2016 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Telfair, Lee, Robinson

April 20th, 2016 at 10:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Idaho State junior point guard Ethan Telfair intends to test the waters and declare for the 2016 NBA Draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Ethan, who is the younger brother of former NBA player Sebastian Telfair, doesn’t intend to hire an agent, which would allow him to withdraw and return to school prior to the May 25th cutoff date, Goodman adds. The junior is a long shot to be selected this June, not appearing among the top 100 prospects according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress or Chad Ford of ESPN.com. In 29 games for Idaho State this season, Telfair averaged 20.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists to accompany a slash line of .397/.375/.864.

Here’s more from around the league:

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee fully intends to make the jump to the NBA next season, but he’ll hold off on hiring an agent to keep his options open, Goodman relays in a separate piece. “I haven’t hired an agent,” Lee told Goodman. “Because I want to keep my eligibility just in case I decide to come back, but my plan is to go to the NBA. That’s the only goal. I want people to know I am serious about this. I’ve talked to Coach Cal [John Calipari] about this, and he definitely understands that I’m going to the NBA this year.”
Former NBA combo guard Nate Robinson hasn’t begun training for it, but he still fully intends to pursue his dream of making it into the NFL, as he told ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. When asked if he was still serious about making an NFL bid, Robinson responded, “Serious as a heart attack. Totally serious. As soon as I get the opportunity, if it comes my way, I’ll take full advantage of it.” The veteran currently plays for Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, the club he signed with in March.
Turkish point guard Berk Ugurlu intends to enter this year’s draft, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). The 19-year-old isn’t among Givony‘s top 100 players. Givony instead ranks Ugurlu as the No. 12 international player in his class.

Memphis SF Dedric Lawson To Test Draft Waters

April 20th, 2016 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Memphis freshman small forward Dedric Lawson has entered this year’s draft in spite of an announcement from his school last week that he wouldn’t do so, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter links). The 6’8″ 18-year-old won’t hire an agent, Spears was told, so his college eligibility remains intact should he have another change of heart and withdraw by May 25th. Lawson is No. 46 in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t have him in his top 100 but pegs him as the 28th-best freshman.

Lawson was No. 32 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index entering college. He led the American Athletic Conference with 9.3 rebounds per game and was third with 1.7 blocks per contest this year. He also excelled on offense, averaging 15.8 points, though his 3-point accuracy wasn’t spectacular at 35.0%.

He capped his season with a double-double in a conference tournament loss to Connecticut, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Still, he struggled with inconsistency, scoring at least 20 points 11 times and in single digits on seven occasions.

Wisconsin PF Nigel Hayes To Test Draft Waters

April 20th, 2016 at 8:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Wisconsin power forward Nigel Hayes will enter this year’s draft, but he won’t immediately sign with an agent, allowing him the chance to return to college ball if he wants, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The 6’8″ 21-year-old is the 49th-best prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com places him well outside draft range at No. 93. Givony believes he has a decent chance to become a first-round pick if he waits on the draft for a year, listing him 30th in his 2017 mock draft. Hayes will retain his college eligibility for next season if he withdraws from the draft by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent.

He experienced a troubling decline in 3-point shooting percentage from last season to this year, going from 36.9% on 2.5 attempts per game to 29.3% on 3.8 tries. He also rebounded less despite more minutes, collecting 5.8 per contest compared to 6.2 last year, but his scoring average rose from 12.4 to 15.7 as he assumed a more significant role in the Badgers offense.

Hayes wasn’t in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index top 100 coming out of high school, but he played a prominent role as a reserve his freshman year on a team that went to the Final Four. He was a starter the past two seasons, including the 2014/15 run to the national title game. His college postseason career ended poorly this year as he followed up a 30-point regular season finale against Purdue by going just 11 for 54 from the field in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

Draft Notes: Jackson, Sabonis, Zimmerman

April 19th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson, who declared for the draft last month, has signed with Priority Sports for his representation, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Projections are divided for the 21-year-old who ranks as the 11th-best prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress but comes in just 25th in the listings that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles.

