Draft Notes: Mouaha, Ebeling, Achiuwa, Knicks
The NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for the 2020 NBA draft has long since passed, but the NBA’s own deadline falls 10 days before the draft. That means that a number of international prospects – for whom the NCAA deadline didn’t apply – face final decisions on whether or not to keep their names in this year’s draft pool.
Cameroonian guard Aristide Mouaha and Italian forward Michele Ebeling are two international early entrants who have decided to pull out of the draft, according to a pair of reports from Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Both prospects are currently playing in Italy. Ebeling will become automatically draft-eligible in 2021, while Mouaha is on track to be draft-eligible in 2022 if he doesn’t re-enter his name next year.
As our tracker shows, we still have 34 international prospects listed as early entrants for 2020. It’s safe to assume that many more will withdraw before the November 8 deadline — I’d expect that list to be cut at least in half within the next couple days.
Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:
- Former Memphis big man Precious Achiuwa worked out for the Wizards earlier this week and is working out for the Celtics on Friday, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link). Achiuwa is the 12th overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, so both Washington at No. 9 and Boston at No. 14 could in play for him.
- In a pair of Insider articles for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, and Kevin Pelton discuss the best wings and big men of this year’s draft class. All three experts rate Deni Avdija as the top wing in the draft, with Givony and Schmitz placing Isaac Okoro second while Pelton takes Devin Vassell. In a bit of a surprise, both Givony and Schmitz pick Onyeka Okongwu over James Wiseman as the top big man prospect.
- While the Knicks’ No. 8 pick has been the main focus, the team is working diligently on its options at No. 27 and 38 and is hoping to find a “diamond in the rough,” a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman examines former Arizona shooting guard Josh Green and Duke center Vernon Carey Jr. as a couple potential late-first-round options for New York, citing one talent evaluator who says Green would be a “perfect fit” for the team.
LaMelo Ball Headlines List Of Draft Combine Participants
Potential No. 1 overall pick LaMelo Ball will be among the prospects participating in the revamped virtual draft combine this week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Ball is scheduled to take part in team interviews and a media session this week, but may not participate in any other portion, Jeremy Woo of SI.com cautions (via Twitter).
While Ball’s participation might be limited, many of this year’s other top prospects aren’t taking part in the event at all. As Woo points out (via Twitter), Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, Obi Toppin, Onyeka Okongwu, Cole Anthony, Aaron Nesmith, Devin Vassell, and Saddiq Bey are among the players who don’t appear on the list of participants sent out by the NBA.
The list of top prospects besides Ball who will be participating in the event includes Precious Achiuwa, Deni Avdija, Tyrese Haliburton, RJ Hampton, Killian Hayes, Theo Maledon, and Isaac Okoro, among others.
Here’s the full list of combine participants, via Charania:
- Precious Achiuwa, F, Memphis
- Ty-Shon Alexander, G, Creighton
- Deni Avdija, F, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
- Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas
- LaMelo Ball, G, Illawarra Hawks (Australia)
- Desmond Bane, G, TCU
- Tyler Bey, F, Colorado
- Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke
- Yoeli Childs, F, BYU
- Mamadi Diakite, F, Virginia
- Devon Dotson, G, Kansas
- Paul Eboua, F, VL Pesaro (Italy)
- CJ Elleby, F, Washington State
- Malachi Flynn, G, San Diego State
- Trent Forrest, G, Florida State
- Josh Green, G/F, Arizona
- Ashton Hagans, G, Kentucky
- Tyrese Haliburton, G, Iowa State
- Josh Hall, F, Moravian Prep
- RJ Hampton, G, New Zealand Breakers (New Zealand)
- Jalen Harris, G, Nevada
- Killian Hayes, G, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
- Markus Howard, G, Marquette
- Elijah Hughes, G/F, Syracuse
- Isaiah Joe, G, Arkansas
- Mason Jones, G, Arkansas
- Tre Jones, G, Duke
- Nathan Knight, F/C, William & Mary
- Kira Lewis, G, Alabama
- Theo Maledon, G, ASVEL (France)
- Karim Mane, G, Vanier College (Canada)
- Nico Mannion, G, Arizona
- Naji Marshall, F, Xavier
- Kenyon Martin Jr., F, IMG Academy
- Skylar Mays, G, LSU
- Jaden McDaniels, F, Washington
- Sam Merrill, G, Utah State
