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2018 NBA Draft

Draft Updates: Gabriel, Bowen, Mokoka, Marinkovic

April 18th, 2018 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky forward Wenyen Gabriel has decided to declare for the 2018 NBA draft, but won’t hire an agent for now in order to retain his NCAA eligibility, he announced today on Twitter.

“After talking with Coach Cal (John Calipari) and the staff, they believe it’s in my best interest to see where I stand in the eyes of the NBA,” Gabriel said in his statement. “I’m confident I can play at the next level, but I want to be absolutely certain that this is the right decision for me at this time.”

In his sophomore year for the Wildcats, Gabriel averaged a modest 6.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG, but showed the ability to protect the rim (1.1 BPG) and hit outside shots (.396 3PT%). He’s the fifth Kentucky underclassmen to declare for this year’s draft, joining teammates Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox, and PJ Washington.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • South Carolina forward Brian Bowen, who enrolled at the school in January, is hoping to be granted eligibility for the 2018/19 season. However, he tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN (Twitter link) that he plans to declare for the NBA draft just in case he’s not reinstated by the NCAA.
  • A pair of international prospects, French shooting guard Adam Mokoka and Serbian shooting guard Vanja Marinkovic, have declared for the 2018 NBA draft, according to their agency BeoBasket (Twitter links via agents Pedja Materic and Misko Raznatovic). Mokoka, who was born in 1998, currently plays for Gravelines in France, while 1997-born Marinkovic is a member of Partizan Belgrade.
  • Spanish wing Xabier Lopez-Arostegui has declared for the draft, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Lopez-Arostegui has spent the season with Joventut in Spain’s ACB, averaging 5.7 PPG and shooting 37% on three-pointers.
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Zhaire Smith To Enter 2018 NBA Draft; Hire Agent

April 17th, 2018 at 9:02pm CST by clarkcrum

Texas Tech freshman Zhaire Smith is expected to sign with an agent and remain in the 2018 NBA Draft, reports Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Smith, 18, averaged 11.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG this season for the Red Raiders.

We had previously relayed that Smith was testing the NBA Draft waters without hiring an agent, but the decision to forgo the remainder of his college eligibility makes sense given his potential to be picked in the lottery and the money he stands to make.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently ranks him 17th overall on his Top 100 Prospects, and a rookie salary for the 17th overall selection in this summer’s draft could be as high as $2.46MM.

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Draft Notes: Noua, Moore, Spellman, Silva

April 17th, 2018 at 5:24pm CST by clarkcrum

French forward Amine Noua is declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Noua, 21, stands 6’8” tall and has been a staple of the French national teams since he was 16 years old, averaging 19 PPG during the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Cup. He currently plays for ASVEL Basket of LNB Pro A, which is owned by French basketball legend and current Spurs point guard Tony Parker.

Noua is currently ranked as the No. 78 prospect by Givony, but has been heavily scouted all season by NBA teams with draft picks in the second round, with many international talent evaluators considering Noua to be one of the better draft-and-stash options in this year’s draft. Noua was born in 1997, meaning he will have one more opportunity to go through the NBA draft process in 2019 should he elect to withdraw his name at the early-entry deadline on June 11.

In other draft-related news:

  • Wake Forest junior big man Doral Moore has declared for the draft and will hire an agent, thereby forgoing his senior year, he tweeted this afternoon. The 7’1” Moore averaged 11.1 PPG and 9.4 RPG this past season, while also setting a single-season school record by shooting 68.9 percent from the field.
  • Villanova freshman forward Omari Spellman will enter the 2018 NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent, per an official release from the university. Spellman was named the Big East Freshman of the Year this season after averaging 10.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for the national champion Wildcats.
  • South Carolina junior forward Chris Silva announced today that he plans to submit his name for the 2018 NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent, per an official release from USC. Silva led the Gamecocks in points (14.3 per game) and rebounds (8.0 per game) this season, and was named First Team All-SEC.
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Update On 2018 Draft Early Entrants

April 17th, 2018 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

A member of Villanova’s championship team, redshirt freshman forward Omari Spellman, is the latest underclassman to announce that he’s declaring for the 2018 NBA draft. The program confirmed today in a press release that Spellman will be entering his name in this year’s draft pool, albeit without hiring an agent in order to retain his NCAA eligibility.

