Michael Carter-Williams

Michael Carter-Williams To Enter Draft

Syracuse point guard Michael Carter-Williams has elected to forgo his remaining two years of NCAA eligibility and will enter the NBA draft, the school announced today (link via Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com).

Carter-Williams helped lead Syracuse to the Final Four, though he had arguably his worst game of the season in the national semifinals against Michigan, scoring a season-low two points and recording five turnovers. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old projects as a likely lottery pick, ranked 9th overall among this year's prospects by ESPN.com's Chad Ford and 12th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

Carter-Williams is the latest addition to our list of early entrants, which now includes 25 players.

Draft Notes: Carter-Williams, Burke, Len

In 2003, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim directed a squad led by NBA-hopefuls Hakim Warrick, Gerry McNamara, and freshman Carmelo Anthony through the NCAA tournament and ultimately to a national championship after besting Roy Williams and the Kansas Jayhawks in the final game. Boeheim increased his chances of celebrating the ten-year anniversary of that title win with another one this year, as his Orangemen – headed by first-round prospect Michael Carter-Williams – advanced to the Final Four after defeating Marquette tonight. That aside, here are a few rumblings surrounding some potential draft prospects this year:

  • ESPN NBA insider Chad Ford tweets that Carter-Williams is peaking at the right time and could be one of three point guards selected in the top 10 in June. 
  • Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld discusses how Michigan's Trey Burke has helped his draft stock with a strong tournament thus far, but the same can't be said for Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart or Indiana's Cody Zeller. While Smart and Zeller have been ranked ahead of Burke for the most part, Brigham thinks that the Wolverine point guard could have a chance at leapfrogging both on the draft board this summer.
  • Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post takes an in-depth look at Alex Len of Maryland, using advanced stats to gauge the 7'1 center's efficiency as a low-post player. 

 

Odds & Ends: Celts, Garnett, Gay, Wolves, Draft

Here are some additional odds and ends from around the Association late Tuesday night:

  • Via CSN NE, Dan Shaughnessy and Gary Tanguay debate whether or not the Celtics should move Paul Pierce and/or Kevin Garnett.  Shaughnessy seems to think that, with this core's championship hopes all but dashed, the Celtics have no reason not to move one of their stars.
  • CSN NE's A. Sherrod Blakely offers much of what we've already heard on Garnett within this story, adding that trade rumors hardly affect a team with the experience that the Celtics have.  Armed with a no trade clause, Blakely says convincing Garnett to agree to a deal would be a "monumental task" for any team.
  • Fortunate to have several friends on the Raptors — most notably Kyle LowryRudy Gay will have the freedom to do more in Toronto than he's recently had in Memphis, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.
  • With Minnesota and San Antonio slated to play Wednesday, Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the Wolves — now with six international players on their roster have followed in the Spurs' footsteps with regard to their personnel strategy.
  • Chad Ford and Eamonn Brennan of ESPN debate which college point guard is the best pro prospect.  While both concede that Michigan's Trey Burke is the nation's best point guard, the analysts project Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State and Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse as better fits for the pro game.