Antonio Blakeney Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Updates: Bryant, Humphries, Blakeney

April 12th, 2017 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Four members of the Indiana Hoosiers announced on Tuesday that they’ll be entering their names in the 2017 NBA draft, and at least one – OG Anunoby – will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility. Anunoby’s decision was previously reported, as was James Blackmon Jr.‘s decision to test the draft waters.

Of the two other Indiana prospects entering the draft, sophomore center Thomas Bryant is the more intriguing prospect. He ranks 43rd on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress.com and 50th on Chad Ford’s list at ESPN.com, with Ford suggesting that Bryant would likely come off the board in the 25-50 range despite a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. The other Hoosier testing the draft waters is junior guard Robert Johnson, ranked 47th among NCAA juniors by DraftExpress.

Here are a few more of the latest early entrant decisions:

Kentucky sophomore center Isaac Humphries has decided to turn pro and will sign with an agent, the school announced today in a press release. Humphries is definitely no lock to be drafted, but Kentucky’s announcement notes that he may explore international opportunities, with Evan Daniels of Scout.com tweeting that Europe and Australia are possibilities for the young big man.
LSU sophomore Antonio Blakeney will enter the draft, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports relays (Twitter link). A source tells Rothstein that the shooting guard has not yet decided whether he will hire an agent.
USC junior guard Elijah Stewart will test the draft waters without hiring an agent, according to Jonathan Givony (Twitter link). DraftExpress ranks Stewart 16th among juniors, but he’s not currently on the site’s top-100 list.

And-Ones: D’Antoni, Eversley, Walton

April 27th, 2016 at 9:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former NBA player Nate Robinson, when asked who was the worst coach he had played for in the NBA, had some unkind words for Mike D’Antoni, who coached the diminutive guard when both were with the Knicks, international journalist David Pick relays. “Mike D’Antoni was a cool coach, but he was just a bad person,” Robinson told Pick. “He can coach. He was just mean for no reason. He had no reason to be a certain way toward players he liked and didn’t like. As a man, you would talk to somebody if you had a problem with them. You would tell them. He never told me exactly what his problem was with me. I didn’t know how to change it. I’d talk to him every day, but he would ignore me. It was crazy.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The Lakers have asked for and been granted permission to interview Warriors assistant Luke Walton for their vacant coaching post, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (on Twitter). Golden State’s allowance for Los Angeles to speak with Walton did come with the caveat that it occur when the team is between playoff series, Spears adds.
Marc Eversley, who is currently the Wizards‘ VP of scouting, interviewed with the Sixers this week for a post that would make him GM Bryan Colangelo‘s second in command, relays Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (via Twitter).
Heat power forward Chris Bosh, who hasn’t played since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf, is lobbying for the team to activate him so he can contribute in the playoffs, The Toronto Sun relays via the Sports Xchange. Bosh’s wife, Adrienne, even took to Twitter with the message #BringBoshBack, but the organization still maintains its stance that the veteran is out indefinitely, according to the post.
LSU freshman shooting guard Antonio Blakeney won’t be testing the draft waters this season despite his name appearing on the league’s official early entrants list, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). “Just a case of formality of the paperwork not reaching the NBA office prior to the preparation of the list,” LSU coach Johnny Jones said of Blakeney’s inclusion among the draft entrants, Goodman notes.

LSU SG Antonio Blakeney Pulls Out Of Draft?

April 26th, 2016 at 7:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

APRIL 26TH, 7:09pm: The NBA released its official early entrants roster and Blakeney’s name is among those listed, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. The freshman still can withdraw and return to school prior to the May 25th deadline, provided he doesn’t hire an agent.

APRIL 19TH, 2:09pm: LSU freshman shooting guard Antonio Blakeney has decided against entering the draft, the school announced. Blakeney earlier this month said he would go into the draft without an agent, a move that would allow him to work out for NBA teams and retain his college eligibility as long as he withdrew by May 25th, but it appears he’s had a change of heart and has decided against testing the waters. The 6’4″ 19-year-old was only a fringe draft prospect, ranking 94th in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider listing and outside Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress top 100.

Blakeney entered college as a highly touted prospect, ranking 15th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, but his numbers underwhelmed as he averaged 12.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game with 33.5% shooting from 3-point range. He stands to benefit from increased offensive opportunity next season, since teammates Ben Simmons, who’s a strong candidate to become the No. 1 pick this June, and Tim Quarterman are both staying in this year’s draft.

A lack of strength is one of Blakeney’s weaknesses, according to Ford, who also suggests he’d be undersized as an NBA two-guard. He averaged less than an assist per game, so work on his passing would probably benefit him even if he doesn’t end up converting to the point.

LSU SG Antonio Blakeney To Test Draft Waters

April 1st, 2016 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

LSU freshman shooting guard Antonio Blakeney will enter this year’s draft but hold off on hiring an agent, the school announced. He can return to college ball as long as he pulls out by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent. He has at least an outside chance to be drafted this year if he doesn’t withdraw, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him as the 87th-best prospect. The 6’4″ 19-year-old is outside the top 100 for Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who nonetheless ranks him 35th among freshmen.

Blakeney was a well-regarded recruit coming out of high school last year, when he was 15th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. LSU teammate Ben Simmons was No. 1 in those rankings, but the Tigers struggled this season, finishing 19-14 and failing to make the NCAA Tournament. Blakeney didn’t put up eye-popping stats, as he averaged 12.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game with 33.5% shooting from 3-point range. He struggled with inconsistency, scoring 32 and 31 points in games against Florida and Mississippi State, respectively, but totaling seven or fewer points on a dozen occasions.

Simmons and fellow LSU teammate Tim Quarterman are also entering the draft, but unlike Blakeney, they’re hiring agents, so they won’t be returning to the Tigers. Blakeney, who saw only 9.8 field goal attempts per game this season, would seemingly be in line for more offensive chances next year if he pulls out of the draft and goes back to LSU.