Plenty of other news about the draft has emerged with the June 23rd event barely more than two months away. Here’s the latest.

Gonzaga sophomore forward/center Domantas Sabonis has hired the Wasserman agency, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link), with Greg Lawrence and Jason Ranne to represent him, according to Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal (Twitter link). That closes off the possibility that he’d withdraw from the draft and return to school. The 6’10” 20-year-old is the 15th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings and No. 19 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list.
Texas A&M senior combo guard Alex Caruso has signed with agent Greg Lawrence of the Wasserman agency, Mullen relays (on Twitter).
UNLV freshman center Stephen Zimmerman has also signed with the Wasserman Media Group, D’Bria Bradshaw of The Sports Agent Blog relays. Agent Darren ‘Mats’ Matsubara will represent Zimmerman, Bradshaw notes.
West Virginia junior power forward Devin Williams has signed with agent Aaron Turner of Verus Management, Goodman reports (Twitter link). The 6’9″ 21-year-old is the 94th-best prospect in Ford’s rankings, while Givony has him outside the top 100, simply listing him as the 35th-best junior.
Florida Gulf Coast University junior Marc-Eddy Norelia will enter the draft without hiring an agent, the school announced. He’s a long-shot prospect, falling outside Ford’s and Givony’s rankings. The 6’8″ forward can retain his college eligibility if he withdraws from the draft by May 25th and doesn’t sign with an agent.
Czech power forward Adam Pechacek is entering the draft, his representatives at SigmaSports announced (via Twitter). The 21-year-old averaged 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds playing in Poland last season.
Greek center Georgios Papagiannis, Turkish power forward/center Ege Arar and Slovenian point guard Aleksej Nikolic will all enter the draft, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express relays in a series of tweets. Of the trio, Papagiannis is the most likely to be drafted, with the 7’2″ 18-year-old coming in at No. 48 overall according to Givony. Neither Arar or Nikolic are locks to be selected, with Arar ranked as the No. 36 overall international prospect in his class by Givony, who slots Nikolic at No. 50.

Draft Rumors: Zizic, Baldwin, Greene, Wizards

April 18th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Croatian center Ante Zizic, who is under contract with Cibona Zagreb, is open to going the draft-and-stash route, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter links). The 19-year-old, 6’11” Zizic is considered a first-round talent. He’s ranked No. 26 by DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony and No. 22 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board. Several international scouts have told Ford that Zizic, the fourth-ranked center, could be a steal in this year’s draft because of his low-post game, rebounding and toughness. Zizic declared for the draft earlier this month, but with his contract tying him to Cibona for another year, it’s either become a draft-and-stash pick or pull out of the draft by June 13th, Pick notes.

In other developments regarding the June 23rd draft:

Forwards Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are the top two picks in ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s latest mock draft. Ford projects that the Sixers, who have the best odds of gaining the No. 1 selection, will grab Simmons because of the higher upside he has compared to Ingram, with the Lakers then taking the Duke freshman. Point guard Jamal Murray (Celtics) and power forwards Dragan Bender (Suns) and Henry Ellenson (Timberwolves) round out Ford’s top five.
Vanderbilt point guard Wade Baldwin has signed with Priority Sports, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. Baldwin was linked earlier this month to Priority Sports as his potential representative, according to a tweet from Pick. The 6’3” Baldwin is currently ranked No. 16 by Givony, while Ford pegs him at No. 23.
Kansas swingman Brannen Greene has signed with Sam Goldfeder of Excel, Goodman reports in a separate tweet. Greene barely cracks the Top 100 list by Givony at No. 99, while Ford doesn’t list him on his Big Board.
UNLV’s Derrick Jones is officially staying in the draft and has signed with Aaron Turner, Goodman reported in another tweet. The 6’6” small forward is not ranked in the Top 100 by either Givony or Ford.
The Wizards do not plan to trade into the draft despite the strong possibility they will lose their first-rounder, writes Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. Washington sent a top-nine protected pick to the Suns in the deadline deal for power forward Markieff Morris. Unless the Wizards get a top-three selection via the lottery, they’ll lose the pick. Team president Ernie Grunfeld told Castillo and other media members he’s not keen on making a draft-related deal. “We look at Markieff as being our draft pick, and I don’t think we’ll get a player where we’d be drafting that can do the kind of things that he can do, and be under contract for three years like that, and still be young but proven,” Grunfeld said.