Spellman, who averaged 10.9 PPG and 8.0 in his first season with the Wildcats, is one of nearly 140 early entrants from the NCAA who have announced their intent to enter this year’s draft. According to the information we’ve compiled in our early entrants tracker, the breakdown looks like this:

  • NCAA underclassmen expected to hire an agent and go pro: 50
  • NCAA underclassmen testing draft waters without an agent: 89
  • International early entrants entering draft pool: 13
  • Total: 152

Our list may not be 100% accurate — there are a small handful of players whose statuses we’ve been unable to confirm, and it’s possible we’ve missed some announcements from smaller NCAA programs or lesser-known international squads. Additionally, some players who announced their intent to test the waters may ultimately decide not to do so.

Still, our early entrants list gives us a pretty accurate sense of what the current count looks like, and it’s about in line with the last couple years. In 2017, for instance, the NBA’s list of early entrants for the draft initially included 182 names. However, many of those prospects ultimately pulled their names from consideration before the withdrawal deadlines.

We’re nearing the first of this year’s deadlines, as early entrants now have less than one week to officially enter their names in the draft pool. Once an NCAA underclassman hires an agent, he has officially relinquished his amateur status, but international players and NCAA prospects without agents can withdraw their names later in the process. Here are the key dates to watch:

  • Deadline for early entrants to submit their names for the 2018 draft pool: April 22
  • NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw and retain their NCAA eligibility: May 30
  • NBA’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw: June 11

We can expect to get a complete list of 2018’s initial group of early entrants sometime next week. Because prospects will have the opportunity to withdraw though, the final list of early entrants won’t be official until June.

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Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo Headed To NBA

April 16th, 2018 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 16th, 4:30pm: Diallo has officially declared for the draft and intends to hire an agent, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets.

APRIL 13, 12:55pm: Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo is expected to sign with an agent and enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool, multiple sources tell Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. According to Rothstein, an official announcement is expected to happen soon.

Diallo, who tested the draft waters a year ago after enrolling early at Kentucky, returned to school and played his freshman season in 2017/18. The 6’5″ shooting guard averaged 10.0 PPG and 3.6 RPG with a .428/.338/.616 shooting line in 37 games for the Wildcats.

Despite his modest stat line as a freshman, Diallo still ranks as the No. 34 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, making him a strong candidate to be drafted — perhaps even in the first round. Diallo was the 35th player off the board in Givony’s most recent mock draft.

Diallo would be the fourth Kentucky underclassman to declare for the draft, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox, and PJ Washington. Gilgeous-Alexander and Knox are hiring agents, while Washington is testing the waters for now.

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Draft Updates: Wagner, Eastern, Hlinason, Birutis

April 16th, 2018 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Michigan center Moritz Wagner is going pro, announcing his decision over the weekend with an essay on The Players’ Tribune. Within an in-depth piece explaining his decision, Wagner indicated that he’ll hire an agent, forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility.

A 6’11” junior, Wagner was a key piece of a Wolverines squad that made a run to the NCAA Final Four this year, losing to Villanova in the title game. For the 2017/18 season, Wagner averaged 14.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG with a shooting line of .528/.394/.694. He’s considered a top-50 prospect by ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony, coming in at No. 48 on ESPN’s big board.

Here are more draft-related updates:

  • Purdue guard Nojel Eastern didn’t play a major role for the Boilermakers during his freshman year, averaging just 12.6 minutes per game in 37 contests. Nonetheless, he’ll test the draft waters this spring, entering the 2018 pool without an agent, according to a press release from the program.
  • Icelandic big man Tryggvi Hlinason is declaring for the 2018 NBA draft, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 7’1″ center hasn’t played much for Valencia in Spain this season, but comes in at No. 75 on Givony’s big board of 2018 prospects and is considered a potential second-round pick by NBA teams.
  • Lithuanian center Laurynas Birutis has entered the 2018 NBA draft, his agent confirmed to Givony. “The NBA has always been my dream,” Birutis said. “Therefore, I would like to try my chances there. This was not a difficult decision, because I want to try to compete against the best players in the world.” Birutis is just 20 years old, but is having a productive season in Lithuanian, averaging 15.1 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 25 MPG for BC Siauliai.
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Wendell Carter Jr. Entering 2018 NBA Draft

April 16th, 2018 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

Duke big man Wendell Carter Jr. is going pro, with the school announcing today in a press release that Carter is entering his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool. While the announcement doesn’t mention Carter hiring an agent, the assumption is that he will do so, forgoing his remaining years of NCAA eligibility.

