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Draft Notes: Lewis, Vogt, Drell, Williams, More

April 21st, 2020 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Alabama sophomore guard Kira Lewis has elected to keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft and will forgo his final two years of college eligibility, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Lewis, who will hire an agent, confirmed his decision to go pro in a Twitter video.

A point guard who ranks 25th overall on ESPN’s big board, Lewis averaged a team-high 18.5 PPG to go along with 5.2 APG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.8 SPG in 31 games (37.6 MPG) in 2019/20 for the Crimson Tide. Alabama head coach Nate Oats told reporters nearly a month ago that Lewis would test the draft waters, noting at the time that he didn’t expect the starting point guard to return to school for ’20/21.

We have a few more draft decisions to pass along:

  • Cincinnati center Chris Vogt announced today on Twitter that he intends to test the draft waters. After transferring from Northern Kentucky, Vogt averaged 11.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 30 games (28.5 MPG) as a junior.
  • Estonian swingman Henri Drell, who played for Italian team VL Pesaro this season, has declared for the NBA draft, his agency tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The 19-year-old, who also tested the draft waters a year ago, has previously played for teams in Estonia and Germany.
  • Evansville sophomore forward Deandre Williams has declared for the 2020 draft while entering the NCAA transfer portal, he tells Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype (video link). Williams recorded 15.2 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 18 games (27.1 MPG) in 2019/20.
  • VCU junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva, who previously entered the draft, has announced on Instagram that he’s transferring. While he didn’t explicitly say it, it sounds as if Santos-Silva will pull out of the draft process as he looks to play his senior season at a new program.
  • Former University of Sioux Falls commit Lincoln Bernhard, a 6’7″ wing, has entered the draft in the hopes of making a G League roster next season, he tells Hoops Rumors.
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Draft Decisions: S. Lewis, Armstrong, Camper, Santos-Silva, More

April 6th, 2020 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Florida freshman shooting guard Scottie Lewis had been considered a strong candidate to be drafted this spring, ranking 38th overall on ESPN’s big board. However, Lewis has opted not to declare for the draft, as he confirms to Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

“I was so stuck on going to the NBA when I got home, but then I thought long and hard about it and with all the uncertainty about the draft process, and if there will even be a combine and team workouts, I felt like it was the right move to go back to school,” Lewis told Stadium.

As Goodman details, Lewis got feedback from the NBA’s advisory committee, and while he was confident he’d be selected if he entered, he received a wide range of opinions on when exactly he might come off the board. With few opportunities during this year’s pre-draft process to boost his stock, Lewis has opted to play at least one more college season in the hopes of showing individual improvement and enjoying more team success.

“There’s so much more I think I can show, that we can show as a team,” Lewis said. “I want to leave a legacy at Florida. … I’m an optimistic person and no matter where I get drafted, I’m going to work my butt off. But with all this uncertainty, it was best for me to play it safe and put myself in a better position a year from now.”

Although Lewis isn’t entering his name in the 2020 NBA draft pool, several NCAA underclassmen are doing so. In addition to Kentucky guards Tyrese Maxey and Ashton Hagans, whose decisions we covered earlier today, here are some of the recent prospects who will at least test the draft waters:

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