Southwest Notes: Castle, Ejiofor, Grizzlies’ Draft, Pelicans
Stephon Castle used some strategy to maneuver his way to the Spurs in the 2024 draft, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. San Antonio held the No. 4 pick, and Castle was intrigued by the chance to team his perimeter defensive skills with an elite rim protector like Victor Wembanyama,
“I was just looking on the defensive side of things (in San Antonio), where being able to pair with Victor was definitely a plus in my eyes,” Castle said. “I just thought it would have been a perfect fit, and I feel like it was.”
To reach the Spurs, Castle had to get past the Rockets, who held the third pick. Castle was aware of coach Ime Udoka‘s interest in him, but preferred not to join a team with a veteran point guard already in place. Houston had Fred VanVleet, so Castle opted against holding a private workout with the Rockets. The strategy worked, as Houston selected Reed Sheppard, and Castle went on to win Rookie of the Year honors and become a fixture on a young team that’s already in the NBA Finals.
“I think being (in San Antonio) was always number one on my list,” Castle added. “Internally, I always felt like I was the best player in that draft. (But) I didn’t know what could happen. My agent always told me, like, anything can happen in a draft. Like, you could not work out for a team, not have talked to a team, and they can still take you. So, I mean, I wasn’t really planning on playing in Houston. I didn’t really know how any of that worked. I was kind of hoping I could slide my way to San Antonio. It kind of worked out for me.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor will have a pre-draft workout with the Spurs on Thursday, according to Adam Zagoria (Twitter link). San Antonio holds the 20th pick, which falls within Ejiofor’s projected draft range.
- Cameron Boozer appears headed to the Grizzlies with the third pick, and the team may try to find Ja Morant‘s eventual replacement at No. 16, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal states in a subscriber-only story. Cole examines the fit for Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, Alabama’s Labaron Philon, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie.
- The Pelicans are hiring David Cosgrave as vice president of health and performance and Joe Sharpe as head athletic trainer, states Rod Walker of NOLA. “David Cosgrave and Joe Sharpe bring a level of professionalism and experience that immediately strengthens our organization and supports our commitment to build a fully integrated, best-in-class medical and performance team,” executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement.
- Scoop Jardine announced that he’ll be joining the Pelicans as a “global director scout” (Instagram link). The former Syracuse standout spent time playing in the G League and in Canada before moving into coaching at the high school level.
NBA Invites 14 Prospects To Draft Green Room
A total of 14 draft-eligible players have been invited to the NBA’s green room for the 2026 draft so far, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the first round of invitations was sent out on Tuesday.
The 14 prospects who have been invited to the green room are as follows, sorted by their rank on ESPN’s big board:
AJ Dybantsa (BYU)- Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
- Cameron Boozer (Duke)
- Caleb Wilson (UNC)
- Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
- Darius Acuff (Arkansas)
- Mikel Brown (Louisville)
- Kingston Flemings (Houston)
- Nate Ament (Tennessee)
- Aday Mara (Michigan)
- Brayden Burries (Arizona)
- Karim Lopez (Mexico)
- Labaron Philon (Alabama)
- Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
A pair of Mara’s former Wolverines teammates, Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 12) and Morez Johnson (No. 14), are the only players ranked in the lottery on ESPN’s board who have yet to be invited to the green room. However, it seems safe to assume their invitations are still coming — the league typically sends out those invites in two or three waves.
The players invited to the green room can typically feel pretty confident about their chances to be first-round picks, since the league only decides who to invite after asking teams to vote on the 25 prospects whom they expect to come off the board first. Still, it’s not always a lock. In 2024, for instance, green room invitees Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy had to wait until the second day of the draft to hear their names called.
In 2025, all 24 prospects who were invited to the green room by the NBA for the first day of the draft were among the 30 first-round picks. The league subsequently invited 12 more players to be in the green room for the second round a day later.
Bucks Notes: Giannis, Accountability, Prospects, Offseason
Giannis Antetokounmpo played a career-low 36 games due to a variety of injuries in 2025/26. However, the Bucks superstar says he’s feeling healthy and spry in his first extended offseason in several years, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscriber link).
Antetokounmpo, 31, says he’s particularly excited about being able to work on developing his skills over the next few months until training camps begin in the fall.
