season, sources tell Brian Snow of 247Sports. According to Snow, Gaffney – who played very limited minutes as a freshman – will likely pursue professional opportunities rather than transferring to another college program.