Corey Sanders

Draft Notes: R. Williams, Nuggets, Clips, Wizards

Texas A&M center Robert Williams, who previously worked out for the Bulls, Hornets, and Knicks, continues to earn looks from teams picking in the top half of the first round. According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link), Williams still has workouts on tap with the Clippers, Nuggets, Wizards, who hold the picks from 12 through 15.

Williams’ session with the Nuggets will take place today, according to a press release from the club. In addition to scheduling an individual session with Williams, Denver has also lined up a group workout which will feature Hayden Dalton (Wyoming), Jacob Evans (Cincinnati), Arnoldas Kulboka (Capo d’Orlando), Dzanan Musa (Cedevita), Ajdin Penava (Marshall), and Johnathan Williams (Gonzaga).

Meanwhile, the Bucks – who hold the No. 17 selection – also wanted to bring in Williams for a workout, but he expects to be off the board before Milwaukee picks and has passed on the team’s invitation, per Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. According to Woelfel, Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith, another good bet to be drafted in the top 16, also won’t work out for the Bucks.

Here’s more on the 2018 NBA draft:

Draft Updates: Ward, T. Davis, Sanders, Dickerson, Shamet

A number of NBA hopefuls have declared for the draft today and will test the waters as June approaches.

  • Sophomore Michigan State big man Nick Ward will gauge interest but not hire an agent, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Ward isn’t currently projected to be selected in the June draft but would retain NCAA eligibility should be decide to withdraw.
  • Texas A&M center Tyler Davis will declare for the draft without hiring an agent, Jonathan Givony of ESPN says (via Twitter). The junior isn’t projected to be taken in early mock drafts.
  • Sophomore guard Landry Shamet will forgo his final two years at Wichita State in order to declare for the NBA draft, the guard announced on Instagram. According to Taylor Eldridge of The Wichita Eagle, Shamet does intend to sign an agent.
  • Rutgers point guard Corey Sanders will enter the NBA draft once again, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. While the junior intends to sign an agent, James Kratch of NJ.com writes that the guard may not be eligible to return to college even if he decides against hiring representation. NBA rules only allow players to test the waters twice and Sanders did so after both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
  • Washington forward Noah Dickerson will declare for the NBA draft, according to his Instagram page. He doesn’t intend to hire an agent, Ryan Clark of The Tacoma News Tribune adds.

Draft Updates: C. Sanders, Rathan-Mayes, Kohs

Rutgers guard Corey Sanders has decided to test the draft waters without hiring an agent, the school announced today in a press release. “We support Corey’s choice to enter his name into consideration for the draft,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said in a statement. “The evaluation process will provide valuable information. It is in everyone’s best interest that he makes a thorough and informed decision about his future.”

Here’s more draft-related news:

  • Florida State guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes announced today in a statement that he’ll enter the 2017 NBA draft, and it doesn’t sound as if he’s planning to return to the Seminoles for his senior year. The 22-year-old, who tested the draft waters a year ago, ranks as the 37th-best junior on DraftExpress’s list.
  • La Salle forward B.J. Johnson will test the draft waters without hiring an agent, tweets Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Johnson isn’t considered likely to be drafted, but had a solid junior year for La Salle, averaging 17.6 PPG and 6.3 RPG.
  • Nineteen-year-old Latvian forward Verners Kohs will apply for the draft as an early-entry candidate, according to agent Arturs Kalnitis (via Twitter). So far, most of the early-entry news we’ve heard has involved NCAA underclassmen, but more international players figure to follow Kohs’ lead in the coming weeks.
  • Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has published a new mock draft for The Vertical based on updated info on who’s in and out of 2017’s draft pool.