NBA Draft Declaration Thread
As we're waiting for info on Jalen Wilson and Charles Matthews I thought it'd be useful to share updates on which notable players declared for the draft and which stayed. The following is a Reddit post with all such players, but I'll list all B1G/future opponent players in the OP:
Leaving
- Detroit: Kam Chatman
- Illinois: Leron Black
- Maryland: Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson
- MSU: Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Nebraska: Jack McVeigh (didn't play at all, going overseas)
- OSU: Keita Bates-Diop
- Penn St.: Tony Carr
- Rutgers: Cory Sanders
- South Carolina: Brian Bowen
- Villanova: Jalen Brunson, Mikail Birdges, Omari Spellman, Donte DiVencenzo
Staying
- Indiana: Juwan Morgan
- Iowa: Isaiah Moss, Tyler Cook
- Maryland: Bruno Fernando
- MSU: Nick Ward
- Nebraska: James Palmer Jr., Isaac Copeland
- Penn St.: Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins
- Purdue: Carsen Edwards, Nojel Eastern
- South Carolina: Chris Silva
- Villanova: Phil Booth, Eric Paschall
- Wisconsin: Ethan Happ
Undetermined
think at this point the silence is becomming deafening. Could it be that we already have our answer?
Midnight tonight
I assume that if he's stuck in this long, he's gone. I get his desire to make the move, though unlike DJ Wilson last year (who could arguably have benefitted more playing at Michigan than shuttling between Milwaukee and their G-League team, but at least had an NBA 1st-round contract), Matthews is unlikely to get drafted and will just find himself in the great muck that is the overseas/G-league markets. I wish him luck, but if I had a chance to come back and play at a national program and improve my game, I'd do that versus trying to drag myself into the league via the backdoor.
Kam Chatman is declaring early for the NBA draft? What year is it? How long have I been asleep?
Hoping this becomes a de facto posbang and not a negbang...
is the stupidest of all.
The NHL is the only league that does this properly.
Let the teams draft anyone they want from age 18-20 and then leave the players in place.
If the teams decide you are ready, they sign you from juniors, or Europe or NCAA hockey.
If they don't think you are ready, they leave you were you are.
Basketball should adopt this model to avoid these annual train wrecks.
I would think the NBA would LOVE it if players stayed longer in college basketball.
I can't think it's that fun to have useless 19 year olds at the end of your bench.
He'll always be loved for that Indiana buzzer beater.
Nick Ward is staying.
everybody and returns Edwards and Haarm and to some extent Eastern. Purdue is not going to be nearly as good as they were last season.
Well they lost the other 4 starters, so I still expect them to take a step back.
so long clearly indicates Matthews is really uncertain which way to go. It's making me really nervous. Hopefully, he will come around and realize that coming back will be the best thing for him at this time.
We're going to the finals again baby!! :) :) :) WOO HOO!!
I think they'll still be good. Not title contending good, but top 15-20 team.
Booth and Paschall are both good players. They bring in potentially the most sought after grad transfer so far in G Joe Cremo (18 PPG, 4 RPG and 4 APG on 46% from 3) and are now in on the other most sought after grad transfer in Stanford big Reid Travis (19.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG although everyone thinks Kentucky is the spot). They also have a 5 star PG coming in.
Definitely a winable game, but at the new Pavilion early in the season I'd still take Nova.
He was very good from the very start. And like a lot of Wisconsin's best players, he's college good but not well suited for the NBA, so they get him for 4 years. We've never kept a player of Happ's caliber for 4 years under Beilein.
Brian Bowen moved from TBD to leaving. Although very likely he wouldn't have been eligible if he stayed next year, this is important since we may play South Carolina twice.
You may also know him as a former MSU heavy lean as a high schooler who spelled the end for Pitino at Lousiville once his committment there was investigated.
Umbig11 word is that Nick Ward can't stand playing for Izzo and was likely to leave. The problem Nick Ward has is that his skillset is all wrong for Europe and he has zero chance to get drafted; leaving now would have been a virtual death sentence in his career.
Coming back he has at least a slim chance of improving enough to get a better option next season. Who knows? Maybe he'll learn to deal with Izzo better.
I for one am glad to have him back in EL.