“I’ve seen the difference, which I’m very excited for,” he said. “Because this is going to be the first year in my career that I’m going to go from January, pretty much, until October, fully healthy. I can work on whatever I want. All the skills that I want. I can make mistakes. It’s May. Nobody’s in the gym with me. There’s no crowds. There’s no media. I can fail many times and I can just get up and pat myself on the back and come back the next day and try to be better.”
While Antetokounmpo is hoping to recapture his MVP-level form next season, he admitted he wasn’t sure which team he’ll be on, simply saying, “We’ll see.” But the nine-time All-NBA forward did say he’s using external doubts about his health and/or game as motivational fuel, Owczarski writes.
“I feel good. I feel really good,” Antetokounmpo said, his voice rising a pitch. “And I love when people doubt me. I love it. I want more doubt. Everybody on your social media; follow me on that stuff and talk [expletive] to me all year long. All summer, all offseason. That’s all I want to see. I want to see doubt. No compliments.
“Tell me how much I suck and I didn’t make the playoffs and I’m not good at that or I’m not good at this. Just keep on putting gasoline in the fire and just keep on adding to that. That’s what I love. I love when people don’t believe in me. And when I come [back] I’ll do what I’m supposed to do.”
Here’s more from Milwaukee:
- Center Myles Turner raised some eyebrows recently when he claimed ex-head coach Doc Rivers didn’t fine any Bucks players for being late to team activities. Turner also singled out Antetokounmpo as his teammate most likely to be tardy for those activities. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, “accountability” was a talking point during the press conference to introduce new head coach Taylor Jenkins, and that theme continued this week during combine interviews with prospects. Milwaukee controls the 10th pick in June’s draft. “I had a really good conversation with them and Coach Jenkins,” projected lottery pick Mikel Brown said. “He’s just talking about the stuff that I can work on, right? They know what I’m capable of, and they know the strengths that I have. It’s really just about trying to key in on the stuff that I could be better on. And I can appreciate that, because I love to be coached hard. I appreciate being held accountable, right? I love that type of coaching, and that’s how I’ve been raised all my life, and every single coach that I’ve played for has done that and got me to this point. So I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
- Darius Acuff, Nate Ament, Brayden Burries, Cameron Carr, Chris Cenac, Aday Mara, Labaron Philon and Keaton Wagler are among the other prospects who confirmed to The Athletic that they’d spoken to the Bucks, Nehm adds.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Bucks’ offseason, writing that determining whether to trade or keep Antetokounmpo is the clear top priority in Milwaukee, but there are other roster moves to consider as well. Smith expects Kevin Porter Jr. to decline his $5.4MM player option in search of a more lucrative contract in free agency, predicting that the 26-year-old will return to the Bucks on a new multiyear deal in the range of $12-16MM annually. Smith also thinks restricted free agent Ousmane Dieng is a good bet to return, and suggests signing the French forward to a multiyear deal worth around $10MM per year would be a reasonable contract for both sides.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Marks, Jenkins, Heat, Magic
Sunday’s draft lottery was disastrous for the Nets, who fell from third in the pre-lottery order — tied with three other teams for the best chance at landing No. 1 — to sixth overall. Several reporters described owner Joe Tsai, Brooklyn’s drawing room representative, as appearing “despondent” after the drawing occurred.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link), the onus is on general manager Sean Marks to figure out a way to make the best of the situation after Brooklyn dropped in last year’s lottery as well, falling from sixth to eighth and selecting Egor Demin.
Two league sources told Lewis the Nets will look to move up from sixth, but it remains to be seen how that will play out. Rival executives believe the Clippers could be open to moving down from No. 5, Lewis adds.
While Marks said the Nets would be “opportunistic” and “look at everything” regarding the possibility of moving up, he wasn’t sure that landing at sixth would necessarily make the team more aggressive on the trade market.
“Hard to tell. It’s all about how these guys develop,” Marks said, per Lewis. “I don’t think you want to make rash decisions before you’ve seen how they look. We all know there’s a group in this draft that could be game-changers; but I said could be because you never know. You get whether it’s six months from now or two years from now and there’s always surprises.
