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Draft Notes: Giddey, Pro Days, Combine, G League Elite Camp

June 12th, 2021 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Potential lottery pick Josh Giddey isn’t expected to attend the NBA draft combine in Chicago or any pre-draft workouts, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Instead, scouts will get a look at Giddey later this month when his Australian team travels to Las Vegas for exhibition games with Team USA, Spain, Nigeria and Argentina.

The 6’8″ shooting guard has been moving up draft boards and ranks No. 13 on ESPN’s latest list of prospects. Giddey, 18, played this season with the Adelaide 36ers and averaged 10.9 points, 7.1 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game.

There’s more draft news to pass along:

The NBA has scheduled 20 pro days for some of the top-rated players in the draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). They will take place from June 26-29 following the combine and will feature prospects such as Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Corey Kispert, James Bouknight, Greg Brown, Ayo Dosunmu, Charles Bassey, Max Abmas, Jaden Springer, and Jared Butler. Also tentatively scheduled for pro days are Trey Murphy, Josh Christopher, Marcus Bagley, Gabriele Procida, Johnny Juzang, Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, Aaron Henry, Herb Jones, Miles McBride, Santi Aldama and Zsombor Maronka (Twitter link).
German center Ariel Hukporti has received an invitation to the combine, Givony tweets. Hukporti, 19, played in Lithuania this season and is ranked 45th on ESPN’s big board. USC sophomore Isaiah Mobley has also been invited, Givony adds (via Twitter).
Duke shooting guard DJ Steward has been invited to take part in the combine as well, according to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Steward averaged 13 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a freshman with the Blue Devils.
Mac McClung has received an invitation to the G League Elite camp, according to Wasserman (Twitter link). The former Texas Tech guard will try to earn a spot in the combine. Haowen Guo of the Chinese national team has also been invited to the Elite camp, Givony tweets.

Duke’s Matthew Hurt, Others Declare For Draft

April 14th, 2021 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Duke sophomore power forward Matthew Hurt is declaring for the 2021 NBA draft and will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Although the Blue Devils didn’t have a great season, missing out on a spot in the NCAA tournament, Hurt was a bright spot. He averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 24 games (32.7 MPG), posting an impressive shooting line of .556/.444/.724.

Hurt’s performance earned him a spot on the All-ACC First Team, as well as the conference’s Most Improved Player award. He’s the No. 48 prospect on ESPN’s big board, making him a realistic candidate to be drafted in July.

Several more prospects who are part of ESPN’s top-100 list have also announced that they’re entering the draft. Here’s the latest:

Matthew Mayer, G/F, Baylor (junior): On the heels of winning national title, Mayer announced on Instagram that he’ll enter the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. The No. 53 prospect on ESPN’s board came off the bench again for the Bears in 2020/21, averaging 8.1 PPG with a .395 3PT%.
Santi Aldama, F, Loyola Maryland (sophomore): Aldama averaged a double-double (21.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG) with a .513/.368/.686 shooting line in 17 games (35.0 MPG) as a sophomore, earning All-Patriot League First Team honors. The No. 57 prospect on ESPN’s board, Aldama told Jonathan Givony that he’s testing the draft waters.
David Johnson, G, Louisville (sophomore): Johnson, the No. 67 prospect on ESPN’s list, announced on Twitter that he’ll be forgoing his remaining college eligibility and going pro. He enters the draft after a sophomore season in which he averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 19 games (35.1 MPG).
Isaiah Wong, G, Miami (sophomore): Wong announced on Twitter that he intends to test the draft waters, leaving the door open to return to the Hurricanes. The 6’3″ guard averaged 17.1 PPG in 27 games (35.5 MPG) in 2020/21, earning himself a spot on the All-ACC Third Team.