“It was such an honor to coach Wendell,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “He and his family were a true joy to have in our program and they’ll always be in our program. He had a sensational freshman year – a double-double guy – and he has so much more potential. He’s going to keep getting better, because he’s talented and he has the best attitude. He really represented himself, his family and Duke in a first-class manner, and whoever gets him is going to be very lucky.”

In his freshman year with the Blue Devils, Carter averaged 13.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 2.1 BPG. He also showed an ability to knock down the occasional outside shot, making 41.3% of his 46 three-point attempts.

The sixth-best prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Carter is the No. 7 pick in Givony’s latest mock draft. ESPN’s top draft expert describes the Duke center as “physically mature” and “polished,” praising his basketball IQ and versatility.

As our list of early entrants shows, Carter is the fourth Duke freshman to declare for the draft this spring, joining teammates Marvin Bagley III, Trevon Duval, and Gary Trent Jr..

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2018 Pre-Lottery NBA Draft Order

April 16th, 2018 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers on Friday evening, further cementing the draft order for 2018. While we’ll have to wait until the lottery to determine the exact order for this year’s event, we now know what most of the 60 selections look like.

Listed below is the pre-lottery 2018 NBA draft order. Each lottery team’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick are noted in parentheses. We’ve also included notes for picks whose status remains up in the air — for instance, the Lakers‘ first-round pick could still technically end up with either the Sixers or Celtics.

We’ll update this list after the May 15 lottery once the official order is set, but here’s the tentative 2018 NBA draft order:

First Round:

  1. Phoenix Suns (25.0%)
  2. Memphis Grizzlies (19.9%)
  3. Dallas Mavericks (13.8%)
  4. Atlanta Hawks (13.7%)
  5. Orlando Magic (8.8%)
  6. Chicago Bulls (5.3%)
  7. Sacramento Kings (5.3%)
  8. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Nets) (2.8%)
  9. New York Knicks (1.7%)
  10. Philadelphia 76ers (from Lakers) (1.1%)
    • Note: Celtics will receive pick if it lands at No. 2 or No. 3 via lottery (2.9% chance).
  11. Charlotte Hornets (0.8%)
  12. Los Angeles Clippers (from Pistons) (0.7%)
    • Note: Pistons will keep pick if it moves into top three via lottery (2.5% chance).
  13. Los Angeles Clippers (0.6%)
  14. Denver Nuggets (0.5%)
  15. Washington Wizards
  16. Phoenix Suns (from Heat)
  17. Milwaukee Bucks
  18. San Antonio Spurs
  19. Atlanta Hawks (from Timberwolves)
  20. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Thunder)
  21. Utah Jazz
  22. Chicago Bulls (from Pelicans)
  23. Indiana Pacers
  24. Portland Trail Blazers
  25. Los Angeles Lakers (from Cavaliers)
  26. Philadelphia 76ers
  27. Boston Celtics
  28. Golden State Warriors
  29. Brooklyn Nets (from Raptors)
  30. Atlanta Hawks (from Rockets)

Second Round:

