Wichita State junior guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet plan to remain out of this year’s draft, sources tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Baker, a 6’4″ shooting guard, is the 47th-ranked prospect in both Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress board, though Ford cast him as a “bubble” first-rounder in reaction to Goodman’s report (Twitter link). VanVleet, a 6’0″ point guard, is Givony‘s 84th-best prospect. Ford has him only 97th, though he called him a would-be second-rounder today (on Twitter).
Baker is a consistent outside shooter, having knocked down 38.0% of his three-pointers last season and 38.3% this year, when he averaged 14.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game. His 6’8.5″ wingspan would help him defend opposing shooting guards in the pros despite his lack of height, Givony writes.
VanVleet, who averaged 13.6 PPG, scored almost as much as Baker did this season, but his wingspan is only slightly larger than his height. The two helped Wichita State to the Final Four as freshmen, and presumably another such run would help their respective draft stocks for 2016.