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Draft Notes: Porter, Bamba, Sexton, Allen

May 17th, 2018 at 8:43pm CST by marksuleymanov

Missouri standout Michael Porter Jr. spoke to reporters at the draft combine in Chicago today and confirmed he has met with the Knicks, Mavericks, Sixers, Suns, Cavaliers, Hawks, Grizzlies, Rockets and Clippers, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. He will have another set of interviews tomorrow as he is scheduled to meet with the Kings, Hornets, Thunder and Celtics.

Porter, 19, missed most of his freshman campaign after he suffered a serious back injury just two minutes into the season. Porter underwent surgery –a microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs — which sidelined him until the SEC tournament later in the season. In total, Porter appeared in three games with the Tigers, averaging 10.0 PPG and 6.7 RPG. However, Porter spoke confidently about his abilities and how he compares to other talents in this year’s draft pool.

“I know without a doubt that I’m the — I played against all these guys, they’re all great players — but I’m the best player in this draft,” Porter said. “And I just can’t wait to show what I’m capable of.”

Check out more notes related to the draft below:

We relayed earlier that Texas big man Mohamed Bamba measured in with a staggering 7’10” wingspan at the combine. Bamba would have the longest wingspan of any player coming into the NBA since 2000. Speaking to reporters, including Madeline Kenney of the Chicago-Sun Times, Bamba addressed his strongest attribute.“I’d say my biggest strength right now, just one word to summarize it all, is just my presence,” Bamba said. “Both offensively and defensively, the presence that I have is pretty profound. I don’t think any other prospect has this presence. I do more but require less. That’s both on the court and off the court. I feel I’m the most efficient guy in this draft class.” Bamba confirmed he has met with 13 teams, tweets ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
Alabama point guard Collin Sexton is at the draft combine and has already met with five teams, Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Sexton has yet to interview with the Mavericks but that could happen by Friday. Sexton did meet with the Knicks, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The Timberwolves are set to interview Duke shooting guard Grayson Allen, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.

NCAA Tournament Filled With Draft Prospects

March 11th, 2018 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NCAA tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday and NBA draft prospects can enhance their resumes by leading their teams on a deep run. A majority of the projected first-rounders in Jonathan Givony’s current rankings on ESPN.com will be in action during March Madness.

Here’s a look of some of those storylines:

No player will be more closely watched than the projected top pick, Arizona freshman center DeAndre Ayton. He has remained eligible despite an FBI probe into his recruitment. The Wildcats, who won the PAC 12 tournament, were seeded No. 4 in the South region and will play Buffalo in the first round. A potential second-round matchup against Kentucky looms. The Wildcats have two players slotted as mid-first-rounders — swingman Kevin Knox (No. 12 overall) and combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15).
Duke and Michigan State were ranked 1-2 at the start of the season and faced each other in November, with the Blue Devils prevailing. They could see each again in the Sweet Sixteen, a Midwest showdown that would feature a handful of first-round prospects, Duke’s frontcourt duo of Marvin Bagley III (4) and Wendell Carter Jr. (6) and shooting guard Grayson Allen (30), and Michigan State forwards Jaren Jackson Jr. (3) and Miles Bridges (11).
How good is Texas center Mohamed Bamba (5)? We could get a better idea if the Longhorns get past Nevada and face rugged Cincinnati, the South’s No. 2 seed which also features small forward Jacob Evans (24).
Alabama’s Collin Sexton, currently the top-rated college point guard at No. 8, will try to build off his big SEC tournament performance in the East Region. If the Tide gets past their opener, they’ll likely face top seed Villanova and its No. 10 prospect, small forward Mikal Bridges.
Oklahoma point guard Trae Young (9) and his team faltered down the stretch but still got in as the Midwest’s No. 10 seed. If they upset Rhode Island, the Sooners would likely face the Blue Devils in the next round.
Texas A&M big man Robert Williams (15) could improve his stock if his team, slotted No. 7 in the West, can get by Big East tournament runner-up Providence and then upset No. 2 seed North Carolina in the next round.
Miami (Fla.) shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV (13) might move into the Top 10 if he carries his team, seeded sixth in the South, into the Sweet Sixteen and beyond.

