2016 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

UNLV SG Patrick McCaw To Enter Draft

April 4th, 2016 at 10:01am CST by Chuck Myron

UNLV sophomore shooting guard Patrick McCaw will enter this year’s NBA draft, according to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). McCaw won’t be back with the school, Rothstein says, so presumably that means he’ll hire an agent and forfeit his remaining college eligibility. The 6’7″ 20-year-old stands a decent chance to get drafted, as he’s 49th in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 62 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Still, it appears his stock would have improved if he’d waited a year, as Givony has him 21st in his 2017 mock draft.

The St. Louis native moved to the Washington, D.C. area and attended the same high school as Kevin Durant did, but despite that, and his presence on a well-regarded AAU team, McCaw wasn’t a highly regarded recruit as he entered his college career, Givony notes. He was outside the top 100 in the 2014 Recruiting Services Consensus Index but appears to have made a strong impression on NBA types since then, particularly over the past year.

McCaw’s production took a leap this season even though he saw about the same amount of playing time he did as a freshman. He averaged 14.7 points per game, up from last season’s 9.6, and he upped his rebounding to 5.1 per contest from 3.3, helping fill the void left by the departure of three perimeter starters from last season’s Runnin’ Rebels, including Rashad Vaughn, last year’s 17th overall pick. McCaw’s 3-point shooting remained steady at 36.6%, so he’s a passable but not fearsome outside threat.

Thon Maker Seeks To Be Part Of 2016 Draft

April 3rd, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

International star Thon Maker will try to enter the 2016 draft, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The seven-footer confirmed the news in a Bleacher Report video. Maker, 19, will claim to be eligible because he graduated from high school in Canada in June of last year, which technically makes him a fifth-year high school student.

Originally from the Sudan, Maker attends Orangeville District Secondary School in Ontario and plays for Canada’s Athlete Institute. He previously played at two high schools in Louisiana and one in Virginia.

The NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement requires players to be at least 19 before entering the draft and stipulates that one full NBA season must have been completed since the player’s high school graduation. If Maker graduated last year, he will have met both requirements in time for the June 23rd draft.

Maker has announced that he will skip this week’s Nike Hoop Summit in Portland to concentrate on preparing for the draft. Givony says Maker failed to make a strong impression at last year’s event and that his overall draft stock has been falling due to lackluster performances at similar events, the most recent being the NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during All-Star Weekend. DraftExpress has him listed as 44th in its most recent ranking of the top 100 prospects.

Givony lists “competitiveness, physicality and intensity level” as the best parts of Maker’s game, along with increased upper-body strength and the ability to hit an occasional 3-pointer. However, he warns that Maker has little offensive polish, explosiveness or feel for the game and may take a long time to develop into a productive NBA player.

Maker made recruiting visits to Kansas and UNLV in March, and had trips scheduled to Arizona State and Notre Dame set for later this month. However, Givony notes that amateurism concerns were hanging over Maker’s college eligibility and may have pushed him to opt for the draft instead.

Marquette PF Henry Ellenson To Enter Draft

April 3rd, 2016 at 8:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Freshman power forward Henry Ellenson of Marquette plans to declare for the NBA draft and hire an agent, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The move has been expected as Ellenson projects as one of the top players in the June 23rd draft. Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list of the top 100 prospects ranks Ellenson ninth overall, while Chad Ford has him sixth in his latest ESPN Insider rankings.

The 6’10” Ellenson, who hails from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, came to Marquette as a top prospect. He was listed as the ninth-best high school senior in the nation in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. Ellenson averaged nearly a double-double in his only season with the Golden Eagles with 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He shot 45% from the field, but only 29% in 104 attempts from 3-point range.

Ellenson was named Big East Rookie of the Year and was a first-team all-conference selection. Givony says his height, length, reach and strength all project well for an NBA power forward. He’s also mobile and can handle the ball well for his size. Potential drawbacks include weakness as a passer and a lack of explosiveness on defense. He has also struggled with weight problems in the past.

Lakers Notes: World Peace, Bryant, Scott, Draft

April 3rd, 2016 at 10:47am CST by Arthur Hill

He has only appeared in 31 games this season, but 36-year-old Metta World Peace believes his NBA career is far from over, according to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. World Peace, who earned a roster spot with the Lakers last fall after a year out of the league, hopes to play another two to four more seasons. Although he spent parts of last season in China and Italy, he doesn’t want to take his talents overseas again. “I think I can still play in the league,” World Peace said. “I feel good. I feel like I was able to guard and able to post. I feel like I answered a lot of questions.” He is making nearly $1.5MM this season and is averaging 4.5 points and 16.6 minutes per game.

