Donovan Mitchell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Blackmon, Ford, Fox, Colette

May 8th, 2017 at 7:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Indiana guard James Blackmon has decided to remain in the draft, Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com reports. Blackmon confirmed on his Twitter feed that he will sign with an agent. Blackmon, who averaged 17.3 PPG and shot 42.3% on 3-point attempts, is essentially betting on himself and could wind up overseas if not in the D-League. He is not ranked among the Top 100 by DraftExpress or ESPN Insider Chad Ford. Blackmon joins two other Hoosiers who have declared for the draft — forward OG Anunoby, a potential lottery pick, and center Thomas Bryant. Indiana junior guard Robert Johnson will decide this week whether to remain in the draft, Rothstein adds.

In other draft-related nuggets:

Washington guard Markelle Fultz remains atop Ford’s latest Big Board with UCLA’s Lonzo Ball holding the second spot. Gonzaga center Zach Collins moved from No. 11 to No. 9 and Duke guard Luke Kennard advanced from No. 17 to No. 15. Previously unranked Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell, who recently hired an agent, moved into the first round at No. 22.
Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox believes he’s the top defensive guard in the draft, as he told ESPN’s Chris B. Haynes in a Q&A session. “For me, it’s not about offensive scoring, I want to shut the other guy down,” Fox boasted to Haynes. Fox is considered a sure-fire Top 10 pick, ranked No. 5 by both DraftExpress and Ford.
A handful of NBA scouts and executives polled by Gery Woelfel of WoelfelsPressBox.com believe there are nine impact players in the draft. That front-office group named 21 potential lottery picks and generally view this draft as much deeper in quality than the 2016 version.
Utah forward David Collette is expected to return to school, Rothstein tweets. The junior forward averaged 13.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG last season. Collette, a Utah State transfer, did not make the Top 100 lists.

Donovan Mitchell To Hire Agent, Stay In Draft

May 6th, 2017 at 10:08am CST by Joshua Fischman

Louisville sophomore combo guard Donovan Mitchell will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and remain entered in the NBA draft, he announced via Instagram on Friday.

Previously, Mitchell said that he would test the draft process. After gathering sufficient information, he has decided to leave school. Multiple NBA executives say that Mitchell will likely be selected in the first round, Jeff Goodman of ESPN Insider reports.

As a sophomore, Mitchell averaged 15.6 PPG in 32.3 MPG, way up from his freshman averages of 7.4 PPG in just 19.1 MPG. Although Mitchell shot a mere 40.8% from the field in 2016/2017, he added the three-point shot to his arsenal, converting 35.4% of his 6.6 deep attempts per game. The Cardinal also averaged 4.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.1 SPG as a sophomore.

Mitchell will sign with agent Ty Sullivan of CAA, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (link via twitter).

Donovan Mitchell To Test NBA Draft Waters

March 22nd, 2017 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell will declare for the draft, but won’t hire an agent yet, he tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. Without an agent, Mitchell will have the ability to withdraw his name later in the process, retaining his NCAA eligibility.

“I want to see if I can improve my draft stock and I am still not 100% leaving,” Mitchell told Evan Daniels of Scout.com. “I just want to be able to see where I stand in the draft and if I can improve in any way.”

Mitchell took on a more significant role in his sophomore season for Louisville, with his minutes per game increasing from 19.1 to 32.3. For the season, Mitchell averaged 15.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.1 SPG. He tells Daniels that he’s happy with his performance, though he believes there’s still room for further growth.

“I think I played well,” Mitchell said. “There are many things I feel I improved on from freshman year. I do feel as though I have other things to work on as well and I will heading into this summer.”

Mitchell’s decision on whether or not to keep his name in the draft may depend on how confident he is that he can be a first-round pick. ESPN’s Chad Ford suggests the 6’3″ shooting guard is probably on the first-round bubble right now, ranking him 29th in his top 100 list. Mitchell comes in at 22nd on DraftExpress.com’s big board.