And-Ones: NBA Draft, International Play, Oliver

November 19th, 2017 at 6:07pm CST by Austin Kent

The NBA Draft is seven months away but that doesn’t mean hoops writers can’t weigh in on what Sam Vecenie of The Athletic refers to as a year-round process. The scribe’s initial mock draft does a fine job weighing in on the biggest prospects on the draft radar while digging admirably deep for a comprehensive 60-pick projection.

Expected to fall in the No. 1 slot is the much-hyped Slovenian star, Luka Doncic. The Real Madrid swingman has shown a remarkable feel for the game at a young age and could make an impact for a team like the Bulls, who currently sit most likely to land that top spot come next June.

It’s after the first pick where Vecenie’s mock gets particularly interesting. The writer opts to put Arizona big man DeAndre Ayton in the No. 2 spot, ahead of the likes of Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr.

With analysis for each of the first 30 projections, the early look at the draft can’t be missed. Especially considering that he has college basketball’s biggest villain, Grayson Allen, falling directly into the laps of the world champion Warriors.

There’s more from around the league:

The number of fringe NBA players who opt to sign overseas in international leagues following NBA training camps has dropped precipitously. Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype writes that the trend can be attributed to a depressed European economy and the leaps and bounds that the G League has made over the course of the past 10 years.
The fifth edition of FIBA’s 3×3 World Cup will take place June 8-12, the governing body’s official site says. This year the competition will take place in the Philippines.
A Rockets training camp invitee has been picked up by the G League affiliate of the Bucks. Chris Reichert of 2 Ways, 10 Days tweets that the Wisconsin Herd have claimed Cameron Oliver off waivers.

Grayson Allen Returning To Duke

April 18th, 2017 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Duke has already lost several key players this spring, with Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, and Harry Giles entering the draft with the intent of hiring agents. However, another top prospect, Grayson Allen, announced today that he’ll be returning to the Blue Devils for his senior season (Twitter link).

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Allen, who ranks 45th on DraftExpress’ top-100 list and 61st on ESPN’s big board, struggled during his junior year at Duke as several of his teammates took big steps forward in their development. After averaging 21.6 PPG on .466/.417/.837 shooting in his sophomore year, Allen saw those averages dip to 14.5 PPG and .395/.365/.811 in 2016/17.

Although Allen played well in the NCAA tournament before Duke was bounced, ESPN’s Chad Ford suggested last month that the 21-year-old shooting guard could use another year in college to “really rehabilitate his image on and off the court.”

A strong showing in his senior season could get Allen back into the first-round discussion for 2018 — DraftExpress currently has him coming off the board at No. 26 in its ’18 mock draft.

Jayson Tatum To Declare For 2017 NBA Draft

March 22nd, 2017 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Duke forward Jayson Tatum is the latest NCAA underclassmen to confirm that he’ll declare for the 2017 NBA draft. The school made it official today, announcing in a tweet that Tatum would test the draft waters. According to Evan Daniels of Scout.com, Tatum is also expected to hire an agent, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

“It’s extremely exciting,” Tatum said. “It’s just another step closer to a life long dream that I’ve always had and it’s the next step and I’m happy to be taking it.”

Tatum’s decision comes as no surprise, since he is viewed as one of the top prospects on the board for the 2017 draft. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com and Chad Ford of ESPN.com both have the freshman ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect on their respective top 100 lists.

In his first – and likely only – year at Duke, Tatum filled up the stat sheet, averaging 16.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.1 BPG. According to Ford, the 6’8″ forward has “all the physical tools” to be a dominant small forward in the NBA, and there’s a good chance Tatum will be a top-five pick in June.

Tatum could ultimately be joined in the draft pool by some early-entry teammates from Duke. However, at this point, Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen are “up in the air” about testing the draft waters, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Ball, G. Allen, H. Thompson, Fultz

March 17th, 2017 at 8:49pm CST by Milo Taibi

Sam Amick of USA Today raises concerns of LaVar Ball’s impact on Lonzo Ball‘s draft stock. A potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Lonzo’s elite skill-set has overshadowed his father’s “controversial style” thus far.

