Bam Adebayo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Johnson Staying In Draft

April 24th, 2017 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of college underclassmen who were previously said to be testing the draft waters have decided to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring representation, per various reports.

One of those players is Kentucky freshman big man Bam Adebayo, who will sign with an agent and won’t return to the Wildcats, sources tell Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Adebayo is considered likely to be drafted in the first round, so it makes sense that he’ll keep his name in the draft, joining former UK teammates De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe, and Isaac Humphries among this year’s early entrants going pro.

Also going pro is Louisville junior forward Jaylen Johnson, who announced that he won’t return for his senior season. “I will miss my teammates and coaches, but it is really important that I help out my mom and family,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m going to work incredibly hard to give it my best shot. I’ll be rooting for the Ville next year.”

Here are several more early entrants who are declaring for the draft in advance of this year’s deadline:

Jevon Carter, G, West Virginia, junior (announcement via school): Testing waters.
Matt Morgan, SG, Cornell, sophomore (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com): Testing waters.
Nik Slavica, SF, Croatia (Twitter link via international reporter David Pick)
Leo Cizmic, SF, Israel (Twitter link via Eurohopes)
Ji Wei Zhao, PG, China (Twitter link via Zhang Duo)
Zou Yuchen, PF/C, China (Twitter link via Zhang Duo)

Bam Adebayo, Caleb Swanigan Testing Draft Waters

April 5th, 2017 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of college big men who could be first-round picks in this June’s draft will enter their names without hiring an agent, according to a pair of Wednesday announcements. The University of Kentucky confirmed that freshman Bam Adebayo will test the draft waters, while Nathan Baird of The Journal & Courier writes that Purdue sophomore Caleb Swanigan will do the same.

Adebayo, who is the third UK prospect to declare for this year’s draft, following in the footsteps of teammates De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, is ranked as the 19th-best prospect on Chad Ford’s big board at ESPN.com and comes in at No. 30 on Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list at DraftExpress.com. In his first – and possibly only – season with Kentucky, the 6’9″ PF/C averaged 13.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 1.5 BPG, shooting 59.9% from the floor.

In his analysis of Adebayo’s draft prospects, Ford notes that the 19-year-old’s inconsistency is worrisome for some scouts, but the ESPN draft guru believes the big man will come off the board between picks 15 and 25 if he stays in this year’s draft. Still, if he stays in school another year and has a more consistent sophomore season, he has the upside to become a top-10 pick in 2018, says Ford.

As for Swanigan, the sophomore power forward ranks a little lower on both ESPN’s and DraftExpress’ big boards, coming in at 28th and 32nd respectively. Swanigan enjoyed a breakout sophomore year with the Boilermakers, averaging 18.5 PPG and 12.5 RPG while boosting his 3PT% to .447. According to Ford, the 19-year-old is viewed as one of the most “complete” players in the NCAA this season, and could go in the 20s if he stays in the draft, though he’s not a first-round lock.

Both Adebayo and Swanigan will have until May 24 to withdraw their names from the draft pool and retain their NCAA eligibility.

And-Ones: I. Austin, Sims, B. Paul, 2017 Draft

December 13th, 2016 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Baylor standout Isaiah Austin was recently cleared to play basketball again, after having his NBA hopes initially derailed when he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. Still, although Austin is free to sign anywhere, executives are generally taking a “relaxed approach” to his planned comeback, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Austin was viewed as a borderline first-round prospect back in 2014, and some executives around the NBA are approaching his reported medical clearance with caution.

“What reversed the decision?” one NBA general manager said to Howard-Cooper. “How did it come to be that now he can play? We don’t even know how. Yeah, that’s what I’d be curious about. I’m not saying [Austin found a single doctor willing to clear him], but I’ve seen this before. You can find someone to tell you that you can play. Somebody will.”

As Howard-Cooper details, another GM suggested that teams wouldn’t rush to look into Austin’s situation, but added that those teams may be intrigued: “I’ve never heard anybody (in the NBA) talk about any skepticism on that because I don’t think he’s on people’s radar like that. I don’t think there’s a buzz like, ‘Whoa, now he’s been declared healthy. Is he really healthy?’ I don’t think people are looking at it that way. I think people are more ‘OK, that’s interesting.’ I can see maybe someone trying to do a feel-good story, liking a little bump from a PR standpoint. Maybe someone does a short-term contract with him and brings him in.”

As we wait to see Austin can land a basketball contract, perhaps in the D-League or elsewhere, let’s check in on a few other odds and ends…

The NBA D-League has accepted a buyout of Henry Sims‘ contract, as well as Quincy Douby‘s deal, reports Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter links). It’s not yet clear what the next step is for either former NBA player, but they may end up heading overseas.
One player heading overseas is swingman Brandon Paul, who was in camp with the Sixers this fall. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes, Turkish club Anadolu Efes Istanbul has agreed to a deal with Paul to replace Bryce Cotton on its roster.
In a piece for Basketball Insiders, Michael Scotto takes an early look at next year’s potential draft class, exploring whether we might see three Kentucky freshman come of the board as 2017 lottery picks. As Scotto outlines, Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Edrice Adebayo could become the Wildcats’ third trio since 2010 to achieve that feat.