Prospect Profile: Deyonta Davis (Part Two)

April 18th, 2016 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: Draft experts peg Deyonta Davis as a late lottery selection due to his athleticism and upside. He ranks No. 11 overall and fifth among power forwards on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board. He’s currently No. 13 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress Top 100 Prospects list. Ben Simmons, Dragan Bender, Henry Ellenson and Skal Labissiere are the other players listed as power forwards for either their primary or secondary positions that Givony rates ahead of Davis. In a league where smaller lineups have become fashionable, Davis could also find himself playing center quite a bit.

RISE/FALL: Davis could slide down some draft boards if the concerns over his lack of offensive polish grow. He’s got to show in predraft camps and workouts that he has the tools to become a reliable low-post scorer. He’s also got to prove that he can make defenses pay if they give him some space in midrange areas and at the elbow. It’s tough for most lottery teams to sell their fans on a player with a limited offensive repertoire. If Davis makes a good impression on the offensive end, he could convince a team in the top 10 that he’s worth the gamble. His length and athleticism aren’t going anywhere, and it will be easy for scouts and coaches to fall in love with his ability to impact a game defensively while he develops his raw offensive moves.

FIT: The Raptors, who will receive a first-rounder from either the Knicks or Nuggets, could solidify their interior defense with a shotblocker like Davis. It’s unlikely that the Kings, who drafted a similar player last year in Willie Cauley-Stein, would be interested in Davis, but he could be a nice fit for the Bucks as an alternative to the defensively challenged Greg Monroe. Magic coach Scott Skiles would welcome any defensive help he could get, while the Bulls could snare Davis to replace free agent Joakim Noah. The Suns and Celtics could also find a role suited to Davis’ gifts, and Davis might even wind up with the Nuggets if they decide to restructure their frontcourt. Should Davis tumble out of the lottery, he would make sense for an aging team like the Grizzlies, who need a jolt of youth and athleticism at power forward.

FINAL TAKE: The team that drafts Davis must exercise patience. He could carve out a rotation role as a defensive specialist in the right situation. More likely, he’ll spend a good portion of his rookie year refining his skills on a D-League roster. The payoff could be substantial if Davis eventually turns into a low-post monster.

(For Part One of our Deyonta Davis Prospect Profile, click here.)

Prospect Profile: Deyonta Davis (Part One)

April 18th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jasen Vinlove / USA Today Sports Images

OVERVIEW: Deyonta Davis did not post big numbers as a freshman at Michigan State. That failed to deter the 6’10” power forward from entering the draft after his lone college season. Davis, who was ranked No. 28 by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index out of high school, became a starter during the Big Ten portion of the Spartans’ schedule. He made his mark on the defensive end, averaging 1.9 blocks in 18.7 minutes while also finishing as the team’s third-leading rebounder at 5.5 per game. He wasn’t a big part of the offense, scoring at a 7.4-point clip, but the 19-year-old oozes potential because of his length and athleticism. Davis did not immediately declare for the draft but ultimately bolted when he was convinced he could be a lottery selection.

STRENGTHS: Davis can impact the game with his physical gifts. Davis displayed defensive versatility with his ability to switch on screens and keep a wide range of opponents in front of him, as DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony notes. His ability to protect the rim with his 7’2” wingspan and snare rebounds in traffic helped the Spartans enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, despite Michigan State’s overall lack of physicality. ESPN Insider Chad Ford credits Davis for his shooting range out to 17 feet, though the Spartans didn’t run plays for him, and he got most of his points on put-backs and dunks. He shot 59.7% from the field because he didn’t try to do too much or take questionable shots. He’s also considered a hard worker and high-character player who blends well with his teammates.