“Passing on the kid because of the father may not hold up well over time,” one anonymous executive told Amick. “There are players who come from more challenging family situations who have (done) quite well in the NBA,” another executive added.

Most likely, Amick concludes, LaVar can continue making brash, boastful statements “without the slightest fear” of it hurting Lonzo’s NBA future.

Duke SG Grayson Allen Declines To Enter Draft

April 6th, 2016 at 10:52am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke sophomore shooting guard Grayson Allen has decided against entering this year’s draft, the school announced. The leading scorer for the Blue Devils was a fringe first-round prospect, ranking 30th in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider listings and 34th with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

The 20-year-old broke out in a major way this season, averaging 21.6 points in 36.6 minutes per game after seeing single digits in both categories last year on a richly talented Duke squad that won the national championship. Still, Allen made his presence felt with 16 points in the 2015 title game. This year’s Blue Devils fell in the third round of this year’s NCAA Tournament despite the presence of Allen and Brandon Ingram, a strong candidate for the No. 1 overall selection. Allen’s size is an issue for NBA scouts, according to Ford, who lists him at 6’5″. Givony pegs him as only 6’4″. Allen led the Blue Devils with 3.5 assists per game this season and can play the point, according to Ford, so that could ultimately ease size concerns.

It’s somewhat surprising to see Allen decide against the draft, particularly given the ability prospects have this year to take part in workouts for NBA teams, as well as the combine, while still retaining their college eligibility if they refrain from hiring an agent and withdraw by May 25th. Allen could have shown NBA teams what he can do at the point, though he figures to have an opportunity to do the same with next season’s Blue Devils, who are positioned as the favorites for the 2017 title with another strong recruiting class coming in.

Draft Notes: Harrisons, Labissiere, Allen

April 8th, 2015 at 2:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Preparations are well underway for this year’s NBA draft, and Thursday should be a landmark day, with Kentucky’s slew of prospects scheduled to formally announce their respective decisions about entering the draft or staying in school. Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison have reportedly already made up their minds to turn pro, and there’s more on them amid the latest draft news.

Just about everyone around the league to whom Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com has spoken believes that both Harrisons will be drafted in the second round (Twitter link). That jibes with the projections for Andrew, but it’s a surprise for Aaron, whom Ford and Givony have well outside their top 60 prospects.
Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns took over the top spot on 2015 draft boards last week, and now forward center Skal Labissiere, who’s committed to Kentucky, is the new No. 1 in the 2016 mock draft that Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress maintains (Twitter link). An impressive showing at this week’s Nike Hoops Summit helped him vault over small forward Jaylen Brown and combo forward Ben Simmons.
Dozens of NBA personnel and at least one GM think Grayson Allen would be worthy of a first-round pick this year, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in a chat with readers. The Duke freshman shooting guard has reportedly decided to stay in school, and Ford believes there’s nonetheless incentive for him to remain at Duke, since the ESPN scribe thinks he has a decent chance to be a late lottery pick next year.

Grayson Allen Plans To Stay Out Of Draft

April 7th, 2015 at 6:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Duke freshman shooting guard Grayson Allen plans to stay out of the draft this year and return to school for his sophomore season, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). While Allen’s freshman campaign wasn’t a stellar one from a statistical standpoint, the guard turned some heads with his 16 point performance in Monday night’s NCAA Championship win against Wisconsin where Allen drained five of his eight field goal attempts.

Allen is the 32nd-ranked prospect on the list that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles, though Ford said today that he’s hearing lots of positive feedback from NBA personnel, which means there’s a decent chance he would have vaulted into the first round (Twitter link). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t have Allen among his top 100 prospects ranking, likely because Allen has been expected to stay in school. The 19-year-old is No. 30 on Givony’s list of the top freshmen.

In 35 appearances this season for the Blue Devils Allen averaged 4.4 points, 1.0 rebound, and 0.4 assists in 9.2 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .425/.346/.849.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.