“So every draft there’s a guy who people didn’t quite expect to be [that good] if you do the redraft. So for us, it’ll be still about having patience. But at the end of the day, we’ve got optionality. We’ve maintained flexibility, we’ve got the cap space and assets. So the word would be opportunistic.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Taylor Jenkins received a six-year contract when he was hired to be the head coach of the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports within his story about Milwaukee seeking trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jenkins was considered the top coaching candidate on the market, Charania writes.
- The Heat stayed at No. 13 in the draft lottery, which was their most likely outcome. If they keep the pick instead of trading it, who will they select? Three of the four mock drafts that were updated on Sunday had Miami selecting Alabama guard Labaron Philon, with Arizona guard Brayden Burries, Mexican forward Karim Lopez, Michigan big men Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson, Washington center Hannes Steinbach, and Houston big man Chris Cenac among the other prospects projected to go in that range, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
- Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said last week that the team would evaluate “everything” that led to a disappointing season, including injuries being a factor in the team’s first-round loss to Detroit, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “We look at everything,” Weltman said. “There’s nothing from scouting to analytics to performance to medical that we don’t turn over every rock over the summer. We’ll have deep-dive evaluations on everything.”
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Wizards, Mocks, Jazz, Tanner, More
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has been the prospect most frequently cited as the frontrunner to go No. 1 overall, and he reacted to the Wizards landing the top pick at the draft lottery, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
“Obviously I’ve been betting on myself for a little while to be a No. 1 pick,” Dybantsa said. “So initially just thinking like how I would fit into the team. I think I’m pretty versatile, adaptable, so I think I can play anywhere.”
Asked about what he knew about Washington, D.C., Dybantsa said he “knew a little bit.”
“The Jordan Brand Classic was there last year,” the 6’9″ forward said. “I got to tour their facility a little bit. I know a couple of their players. Tre Johnson, played against him at length (in high school/AAU). I’ve been watching AD (Anthony Davis) for a long, long time. Trae Young, even when he was at Oklahoma. So I know a couple of guys there.”
An anonymous NBA general manager told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 that he thinks the Wizards will end up taking Dybantsa (Twitter link).
“I don’t they can take the risk with (Darryn) Peterson even though I think his upside is even higher than Dybantsa,” the GM said. “I think Washington will go with Dybantsa because it’s a safer pick and they can’t afford to screw this up.”
Monumental basketball president Michael Winger, who was the Wizards’ lottery-drawing representative, released a statement after Washington won the lottery.
“Today is another encouraging day for Wizards fans and our entire organization,” said Winger. “To choose first among this inspiring group of athletes is a welcomed opportunity, and challenge, for our group. We look forward to adding another high performing young player to our ascending team.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Just like in the recent mocks from ESPN and Yahoo Sports, Dybantsa goes No. 1 overall to the Wizards in the updated 2026 mock drafts from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The mocks from Vecenie and Wasserman are actually identical for the first nine picks, with Peterson (Jazz), Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (Bulls), Keaton Wagler (Clippers), Darius Acuff (Nets), Kingston Flemings (Kings), Mikel Brown (Hawks) and Brayden Burries (Mavericks) selected two through nine. Vecenie is a little lower on New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez than other evaluators. Vecenie has Lopez going 20th to the Spurs, while Wasserman has him at 10th (Bucks). Interestingly, all four mocks have the Thunder taking Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 12 and three of the four have the Heat selecting Labaron Philon at No. 13, while two have the Bulls drafting Jayden Quaintance at No. 15.
- The Jazz moved up in the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune, who thinks the future is looking bright in Utah after the team added Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline to a core featuring Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and restricted free agent Walker Kessler. The Jazz will be selecting second overall, up from fourth in the pre-lottery odds. “It feels great, a big relief,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “It’s a really important tool for us to help build this winning team. So, couldn’t be more happy.” Ainge told the Deseret News it would be easier selecting second than fifth or seventh. “For sure, a lot easier,” Ainge said. “We just have to figure out who believe is No. 1 and No. 2… It’s much easier, but we still have to get it right.”
- Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, who is testing the draft waters, tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link) he’ll be competing in the scrimmages at this week’s combine as he looks to boost his stock. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stay in the draft. I’m not running from anything. I love to play,” Tanner said. The sophomore guard said he’s focused on getting drafted “as high as I can,” addressed his size (he’s listed at 6’0″) being a perceived weakness, and listed his goal during the pre-draft process (All Twitter links). “My goal is to play in the NBA. Always has been since I was a kid,” Tanner told Givony. “I’m fully focused on making it. This is another opportunity to show what I can do. The way I make those around me better and raise the level of my teammates. I’ve always built my game on that.”
- One GM told Goodman he doesn’t think there’s much difference between the first and ninth picks in what’s viewed as a deep class (Twitter link). “I don’t see much disparity from No. 1 to the No. 8 or 9 pick,” the GM told the Field of 68. “I think the No. 3 or 4 pick may be the best because you won’t get crucified for not taking Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Wilson down the line. The decision will be made for you.”
NBA Announces 73 Invitees For 2026 Draft Combine
The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 73 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 10-17.
In addition to those 73 players, a handful of standout players from the G League combine, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.
Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2026 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.
College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 27 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 13. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.
Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2026 draft combine:
(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona (senior)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA (senior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
- Kylan Boswell, G, Illinois (senior)
- Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin (senior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (senior)
- Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (senior)
- Maliq Brown, F, Duke (senior)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville (senior)
- Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
- AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
- Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Keyshawn Hall, G/F, Auburn (senior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State (senior)
- Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
- Alex Karaban, F, UConn (senior)
- Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Toibu Lawal, F, Virginia Tech (senior)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan (senior)
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
- Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
- Nick Martinelli, F, Northwestern (senior)
- Baba Miller, F/C, Cincinnati (senior)
- Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Izaiyah Nelson, F, South Florida (senior)
- Tyler Nickel, F, Vanderbilt (senior)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee (senior)
- Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia (senior)
- Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (senior)
- Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tarris Reed, C, UConn (senior)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Richie Saunders, G, BYU (senior)
- Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston (senior)
- Braden Smith, G, Purdue (senior)
- Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
- Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (senior)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Peter Suder, G, Miami (OH) (senior)
- Luigi Suigo, C, Serbia (born 2007)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (senior)
- Milos Uzan, G, Houston (senior)
- Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
- Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:
- A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child). That player would be required to complete combine activities at a later date.
- Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
- Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
Christian Anderson, Labaron Philon Among Prospects Entering Draft
Texas Tech sophomore point guard Christian Anderson is declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, agent Aaron Mintz tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Anderson, who turned 20 last Thursday, played a whopping 38.4 minutes per game in 33 starts for the Red Raiders this season and enjoyed a breakout season, claiming a spot on the All-Big 12 first team and being named the conference’s Most Improved Player. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, with a strong shooting line of .472/.415/.805.
Anderson currently ranks 19th on ESPN’s big board for the 2026 draft, with Jeremy Woo writing in last month’s mock draft that NBA evaluators like Anderson’s “well-rounded” game, including his ability to play both on and off the ball.
Here are a few more of the latest draft decisions from NCAA prospects:
- Another breakout sophomore, Alabama guard Labaron Philon, is entering the draft pool, he announced on Instagram. Philon, the No. 21 prospect on ESPN’s board, more than doubled his scoring average, from 10.6 PPG as a freshman to 22.0 PPG in 2025/26. He also contributed 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game, making 50.1% of his shots from the floor and 39.9% of his three-pointers. Philon has improved his draft stock after testing the waters and unexpectedly withdrawing a year ago.
- Texas junior wing Dailyn Swain is declaring for the draft, his agents at WME Basketball tell Givony (Twitter link). After transferring from Xavier to the Longhorns for the 2025/26 season, Swain emerged as an All-SEC second-teamer, scoring 17.3 PPG on 54.2% shooting to go along with 7.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.6 SPG. The 6’8″ swingman is viewed as a potential first-round pick, coming in at No. 29 on ESPN’s board.
- Wisconsin guard John Blackwell will test the draft waters on the heels of a big junior year that saw him make the All-Big Ten third team, he told Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Twitter link). Blackwell, the No. 65 prospect on ESPN’s board, isn’t a lock to be drafted and has also entered the transfer portal, so he may be playing for a new school if he returns to college for his senior season.
