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Draft Notes: Shead, Bona, K. Jones, Mock

April 11th, 2024 at 4:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Houston senior Jamal Shead is entering the 2024 NBA draft and forgoing his final year of college eligibility, he told Chancellor Johnson of KPRC 2.

The 2023/24 Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, the 6’1″ point guard was also named to the All-America First Team after leading the Cougars to a 32-5 record. Shead sustained an ankle injury in Houston’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke, which ended the team’s season.

Shead is ranked No. 61 on ESPN’s big board, making him a potential second-round pick. Jonathan Givony of ESPN describes Shead as an exceptional defender, leader and strong floor general, but there are questions about his relatively diminutive stature (by NBA standards) and jump shot.

In 37 games this season (31.1 MPG), Shead averaged 12.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.3 APG and 2.2 SPG on .409/.309/.779 shooting.

Here are a few more notes regarding June’s draft:

  • UCLA sophomore big man Adem Bona is expected to declare for the draft and is “unlikely to return to college,” a source tells Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (Twitter link). A Nigerian forward/center, Bona is another possible second-rounder, currently ranked No. 50 on ESPN’s list. He was the 2023/24 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 12.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.8 BPG in 33 games for the Bruins (26.5 MPG).
  • Guard Kameron Jones, who is ranked No. 67 on ESPN’s board, has decided to return to Marquette for his senior season, he announced on Twitter. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic says (via Twitter) Jones should be the Big East’s preseason Player of the Year next season, writing that he had a top-50 grade for Jones this year.
  • Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports recently released her latest mock draft for 2024, with some noteworthy differences compared to ESPN’s rankings. For instance, she has UConn’s Stephon Castle, who is No. 9 on ESPN’s board, going No. 3 to Charlotte. Peek is also high on Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, who goes No. 27 to Utah. Holmes is No. 53 on ESPN’s list.
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Lakers Notes: LeBron, Offseason, Kyrie, Prospects

May 25th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Lakers small forward LeBron James surprised the basketball world at large on Monday when he suggested he would be contemplating retirement this offseason.

Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that he believes the 19-time All-Star will stick around at least a while longer.

“My sense is LeBron could have two years left remaining in his his career,” Charania said. “… There’s certainly an expectation that he’s gonna continue playing, he’s got two years left on his Lakers deal. … It would be a true surprise if he really did actually retire.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

  • The Lakers only have three guaranteed contracts on their books for 2023/24. Multiple league executives spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com about what Los Angeles might decide to do this offseason in terms of roster construction. The team has a player option on swingman Malik Beasley, which one executive expects the club to pick up. “He can be a contributor, really on any team,” they said. “The expectation is they’ll keep him. He can be a good trade piece if you need one. It’s just, if the tax is a big worry, he’d be the easy piece to move off of.” Following some big playoff games essentially in Beasley’s stead, unrestricted free agent Lonnie Walker IV may get more money elsewhere, another executive speculates. “I can’t see how they can pay him, he is probably a goner,” the exec said.
  • James’ former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving, now an unrestricted free agent, has long been seen as a potential fit for Los Angeles. Jason Lloyd and Jon Greenberg of The Athletic weigh the pros and cons of adding an erratic, controversial talent of Irving’s caliber and price tag.
  • The Lakers, possessors of the Nos. 17 and 47 picks in this year’s draft, will work out six young prospects on Friday, headlined by G League Ignite small forward Leonard Miller, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Virginia guard Kihei Clark, Kentucky forward Chris Livingston, Pepperdine forward Maxwell Lewis, Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II, and Baylor guard Adam Flagler round out the invitees.
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Nets Notes: Bridges, C. Jones, Kalkbrenner, Holmes, Bates

May 20th, 2023 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

There has been speculation that Nets forward Mikal Bridges will be a target for the Trail Blazers if and when they shop the No. 3 overall pick, but John Hollinger of The Athletic is skeptical that a deal centered around that pick would appeal to Brooklyn.

As Hollinger points out, the Nets don’t control their own first-rounders in any of the next four drafts, so they have little incentive to take a step back in the short term. Plus, Bridges is signed to one of the NBA’s most team-friendly contracts through the 2025/26 season.

Alex Schiffer of The Athletic (Twitter link) says he has heard the same thing as Hollinger at the draft combine in Chicago. According to Schiffer, any rumors linking Bridges to Portland are “all talk,” since Brooklyn isn’t interested.

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • Many prospects in this year’s draft class have cited Bridges as a player they want to emulate at the NBA level, according to Schiffer. Iowa’s Kris Murray, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Pepperdine’s Maxwell Lewis, and Frenchman Rayan Rupert are among the prospects who likened themselves to Bridges. “I want to have the same trajectory and same process he did,” Rupert said. “Mikal Bridges is a big inspiration for me.”
  • Xavier guard Colby Jones told Schiffer that he’s scheduled to work out for the Nets in the coming weeks. Jones is the No. 28 prospect on ESPN’s big board, while Brooklyn owns the Nos. 21 and 22 picks in next month’s draft.
  • Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II are among the draft prospects who worked out for the Nets prior to the draft combine, Schiffer writes for The Athletic. Kalkbrenner, who has also auditioned for the Bulls, said that his session with Brooklyn went well, but Holmes wasn’t as positive about his workout in Brooklyn. “I didn’t do too well, I feel like, at the Nets,” Holmes said. “I feel like I could have stepped it up a bit, but it was good to learn. Great players there.”
  • Former five-star recruit Emoni Bates has been linked to the Nets and said he’ll work out for them at some point in the coming weeks, according to Schiffer. An Eastern Michigan forward, Bates added that he also has workouts lined up with the Thunder, Suns, Cavaliers, Blazers, and Pistons.
  • In case you missed it, Ben Simmons‘ agent said earlier this week that the former No. 1 overall pick is “progressing really well” in his injury rehab process. We have more details here.
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NBA Reveals Players Expected At 2023 Draft Combine

May 9th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has announced 78 players that are expected to attend this year’s draft combine, scheduled for May 15-21 at in Chicago, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which takes place May 13-14 in Chicago, will be invited to participate in the combine.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five scrimmages, as well as shooting, strength and agility drills. Some top prospects opt out of the scrimmages.

Victor Wembanyama, the projected top pick, is not on the list. His French League season is still ongoing.

The list of invitees is as follows:

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Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II Among Final Draft Early Entrants

April 24th, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II was among the players who declared for the 2023 NBA draft ahead of Sunday’s deadline, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Holmes will be maintaining his remaining college eligibility or going pro outright.

In 34 games as a sophomore in 2022/23, Holmes averaged 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Flyers. He is currently ranked No. 65 on ESPN’s big board, making him perhaps a borderline second-round pick.

Senegalese center Ousmane N’Diaye, who plays for a third division Spanish team (Grupo Eleyco Baskonia), and Spanish small forward Michael Caicedo, who plays for Covirán Granada of Spain’s top league (Liga ACB), have also entered the draft (Twitter links courtesy of Sigma Sports and Global Scouting). N’Diaye is ranked No. 59 on ESPN’s list, while Caicedo is No. 86.

Another possible second-rounder, Spanish point guard Juan Nunez, decided not to declare for the draft, according to Givony (Twitter link). The 18-year-old, who is ranked No. 60 on ESPN’s board, plays for German club Ratiopharm Ulm and is considered a talented passer. He could improve his stock and possibly be a first-round pick next year, Givony adds.

Here are a few more players who entered the draft before yesterday’s deadline:

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