Florida State forward Dwayne Bacon has decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft, he announced today on Twitter. Although Bacon didn’t explicitly state that he’ll hire an agent and forgo his remaining years of NCAA eligibility, the 21-year-old sophomore didn’t sound like a player who plans to return to school next year.
“This organization has been instrumental in my path and as I look to embark on my professional career, I will carry the many lessons learned,” Bacon said in a statement. “We are truly family here and I’d like to thank Coach Ham, Coach C.Y., Coach Jones, Coach Gates, and the entire faculty and coaching staff for a great two years.”
Assuming Bacon does remain in the draft, as expected, he looks like a possible second-round pick. ESPN and DraftExpress have him ranked 56th and 57th, respectively, on their big boards.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- Georgetown’s L.J. Peak will forgo his senior season in college, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, who reports that the junior forward intends to sign with an agent. DraftExpress ranks Peak as the No. 76 prospect on its big board.
- We heard earlier today that Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell will test the NBA draft waters, but he’s not the only Cardinal who will declare his intent. Sophomore forward Deng Adel and junior forward Jaylen Johnson will also test the draft waters without agents, Louisville coach Rick Pitino tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Mitchell is the most promising prospect of the three, though Adel ranks 34th on DraftExpress’ list of top sophomores.
- BYU sophomore Eric Mika will enter the 2017 NBA draft, but won’t hire an agent, tweets Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. While the 6’10” Mika will have the opportunity to test the draft waters, he could withdraw his name before May’s deadline.
- With the Sweet 16 set to get underway on Thursday, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer identifies six under-the-radar NBA prospects to keep an eye on during this week’s NCAA games.