- Kentucky center Malachi Moreno, who started 30 games for the Wildcats as a freshman, is testing the draft waters this spring, agent George S. Langberg tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes per contest across 36 total outings in 2025/26. If he decides not to go pro, the plan is for him to return to Kentucky, Chepkevich notes.
Draft Notes: 2026 Mock, Big Board, Yessoufou, More
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson goes No. 1 overall in the first 2026 mock draft conducted by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Peterson, BYU wing AJ Dybantsa (No. 2 in the mock) and Duke power forward Cameron Boozer (No. 3) are widely viewed as the top three prospects in the 2026 class, and Vecenie views each player as having star-level upside on the same level as 2025’s top pick, Cooper Flagg.
While NBA teams are eager to land Peterson, Dybantsa or Boozer, the overall depth of the class is somewhat shaky, according to Vecenie, who says prospects currently in the Nos. 4-16 range all have at least one question mark scouts want answered during the season.
There’s also a significant amount of variability beginning at No. 17 (Florida’s Thomas Haugh), Vecenie writes, and it’s possible players currently mocked outside of the lottery could move up — or they may not even be drafted next June.
As Vecenie details, the 2027 draft class is viewed as being considerably weaker than 2026, which could lead to more NBA teams tanking down the stretch of 2025/26 to try and acquire one of the top prospects, particularly if a few players rise up draft boards in the spring, which seems to happen every year.
It’s only November, but four Houston Cougars — Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 6, Isiah Harwell at No. 18, Joseph Tugler at No. 21, and Milos Uzan at No. 27 — go in the first round of Vecenie’s mock.
Here are some more notes on the 2026 draft class:
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com has released his first big board for 2026, ranking the top 100 prospects. The first four players (Tennessee forward Nate Ament is No. 4) are in the same order as Vecenie’s mock, but there’s a major difference in evaluation starting at No. 5 — Woo has North Carolina big man Caleb Wilson at that spot, while Vecenie has the freshman forward going No. 16. Duke forward Dame Sarr (No. 10 on Woo’s board, No. 25 in Vecenie’s mock), New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez (No. 11 at ESPN, No. 24 at The Athletic), Alabama guard Labaron Philon (No. 18 for Woo, No. 10 for Vecenie), Arkansas wing Karter Knox (No. 38 for ESPN, No. 19 for The Athletic), Harwell (No. 45 on Woo’s board) and Uzan (No. 55 on ESPN) are among the other players rated quite differently between ESPN’s big board and The Athletic’s mock.
- Baylor guard/forward Tounde Yessoufou, who goes ninth overall in Vecenie’s mock and is ranked 13th on Woo’s board, is expected to become the first player born in the West African country of Benin to make the NBA, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “What makes him a little different than some of the other freshmen we’ve had here is he’s very similar to [San Antonio Spurs forward] Jeremy Sochan, a great defender who could guard multiple positions,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said of Tounde, who is 6’5″ and 215 pounds. “Tounde is somebody physically that can guard multiple positions and wants to be an elite defender and is a tremendous rebounder for his size. That makes him a little different from the other people in his draft class. He has a little more physicality to him than some of the guys we’ve had in recent years because he’s bigger, stronger.”
- Jeff Borezllo and Woo of ESPN list the 10 college teams with the most NBA prospects, with Duke (five players in the top 34 of Woo’s board) at No. 1 and Houston No. 2.
Labaron Philon Withdraws From Draft, Returning To Alabama
Labaron Philon was among the prospects to withdraw from the NBA draft ahead of Wednesday’s deadline for early entrants to remove their names and retain their NCAA eligibility. The Alabama guard, who will return to the Crimson Tide for the 2025/26 season, announced the news on Instagram.
The 11th-hour reversal comes as a surprise, since Philon stated two weeks ago that he was “all-in on the draft,” with reporting at the time indicating that he had informed Alabama head coach Nate Oats that he wouldn’t be returning to the program.
It’s great news for the Crimson Tide, allowing the program to retain a player who emerged as a starter in his first college season and earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team. Philon averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 24.7 minutes per game across 37 outings (29 starts) in 2024/25, with a shooting line of .452/.315/.767.