- Zeke Nnaji, F, Arizona
- Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville
- Isaac Okoro, F, Auburn
- Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota
- Reggie Perry, F, Mississippi State
- Myles Powell, G, Seton Hall
- Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon
- Immanuel Quickley, G, Kentucky
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, G, Texas Tech
- Paul Reed, F, DePaul
- Nick Richards, F/C, Kentucky
- Grant Riller, G, Charleston
- Jay Scrubb, G, John A. Logan College
- Jalen Smith, F, Maryland
- Cassius Stanley, G, Duke
- Lamar Stevens, F, Penn State
- Isaiah Stewart, F/C, Washington
- Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford
- Xavier Tillman, F/C, Michigan State
- Kaleb Wesson, F/C, Ohio State
- Kahlil Whitney, F, Kentucky
- Cassius Winston, G, Michigan State
- Robert Woodard II, F, Mississippi State
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA is unable to hold its typical in-person draft combine this year, but the league has put together an alternative combine that will feature interviews through videoconferencing as well as the making of “pro day” videos, which will include strength and agility testing, anthropometric measurements, and shooting drills. Participants will also undergo medical testing and exams.
For more details on this year’s combine, be sure to check out our full story on the changes.
Arizona’s Josh Green Entering 2020 NBA Draft
Arizona freshman swingman Josh Green is entering his name into the 2020 NBA draft pool, he confirmed today to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Green is the third Wildcats underclassman to declare for the draft, joining teammates Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji. All three project to be possible first-round picks. Coming in at No. 21 overall on ESPN’s big board, Green slots in between Mannion (No. 14) and Nnaji (No. 34).
In 30 games (30.9 MPG) as a freshman, Green averaged 12.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.5 SPG with a .424/.361/.780 shooting line.
In his scouting report, Mike Schmitz of ESPN notes that Green doesn’t have an elite skill on the offensive end, but is a versatile defender and improved shooter who has an ideal physical profile for an NBA wing.
Green is the second potential first-round pick to declare today for the draft, joining Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr. Carey’s father confirmed that his son has officially declared for the draft and will sign with agent Jeff Wechsler for representation, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr. Expected To Go Pro
Duke freshman center Vernon Carey Jr. is expected to be declare for the NBA draft with the intention of staying in and going pro, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).
In his first and potentially only season as a Blue Devil, Carey averaged 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 31 games (24.9 MPG). He shot 57.7% from the field and even made 38.1% of his tries from beyond the arc, albeit on just 21 three-point attempts.
Carey, currently ranked No. 28 on ESPN’s big board, has shown the makings of an inside-outside game and is a very strong positional rebounder, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz writes in his scouting report. Schmitz cautions that the big man has dealt with some health and conditioning issues and struggles with defending in space and seeing the floor when passing.
Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:
- Iowa big man Luka Garza, ranked 81st on ESPN’s big board, announced on Twitter that he is entering the draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Garza had a big year in 2019/20 as a junior, averaging 23.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG on .542/.358/.651 shooting in 31 games (32.0 MPG).
- Mississippi State junior guard Nick Weatherspoon, who tweeted a farewell message today to fans, will be declaring for the draft and going pro, sources confirm to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Weatherspoon, who first tested the draft waters in 2018, increased his averages to 11.6 PPG and 4.1 APG in 2019/20. He projects to go undrafted.
- Creighton junior guard Ty-Shon Alexander is expected to enter the draft and will likely forgo his remaining college eligibility, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Alexander is coming off a big year in which he led the Bluejays with 16.9 PPG while chipping in 5.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG while making 39.9% of his threes.
- In case you missed it, we wrote earlier this afternoon about how NBA teams hope to convince the league to push the draft back until at least August.