Three of Top 6 players selected The NBA Draft on Thursday night featured two seasons of college basketball, with 14 of the first 26 players participating in the first round spending several years at the NCAA level. So while each of the top three prospects was completed, many more proved that long stays in college games weren’t the death penalty for NBA ambitious players.
In fact, college players can now benefit from their names, images, and portraits, so for certain players, hanging out at school for another year or two can be profitable in the short term. , Brings the potential for long-term development.Keegan Murray (4th place to Sacramento), Jaden Ivey (5th place) Detroit) And Benedict Maturin (6th, Indiana) are perfect examples of this phenomenon. As a sophomore on the NCAA tournament team this past season, they have improved the game and added value in an immeasurable way.
To be noticed now 2023 draft classThe earliest college players selected could be one-time players such as: Arkansas‘Nick Smith, Dukes With Darik Whitehead Baylor’s Kyung Tae George. However, there are many college returnees who appear to be able to put another year into the lottery review at school.
With the success of Murray, Ivy and Maturin on Thursday night, here are 10 players back in college who have the tools to consider the lottery for the coming season.
Chris Murray, Iowa
Keegan Murray, the fourth-placed twin brother, chose to stay in the 2022 NBA Draft and return to the junior season in Iowa. Like his brother, Chris made a big jump from freshman to sophomore. Now that the NBA has Keegan, he has his shot to be the focus of Iowa’s attack. The obvious drawback is that he will be 23 at the opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season. This makes him ancient in the year of the Scout. But as a versatile and efficient 6’8 forward, he could certainly be a lottery-level player.
Jaylen Wilson, Kansas
Wilson is ready to be a candidate for the Big 12 Player of the Year in the 2022-23 college basketball season as a top repeater of the Defending National Champion. As a versatile 6’8 forward, he has the tools to become a solid NBA player. If Wilson can improve his career to a 3 point shoot mark of 29.8% in the coming season, look for him to win the first round of consideration in 2023.
Emoni Bates, Memphis (In the transfer portal)
As a freshman in Memphis, Bates flopped in response to the high expectations he had created as a prospective customer over the years leading up to admission. However, he is still a dynamic 6’9 player and has long-term benefits to grow into a lottery pick. He wasn’t even eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft because he wasn’t 19 until January. So Bates has plenty of time to continue his development.
Harrison Ingram, Stanford
Ingram is a 6’8 forward with excellent ball skills and the ability to score at multiple levels. If the active Pac-12 Rookie of the Year can follow EJ Liddell’s blueprint and become a national breakout player as a sophomore, he will participate in the first round of conversation. He is made like Liddell. So he never plays on the rim, but he has a great blend of skill and toughness.
Matthew Cleveland, Florida
The active ACC Sixman of the Year is ready to play a notable role in Florida next season after scoring an average of 11.5 points as a freshman. The previous 5-star outlook brings the right size for a wing in the range of 6 feet 6 feet. He knows he is taught defense under Leonard Hamilton at the FSU. After making 6 out of 34 attempts from the 3-point range last season, if he can improve his outing shots, he could be a breakout prospect.
Marcus Bagley, Arizona
With a top 30 outlook from the 2020 class, Bagley is limited to just 15 games throughout the two seasons in Arizona due to injury. But as a 6-foot-8 forward with promising outside shots, Bagley could make some noise if he could stay on the floor for the full season and show defensive diversity.
Julian Stroughter, Gonzaga
Stroughter set foot in Gonzaga’s starting lineup as a sophomore and thrived with 49.8% of the shots, scoring 11.8 points per game. At 6’7, previous 4-star prospects should be able to defend multiple positions at the next level. After Andrew Nembhard and Chet Holmgren leave, he’s likely to play an even bigger role for Zags, so you can see how well his offensive game really will be in the next season.
Baylor Shaerman, Clayton
Scheierman raised 3 points to 46.9% as a junior. South Dakota Last season we did everything for the Jackrabbits team, which ended 30-5. Now in Clayton, the 6ft 6 Wing has a chance to get a lot of draft attention if his elite shooting and versatility lead to higher levels of college basketball.
Trace Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Jackson-Davis is on the list because he has all the tools to become a modern NBA center if he adds an outside shot. The only problem is that through 94 college games he only tried three 3 pointers and missed each one. Will NBA veteran Indiana coach Mike Woodson nurture that part of his star player game next season? Don’t bet on it. But if that happens, Jackson-Davis could be the first choice.
Ishiai Mosley, Missouri
Mosley averages 20.4 points Missouri Last season, he hit 42.7% of his 3-pointers, 54.2% of 2-pointers and 90.2% of free throws. This is a very efficient attack game for 6ft 5 players who were playing loud. As he gets closer to recreating that efficiency in Missouri next season, look for Mosley to create a draft buzz.
Honorable Mention
Tyres Hunter, Texas
Darshun Raffin, Olemis
Caleb Love, North Carolina
Jeremy Roach, Duke
Terquavion Smith, North Carolina
Nolan Hickman, Gonzaga
Jamie Jakes Jr., UCLA