There’s more Lakers news this morning:

After two decades as part of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, Kobe Bryant will face Boston for the final time today, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Bryant says the loss to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals changed the way he approaches the game. “In 2008 what I learned was that my leadership, I felt, was what failed us as a team,” Bryant recalled. “I had built our team to be a very strong, cohesive unit, but I hadn’t built our team to beat the toughness of the Celtics.”
The Lakers would like to revive that rivalry, but they understand they have a lot of work to do first, relays Jovan Buha of ESPN.com. L.A. is still early in its rebuilding process, stumbling to a 16-59 record while developing young players. The Celtics are much farther along, ranking among the East’s best teams at 44-32. “We have a lot of work, as far as that’s concerned,” said Lakers coach Byron Scott. “But I think a lot of these young guys, they don’t understand the rivalry. And the only way you can get that rivalry back is you have to have both teams be very competitive.”
The Lakers need a top two draft pick to be assured of getting an elite talent, contends Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times. Pincus tabs LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram as the only sure things in this year’s draft. L.A is second in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings, meaning its odds are 19.9% for the first pick, 18.8% for the second and 17.1% for the third. If the Lakers’ pick falls any farther in the May 17th lottery, it will be sent to Philadelphia.

Buddy Hield Shifts Focus To Draft

April 2nd, 2016 at 8:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

With his college career complete, Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield is starting to focus on the NBA draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I’m going to go chase my dreams,” Hield said today after the Sooners’ loss to Villanova in the Final Four. “Go play in the NBA and make the most of my opportunity.”

Hield has reportedly been rising on draft boards after a strong senior season that saw him emerge as a national Player of the Year candidate. He led Oklahoma to a 29-8 mark, averaging 25.4 points per game, and he was named Big 12 Player of the Year for a second straight season.

ESPN’s Chad Ford projects Hield as the sixth pick in his latest mock draft but says he could rise as high as No. 4 in a possible choice between him and Kentucky’s Jamal Murray. Ford doesn’t expect Hield to slide lower than seventh no matter how the draft order falls. DraftExpress ranks Hield seventh on its list of the top 100 prospects.

And-Ones: Mavericks, LeVert, Porzingis

April 2nd, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is juggling his big-man rotation on a game-by-game basis, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports. Dwight Powell, Zaza Pachulia, Salah Mejri and Dirk Nowitzki are taking turns at center, depending upon the opponent, though it’s tougher to play Nowitzki there in smaller lineups with forward Chandler Parsons out for the season, MacMahon adds. Pachulia and Mejri shared the load on Friday when the team faced Detroit and its All-Star center, Andre Drummond. “We need everybody,” Carlisle told MacMahon and other members of the gathered media. “Going forward, we’re a walking adjustment. We’re going to have to adjust to whatever situation we’re up against.”

In other news around the league:

Michigan senior combo guard Caris LeVert has hired Roc Nation Sports as his representative, he revealed on his Twitter feed. Roc Nation, founded by rap star Jay Z, also represents Kevin Durant, Justise Winslow and Wilson Chandler. LeVert has dropped to No. 33 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and No. 43 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress Top 100 prospect list after an injury-marred season.
Knicks rookie power forward Kristaps Porzingis should be shut down the rest of the season, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News opines. Porzingis, who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, must be handled with care because he’s a franchise-altering talent, Isola continues. Selecting Porzingis in the lottery is the only home run that Phil Jackson has hit as team president, Isola adds.
Spurs veteran power forward David West isn’t sure if he will exercise his $1.55MM player option for next season, according to Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. West will not make a decision until after the season, Young adds. “I have no idea,” he told Young. “I really just want to see what my body tells me when it’s all said and done. I think that’s the best way to put it.”

UConn SF Daniel Hamilton To Test Draft Waters

April 1st, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Connecticut sophomore small forward Daniel Hamilton will enter the draft without an agent, the school announced, also confirming previous reports that shooting guard Rodney Purvis and center Amida Brimah will do the same. All three are eligible to return to the Huskies if they pull out by May 25th and refrain from hiring agents. Hamilton, like the others, seems to have only an outside chance, at best, to be drafted this year if he stays in, as he’s only 131st in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress considers him a 2017 prospect, listing him at No. 54 in his 2017 mock draft.

