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Olivier Nkamhoua

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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50 Prospects Reportedly Invited To G League Elite Camp

May 5th, 2023 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

A total of 50 prospects for the 2023 NBA draft have been invited to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of Forbes and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter links).

Those players are as follows:

The name of the G League Elite Camp is a bit of a misnomer — when first introduced, the event showcased NBAGL players, but the field of participants now consists exclusively of draft prospects. The event will take place on May 13 and 14 in Chicago, ahead of this year’s draft combine.

Like the combine, the Elite Camp brings young players to Chicago to meet NBA teams and participate in drills and scrimmages. While the combine focuses on the top prospects in a given draft class, the Elite Camp generally features prospects who are trying to break into that upper echelon of prospects but are more likely to go undrafted. The top performers at the event typically receive invites to the combine.

Of the 50 G League Elite Camp invitees, 15 show up on Jonathan Givony’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects at ESPN.com. However, no Elite Camp invitee ranks higher than No. 58 (Hart) on ESPN’s board.

The G League Elite Camp will give the invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 31. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.

Some NBA players who have participated in past G League Elite Camps include Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, Clippers guard Terance Mann, and Heat wing Max Strus.

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Duke’s Dereck Lively Among Draft’s Recent Early Entrants

April 4th, 2023 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Duke center Dereck Lively II announced on Tuesday that he’s entering his name in the 2023 NBA draft, confirming his decision in a video on Twitter. There’s no mention in Lively’s statement or a press release from the school about him preserving his remaining NCAA eligibility, so it sounds like he intends to go pro.

A 7’2″ center, Lively doesn’t have much of an offensive game, having averaged just 5.2 points in 20.6 minutes (34 games) during his first and only college season. However, his defensive upside is significant and he’s considered perhaps the best shot blocker in this year’s draft class, having averaged 2.4 BPG for the Blue Devils.

John Hollinger of The Athletic recently wrote that the floor spacing at the NBA level should give Lively more room to operate as a rim runner. He has shown some passing ability and the potential to make corner threes, according to Hollinger, so there’s reason to be hopeful that he could develop a passable offensive game to go along with his game-changing defense.

Lively is the No. 22 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

Here are more updates on early entrants declaring for the draft in recent days:

  • Indiana senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis will forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft, he announced on Instagram. A possible first-round pick, Jackson-Davis is the No. 31 prospect on ESPN’s board after an impressive 2022/23 season in which he averaged a double-double (20.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG) to go along with 4.0 APG and 2.9 BPG in 32 contests (34.5 MPG).
  • Arkansas junior guard Ricky Council IV has declared for the draft, making his announcement on Twitter. Based on his statement, it sounds like Council will forgo his remaining college eligibility. The No. 43 prospect on ESPN’s top 100, Council transferred to the Razorbacks after two years at Wichita State. His shooting percentages dipped a little in 2022/23, to 43.3% from the floor and 27.0% on threes, but he averaged 16.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.3 APG in 36 games (34.1 MPG) and has “an NBA-caliber frame and exceptional explosiveness,” per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
  • The following players are also entering the draft and will maintain their NCAA eligibility unless otherwise noted:
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