WEAKNESSES: Most draft experts felt Davis should have stayed in school another year to develop his game. As Ford described in his draft analysis, Davis is a “pure upside play” because he’s so raw offensively. While he displayed a nice shooting touch on his short and midrange jumpers, Davis is by no means a stretch four. He did not even attempt a 3-pointer, so he’ll need to work extensively on his post moves to become a significant offensive threat. Like most young frontcourt players, Davis also has to become much stronger. He could get overpowered in one-in-one matchups early in his career until he fills out and gets accustomed to the banging. His college coach, Hall of Famer Tom Izzo, wished he had another season to work with Davis. “Would a second year have helped him? No question,” he said in a radio interview with WQTX-FM that was quoted by the Lansing State Journal’s Chris Solari. “We didn’t think we might have him for more than two years when it all started. So it wasn’t like we were thinking of this as a four-year deal, either. “

(For Part Two of our Deyonta Davis Prospect Profile, click here.)

Syracuse SG Malachi Richardson To Enter Draft

April 18th, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Syracuse freshman shooting guard Malachi Richardson will enter this year’s draft without hiring an agent, the school announced. The 6’6″ 20-year-old is the 55th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings, but Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress appears significantly more bearish on his stock, excluding him from his top 100 and listing him only as the 57th-best freshman. Richardson can withdraw from the draft by May 25th and retain his college eligibility as long as he doesn’t hire an agent.

His athleticism and versatility intrigue Ford, while Givony points to mixed results in his isolation game and questionable decision-making on the court. Both analysts cite his inconsistent play. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 23 against Virginia and 21 against Dayton but had just four points versus Middle Tennessee State.

Richardson finished high school last year at No. 29 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, and he jumped right into a prominent role for the Orange, starting every game for the surprise Final Four team. He averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game while shooting 39% from 3-point territory.

French Guard Isaia Cordinier To Enter Draft

April 18th, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shooting guard Isaia Cordinier will enter the draft, his agent told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Givony views the French native as a high second-round prospect, ranking him No. 37 on his Top 100 Prospects list. Cordinier is slotted No. 57 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board.

The 19-year-old French native, who has typical size for his position at 6’5”, averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Denain International this past season.

In his evaluation of Cordinier at the recent Nike Hoops Summit, Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress saw an exceptional athlete who can both play above the rim and make spot up 3-pointers. Schmitz also noted Cordinier for his potential as a slasher who makes strong cuts, shows good vision and doesn’t shy away from contact. However, his catch-and-shoot jumper is streaky, he’s turnover prone and needs to work on his body, Schmitz adds.

Ford considers Cordinier’s defense, athleticism, explosiveness and aggressiveness as his best attributes, while downgrading him for his spotty jump shot and basketball IQ.

French Forward Guerschon Yabusele To Enter Draft

April 18th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Power forward Guerschon Yabusele will enter the draft, agent Andrew Morrison told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The 6’8” French native is considered a second-round prospect by ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board, which has him at No. 45 overall. Givony currently tabs Yabusele at No. 76 among his Top 100 Prospects.

The 20-year-old Yabusele averaged 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds for Rouen International this past season. According to his DraftExpress profile, Yobusele is a chiseled big man with long arms and excellent athleticism. He also possesses a soft touch around the rim, can finish strong on the interior and has flashed some ability to create off the dribble. His jump-shooting mechanics are a work in progress, Givony adds.

Ford notes similar characteristics, adding that Yabusele uses his body to create space and contact in the paint while also having shooting range out to the 3-point line. Yabusele is also considered a solid rebounder and shot-blocker but is undersized for his position, Ford adds.

In a recent ESPN update, several scouts singled out Yabusele as a possible late first-round sleeper who could go anywhere in the 20 to 45 range.