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Jamal Shead

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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And-Ones: LeBron, Bronny, Draft, Stephenson, Cap Space

February 27th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James was unhappy that son Bronny James was removed from ESPN’s 2024 draft projections and instead placed in a 2025 mock draft, according to Alex Andrejev and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. The ESPN story had the younger James going in the second round in 2025.

“Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” LeBron wrote in since-deleted posts on social media, adding, “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”

LeBron has often stated he wanted to stay in the league long enough to play with his son. Bronny, a freshman at USC, is averaging a modest 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game through 19 contests and is no longer considered a lock to be a one-and-done prospect.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Speaking of this year’s draft class, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo address a number of topics, including the potential of UConn’s Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, Houston’s Jamal Shead and Weber State’s Dillon Jones.
  • Lance Stephenson, 10-year NBA veteran, is currently playing for the NBA G League’s Iowa Wolves. Stephenson feels he could help an NBA team in numerous ways if given a chance to play in the league again. “Leadership. Definitely, helping young guys. Winning mentality, just that edge on the defensive end,” Stephenson told Sam Yip of Hoops Hype. “A lot of teams need help with defense, especially during the playoffs. Tough guys that can play defense and lock down and win games. I can bring any edge that a coach needs.”
  • Several teams could have major cap space this summer, with the Sixers, Pistons, Raptors and Magic well-positioned to do some major spending. Hoops Hype’s Mark Deeks breaks down what every team’s cap situation will look like when the offseason arrives.
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Draft Decisions: A. Jackson, Edey, Beekman, More

May 31st, 2023 at 11:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andre Jackson Jr., who helped lead Connecticut to a national title, has opted to keep his name in the draft rather than return to the Huskies for another season, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jackson is projected to be taken late in the first round or early in the second round, Wojnarowski adds. The junior shooting guard ranks 32nd on ESPN’s big board and is projected to go to the Pacers with the 32nd pick in the latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

“My time at UCONN has been filled with ups and downs but through it all I built relationships with my teammates, coaches, friends and fans that will last forever,” Jackson wrote in a Twitter post. “I’ve made so many memories playing in that jersey and I will miss it. But I’ll always be a husky. Thank you.”

Jackson averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals in six tournament games and was believed to have raised his draft stock significantly, although questions remain about his outside shooting. He took part in the draft combine and went through individual workouts with several teams, including the Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Pacers and Trail Blazers, according to Wojnarowski.

Dozens of draft decisions were announced Wednesday ahead of the 11:59 pm EDT deadline to return to school without losing eligibility. Most late deciders opted to pull out of the draft, but a few prominent names will remain in the pool. They are:

National Player of the Year Zach Edey will withdraw from the draft and return to Purdue for another year, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The 7’4″ center averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds as a junior while shooting 60.7% from the field. Even so, his draft status wasn’t certain as he’s No. 47 in the ESPN rankings.

Another prominent player pulling out of the draft is Virginia’s Reece Beekman, the ACC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Givony reports. Beekman hopes to boost his draft stock for 2024 after coming in at 43rd in ESPN’s rankings. “I’ve decided to go back to UVA to work towards being a first-round draft pick next year and finish my degree,” he said.

Here are some more players who decided late Wednesday to take their names out of the draft:

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Draft Notes: Hawkins, Shead, Lawrence, Sharavjamts, Powell, Mitchell

March 28th, 2023 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Illinois power forward Coleman Hawkins will enter the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his remaining NCAA eligibility, he tells Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today.

Hawkins is currently the No. 49 prospect on ESPN’s big board, so he’s a good candidate to be drafted if he doesn’t return to school. However, he’s undecided about going pro, telling Rothstein that he likes the idea of contending for an NCAA championship.

“I want to be on a roster that has a chance to do something big — win a national title,” Hawkins said. “I hope if I do come back that we will have a more veteran team and a chance of being a really great team.”

Hawkins became a full-time starter in his junior season, averaging 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per contest (33 games).

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • Houston guard Jamal Shead will test the NBA draft waters, he tells Jon Chepkevich of Rookie Scale (Twitter link). Shead averaged 10.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.0 RPG in 37 games (32.6 MPG) as the Cougars’ starting point guard in his junior year. His shooting percentages (.415 FG%, .310 3PT%) weren’t strong, but they did represent an improvement on his numbers as a sophomore. He was also the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, as Chepkevich notes.
  • Vanderbilt junior guard Tyrin Lawrence announced (via Twitter) that he’ll enter the draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Lawrence was Vanderbilt’s second-leading scorer in 2022/23, averaging 13.1 PPG on .502/.360/.743 shooting.
  • Freshman forward Mike Sharavjamts won’t return to Dayton, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Sharavjamts could change schools via the NCAA’s transfer portal, but for now he’s focusing on professional opportunities and has signed with NCAA-certified agent Scott Nichols, according to Givony.
  • Givony also reports (via Twitter) that Washington State junior guard Justin Powell will enter the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Powell has already played for three college programs, having been with Auburn as a freshman and Tennessee as a sophomore. He knocked down an impressive 42.6% of his three-pointers in 2022/23.
  • Kansas City senior guard Rayquawndis Mitchell will test the draft waters, he announced on Twitter. Mitchell made the All-Summit team this spring by averaging 17.3 PPG in 32 games (35.5 MPG), though he shot just 34.5% from the floor.
  • In the introduction of his latest mock draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic writes that NBA teams are “all over the map” on many of the players in this year’s class, making the draft difficult to forecast, especially beyond the top 11 or so players. NBA teams are eager to see many top NCAA prospects in workouts and interviews to better assess them, Vecenie adds.
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