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Xavier’s Naji Marshall Declares For NBA Draft

March 26th, 2020 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

Xavier’s Naji Marshall is entering his name in the 2020 NBA draft pool, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the junior forward is testing the waters and keeping his options open.

Marshall, 22, averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 31 games (35.7 MPG) for Marshall in 2019/20. He has struggled with his shooting efficiency, however, posting a .420 FG% and .281 3PT% over his last two seasons.

While he’s a candidate to be selected, Marshall isn’t a lock to come off the board in the 2020 draft. ESPN currently has him ranked 71st overall on its big board.

Marshall also tested the draft waters a year ago before opting not to go pro. If he doesn’t like the feedback he gets during this year’s pre-draft process, he could return to college for one final season before becoming draft-eligible in 2021.

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Draft Decisions: Konate, King, Enoch, Queta, More

May 28th, 2019 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up a series of draft decisions by early entrants this morning, but with the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline (May 29) looming, we’ve already got many more decisions to pass along.

Here’s the latest:

  • West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate plans to remain in the 2019 NBA draft and will forgo his final year of college eligibility, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
  • Louisville junior forward V.J. King is also keeping his name in the draft, he announced today (via Twitter). However, the Cardinals will get another key player back, as Steven Enoch‘s father told 93.9 The Ville that his son is “looking forward to next season” in Louisville (Twitter link).
  • Utah State center Neemias Queta announced today (via a Twitter video) that he’ll return to school for his sophomore season.
  • Three Xavier prospects who tested the draft waters as early entrants – Paul Scruggs, Tyrique Jones, and Naji Marshall – are headed back to the Musketeers, according to Rothstein (Twitter link).
  • Texas A&M guard Savion Flagg tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) that he’ll remove his name from the draft and rejoin the Aggies for his junior season.
  • Providence junior guard Alpha Diallo is also expected to withdraw from the draft and go back to school, agent Javon Phillips tells Goodman (Twitter link).
  • Dayton forward Obi Toppin announced in an Instagram post that he’ll pull out of the draft and head back to school for his sophomore year.
  • Keith Braxton, a junior guard out of St. Francis (PA), has elected to withdraw from the draft after testing the waters, tweets Rothstein.
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Stanford’s KZ Okpala Declares For NBA Draft

April 11th, 2019 at 6:40pm CST by clarkcrum

Stanford sophomore forward and potential lottery pick KZ Okpala has declared for the 2019 NBA draft, per Evan Daniels of 247Sports. Per new rules, he is permitted to sign with an NBA certified agent and still return to school if he withdraws his name by May 29.

“I have decided to declare for the NBA Draft,” Okpala said. “I have learned so much over these last two years at Stanford and am looking forward to continuing to improve along this journey. I am excited to see where it will take me.”

A rather interesting story, Okpala stood only 5’10” as a freshman in high school before spurting to a relatively incredible 6’7” as a senior. He is now listed at 6’9”. Because of his size, he wasn’t recruited by any high-major programs until late in his high school career, when Stanford saw him play on the AAU circuit.

As a sophomore this past season, Okpala averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG while connecting on 36.8% of his three-point attempts. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently ranks Okpala as 2019’s No. 26 overall prospect, with his scouting report detailing how Okpala fits the modern NBA with his defensive versatility and greatly improved jumper. Per Givony, the 19-year-old may potentially generate some interest in back-end of the lottery.

In addition to Okpala, several other prospects have made themselves early entrants for the 2019 NBA draft:

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