  1. Phoenix Suns
  2. Memphis Grizzlies
  3. Atlanta Hawks
  4. Dallas Mavericks
    • Note: Mavericks would swap places with Hawks if Atlanta gets higher first-round pick than Dallas via lottery.
  5. Orlando Magic
  6. Sacramento Kings
  7. New York Knicks (from Bulls)
    • Note: Knicks would swap places with Kings if Sacramento gets higher first-round pick than Chicago via lottery.
  8. Philadelphia 76ers (from Nets)
  9. Philadelphia 76ers (from Knicks)
  10. Brooklyn Nets (from Lakers)
  11. Orlando Magic (from Hornets)
  12. Detroit Pistons
  13. Denver Nuggets (from Clippers)
  14. Washington Wizards
  15. Brooklyn Nets (from Bucks)
  16. Houston Rockets (from Heat)
  17. Los Angeles Lakers (from Nuggets)
  18. Minnesota Timberwolves
  19. San Antonio Spurs
  20. Indiana Pacers
  21. New Orleans Pelicans
  22. Utah Jazz
  23. Oklahoma City Thunder
  24. Dallas Mavericks (from Trail Blazers)
  25. Charlotte Hornets (from Cavaliers)
  26. Philadelphia 76ers
  27. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Celtics)
  28. Denver Nuggets (from Warriors)
  29. Phoenix Suns (from Raptors)
  30. Philadelphia 76ers (from Rockets)
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Draft Updates: Jallow, Holman, Molson, Reese

April 13th, 2018 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

German prospect Karim Jallow has entered his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool, his agency Lumani10.7 announced today (story in German; English link via Sportando).

A 6’7″ small forward, Jallow has spent the season playing for Bayern Munich’s second team in Germany. He has been the club’s leading scorer in 22 German League games, averaging 18.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.1 SPG. Jallow currently ranks 71st on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.

Here are a few more draft-related notes worth passing along:

  • Mississippi State forward Aric Holman, the 84th prospect on Givony’s 2018 big board, is entering the draft without hiring an agent, reports Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com (Twitter link). In his junior year, Holman established new career highs in PPG (10.9), RPG (6.7), FG% (.573), and 3PT% (.440) despite playing slightly less than he did in his sophomore season.
  • A pair of Canisius underclassmen are testing the 2018 draft waters this spring, with the program announcing that freshman guard Takal Molson and sophomore guard Isaiah Reese will both enter the draft without hiring agents. The backcourt mates were Canisius’ second- and third-leading scorers in 2017/18, with Reese posting 16.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.7 APG, while Molson averaged 12.6 PPG on .442/.369/.685 shooting.
  • Charleston Southern guard Christian Keeling is testing the NBA draft waters, he announced this week (via Twitter). Keeling is coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 17.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG.
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Draft Updates: Bitadze, Sampson, Weatherspoon

April 12th, 2018 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to Dzanan Musa, whose early entry into the 2018 NBA draft we noted earlier today, another Misko Raznatovic client is declaring for the draft early. Georgian center Goga Bitadze has entered the 2018 draft, per a tweet from Raznatovic (hat tip to Sportando).

While Bitadze probably isn’t a first-round option like Musa, he ranks 65th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, making him a viable candidate to be drafted, assuming he doesn’t withdraw his name. The young big man is currently playing for Mega Bemax in Serbia.

Here are a few more draft updates:

  • LSU guard Brandon Sampson has signed with an agent and declared for the NBA draft, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN (Twitter link). A top-50 recruit coming out of high school, Sampson saw his playing time reduced in his junior year, averaging 7.7 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 18.9 MPG.
  • After initially indicating that he would test the draft waters this spring, Nick Weatherspoon announced on Wednesday that he’ll return to Mississipi State for his sophomore year (Twitter link). That’s probably the right move for the guard, who posted 10.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2.1 APG during his freshman season with the Bulldogs.
  • Indiana junior forward Juwan Morgan is entering the 2018 draft without hiring an agent, the program announced today in a press release. Morgan had a breakout season for the Hoosiers in 2017/18, increasing his averages to 16.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.4 BPG.
  • Auburn junior guard Bryce Brown will test the draft waters this spring, according to a press release from the school. “I had a dream to play in the NBA one day and I want to pursue that dream,” Brown said. “Testing the waters will be a great opportunity for me and my family to see where I’m at in the process.”
  • Georgetown junior center Jessie Govan announced in a post on his Instagram account that he’ll enter the draft without an agent. Govan averaged a double-double for the Hoyas in 2017/18, with 17.9 PPG and 10.0 RPG.
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