Sam Dekker, Tyus Jones and Kevon Looney were among those who had better chances to see their respective draft stocks slip than improve if they were to have stayed in school instead of entering the draft, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com opines in an Insider-only piece. Caris LeVert, who opted to stay out of the draft, has a shot to go in the lottery next season, Goodman writes as he praises his decision. The ESPN.com scribe notes that he’s heard from NBA personnel who think Jordan Mickey goes undrafted as he argues the big man made a poor decision to declare for the draft. It’ll be years before we truly know whether their choices were wise, but less than two months remain before we find out just where everyone will end up on draft night. Here’s more on the draft:
- The year’s first mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Karl-Anthony Towns going to the Timberwolves, Jahlil Okafor to the Knicks and D’Angelo Russell to the Sixers. Givony’s mock shows all seven early entrants from Kentucky getting picked, including Aaron Harrison to the Sixers at No. 60.
- The mock draft that Sean Deveney of The Sporting News put together is an unconventional one, with Okafor at No. 1 to the Wolves, Russell at No. 2 to the Knicks, and Towns at No. 3 to the Sixers.
- Former Florida power forward Chris Walker has hired agent Travis King of Relativity Sports, as Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype hears (Twitter link). Walker is the No. 58 prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, while Givony has him at No. 73 in his rankings.