Hamilton arrived at UConn with plenty of promise at No. 17 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, just one spot behind eventual NBA 2015 No. 2 draft pick D’Angelo Russell. Givony lists Hamilton as a shooting guard while Ford calls him a two-guard, so it appears Hamilton is solidly in the swingman category. The 20-year-old has the 6’8″ height and rebounding acumen to play up front, having grabbed 8.9 boards per game this season, but he displayed the ball-distribution skills of a guard, posting 4.7 assists per contest, though he did average 2.4 turnovers.

His outside shot could use work, as he made just 33.1% of his 3-point attempts and notched 12.5 points per outing. Hamilton had double-doubles in all three American Athletic Conference Tournament games and Connecticut’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory, and he came close in an 11-point, eight-rebound, six-assist effort in the team’s second-round loss to Kansas.

LSU SG Antonio Blakeney To Test Draft Waters

April 1st, 2016 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

LSU freshman shooting guard Antonio Blakeney will enter this year’s draft but hold off on hiring an agent, the school announced. He can return to college ball as long as he pulls out by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent. He has at least an outside chance to be drafted this year if he doesn’t withdraw, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him as the 87th-best prospect. The 6’4″ 19-year-old is outside the top 100 for Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who nonetheless ranks him 35th among freshmen.

Blakeney was a well-regarded recruit coming out of high school last year, when he was 15th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. LSU teammate Ben Simmons was No. 1 in those rankings, but the Tigers struggled this season, finishing 19-14 and failing to make the NCAA Tournament. Blakeney didn’t put up eye-popping stats, as he averaged 12.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game with 33.5% shooting from 3-point range. He struggled with inconsistency, scoring 32 and 31 points in games against Florida and Mississippi State, respectively, but totaling seven or fewer points on a dozen occasions.

Simmons and fellow LSU teammate Tim Quarterman are also entering the draft, but unlike Blakeney, they’re hiring agents, so they won’t be returning to the Tigers. Blakeney, who saw only 9.8 field goal attempts per game this season, would seemingly be in line for more offensive chances next year if he pulls out of the draft and goes back to LSU.

UConn SG Rodney Purvis To Test Draft Waters

April 1st, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Connecticut junior shooting guard Rodney Purvis will enter this year’s draft but hold off on hiring an agent, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). He’ll be eligible to return to college next year as long as he pulls out of the draft by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent. The odds are against Purvis hearing his name called on draft night, as he’s just the 198th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress only lists the top 100 in his overall rankings, and Purvis isn’t in those, but Givony pegs the 6’4″ 22-year-old at No. 79 among juniors.

Much was expected of Purvis coming into his college career, as he was No. 17 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index as a high school senior, right behind current Nuggets starting two-guard Gary Harris. Purvis began at North Carolina State in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, but he transferred after the 2012/13 season, his freshman year.

Purvis saw only a negligible increase in minutes in his first season with the Huskies, but he shot about three more times per game with Connecticut than he did with the Wolfpack, leading to higher scoring numbers. He notched 12.8 points per game this season as nearly half his field goal attempts came from behind the arc. He nailed 38.5% of his 3-point looks this season and 37.6% for his college career, so he figures to be at least a fair shooter at the NBA level. Two of his best scoring games of the season came in the NCAA Tournament, when he put up 19 in a first-round win over Colorado and 17 in a loss to top-seeded Kansas, helping erase the memory of the two-point performance he delivered in his only NCAA Tournament game as a freshman.

USC PG Julian Jacobs To Declare For Draft

March 31st, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

USC junior point guard Julian Jacobs will enter this year’s NBA draft, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical. He’s undecided about hiring an agent, a move that would prevent him from returning to the Trojans for his senior year even if he withdraws by the May 25th deadline. Rankings indicate the 6’4″ 22-year-old is a long shot for the draft, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t list him and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him as only the 75th-best junior. However, executives from NBA teams are fond of his drive, and they expect it won’t take long during the predraft process for Jacobs to make it clear that he’s worthy of a second-round pick, Charania writes.

Jacobs had a breakout season of sorts, averaging double figures in points for the first time and significantly raising the volume of his assists while his number of turnovers held steady. He posted 11.6 points, 5.4 assists and 2.7 turnovers per game and shot 32.6% from 3-point range, the best percentage of his college career.

The Las Vegas native nonetheless slumped toward the end of the season, scoring fewer than 10 points in four of his last seven games and delivering a clunker in USC’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Providence, a game in which he scored eight points and had three assists and five turnovers. It was a sour ending to a college career that began auspiciously, as he became a starter in just his second game for the Trojans. He was outside the top 100 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school in 2013.