Philon was projected to be the No. 33 overall pick in ESPN’s most recent mock draft and was viewed as a borderline first-round pick. Rather than take his chances this spring, he’ll look to boost his draft stock at Alabama in ’25/26 and could declare as an early entrant again next year if his odds of becoming a first-rounder have improved.
Notre Dame big man Kebba Njie was also among the other prospects who withdrew from the draft ahead of Wednesday’s deadline, notes Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Njie will rejoin the Fighting Irish for his senior year after averaging 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game as a junior.
We’ve updated our early entrant tracker with all of the latest updates on college players’ draft decisions.
There are a few cases where a player’s intent has not yet been fully confirmed — for example, Montana guard Money Williams announced in late March that he would be returning to the Grizzlies for the 2025/26 season, but he still went through the draft process and there have been no updates since then confirming that he has removed his name from the pool. So until we get official word one way or the other, we’re keeping him in the “testing the waters” section of our tracker rather than assuming he has withdrawn.
The NBA typically provides an update shortly after the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline passes on which players have pulled out of the draft, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for that in the coming days.
The next major draft-related deadline to watch is on June 15, which is the NBA’s own withdrawal deadline. It applies primarily to international prospects who didn’t have to worry about Wednesday’s NCAA cutoff.
Draft Notes: Sorber, Bryant, Powell, Philon, More
In an interview with college basketball reporter Andy Katz (Twitter video link), Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber said he has made up his mind to keep his name in the NBA draft.
Sorber maintained his eligibility when he declared for the draft in late March. He’ll have to miss much of the pre-draft process because he’s still recovering after undergoing foot surgery in February. That led to speculation that Sorber might opt for another year of college basketball, but he tells Katz that he’s “all in” when it comes to the draft.
Sorber also provided an update on his medical status, saying that doctors expect him to be ready to resume playing in late July or early August.
Sorber is ranked 23rd on ESPN’s big board and seems likely to be selected somewhere in the latter part of the first round. He wasn’t considered a sure-fire first-round pick when he arrived at Georgetown, but he boosted his status with a strong freshman season, averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks in 24 games before the injury.
“I think I showed a lot of toughness, like at an early part of my Georgetown career,” Sorber said. “I showed a lot of fight. I was able to show how I was able to read the game. That’s what a lot of teams said. And my ability to play out on defense, my ability to block shots, read screens, tighter drop or switch. They just like my quick thinking, honestly.”
We have updates on several other draft prospects:
- Arizona guard Carter Bryant has also decided to stay in the draft, telling ESPN’s Jeff Borzello (Twitter link), “I’m completely in.” Bryant saw limited playing time with the Wildcats during his freshman season, but his defensive prowess and outside shooting have him projected as a potential lottery pick in several mock drafts. He’s listed as the 18th-best prospect by ESPN.
- Borzello also reports that North Carolina guard Drake Powell, who posted outstanding numbers in his athletic tests at the combine, will remain in the draft (Twitter link). “All-in on the draft. Door’s closed,” said Powell, who’s 32nd in ESPN’s rankings. “(Coach) Hubert Davis has been very supportive during this process. I’ve known him for a long time … and he’s just happy for me.”
- Alabama guard Labaron Philon will also keep his name in the draft, Borzello states in a full story. Philon, who’s 43rd on ESPN’s list, said he’s “all-in on the draft” and has already informed coach Nate Oats.
- Former Washington State guard Cedric Coward, who plans to transfer to Duke if he remains in college, and Florida big man Alex Condon will both gauge their feedback at the combine before making final decisions, according to Borzello.
- Yaxel Lendeborg, who’s transferring from UAB to Michigan, is “pretty even” about staying in the draft or not, Borzello adds. Lendeborg hopes to be a top-20 pick and said his decision will become easier if he doesn’t feel like he’s in that range.
- Houston’s Milos Uzan told reporters at the combine that he’s “all-in on the draft,” but Borzello states that coach Kelvin Sampson is giving all his players the option to return if they don’t like their projected draft status.
- Tahaad Pettiford is one of the top players taking part in the combine scrimmages, and Borzello views him as a player on the rise. The Auburn point guard, who’s ranked 38th by ESPN, said he would like to receive a first-round guarantee before making a final decision.