With the NBA Draft Combine behind us and the June 1 withdrawal deadline for first-time entrants, some college basketball players are pondering difficult decisions about whether to stay in the draft or go back to school. Some notable names have already made their call, with Louisiana Tech big man Kenneth Lofton Jr. he stayed in the draft and other college stars like Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana returning to school.
Dozens more are taking their time, processing all the information they have received from NBA executives and trying to make the right decision. For players who remain in the draft but are not considered lottery picks, there is some risk, because those who advance to the second round are not guaranteed to receive guaranteed contracts. Those who are not selected will end up having to close it in the hopes of securing two-way contracts as free agents without recruiting with the possibility of ending up in the G League or abroad.
Since many players now have opportunities to make money playing college basketball, going back to school can be more and more appealing than a life outside of professional basketball. However, some are just getting ready to start the next chapter of their lives and are willing to leave some college eligibility on the table to take advantage of their youth and start their careers.
So, as the June 1 withdrawal deadline approaches, who will benefit most from retiring from the draft and returning for another college season? Our writers are making their choice for this week’s dribble delivery.
Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
Timme is the obvious answer because I sincerely believe that you can have more fun and make more money in college next season than you would or make playing professional basketball once you consider the scenario that will most likely make you play professionally in another. other than the NBA. The G League is great for guys with no better options. But Timme clearly has a better option, specifically returning to Gonzaga as the All-American first team for a top five team and making big money with NIL opportunities. How Much Money Can Timme Make? I’m not sure. But if the Nijel Pack is worth $ 400,000 to anyone, Drew Timme should get at least three times as much while playing every game on national television and on full stages as he tries to become a legend forever as the driving player the Zags in their first national game. school history championship. As I always say about these things, ultimately it depends on Timme, and I will respect any decision she makes because it is her life. But having said that, if it were him, I’m pretty sure it would be an easy decision for me for all the reasons listed above. – Gary Parrish
Jaylin Williams (Arkansas)
Approaching. I don’t think it’s a viable selection in the top 40 in the NBA, but Williams 6-10 is growing their game and could play in the first round if they decide to come back and play their junior season with the Razorbacks. Arkansas will have a case as a team in the top five preseason if Williams is on the roster. That would double the impact, as it would be the most anticipated Hog hoops season since the 1990s. Williams closed strong, averaging 14.3 points and 11.8 rebounds in all four NCAA Tournament games. of Arkansas. It shot up 24% from 3 last season; it could reasonably take it up to 30% north and get the juice out of its stock in the process. Of all the players who are hesitant about what to do, Williams feels as close to 50/50 right now as he is. However, he could have the best of it all if he came back: Arkansas wouldn’t need to be THE boy every night, but there would be nights when that would happen. He could lead a top-tier SEC team and a Final Four candidate, and would almost certainly increase his stats from last season’s averages of 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. A comprehensive US campaign is possible. – Matt Norlander
Trevor Keels (Duke)
This feels like one of the really difficult stay or walk decisions of this cycle and it reminds me a bit of past decisions like Isaiah Joe in 2020, Johnny Juzang in 2021 and EJ Liddell in 2021. There is no clear answer obvious and correct. here. If Keels isn’t a first-round player, he’ll be in his early 30s and will likely enter into a guaranteed contract. This is very attractive. This is also right in the range where I think you should at least consider going back to school.
Liddell’s path may be one that Keels can walk: he eventually returned to college, transformed his body, and became a likely choice in the top 20 after being projected as the end of the first or early second round, but there is no guarantee that “D will improve his actions with another season (although I think that is probably the best option). A year ago it may have served as a warning story – maybe a year ago it was a late first- or second-round pick, and this time it’s almost certain to be between the first and middle of the second round. His performance did not necessarily go down, but another year at college did not improve his performance. NBA.
With Keels, I have a feeling he’s more likely to drop out of school than not. But my reading of his draft prospects is that he would benefit one more year from college and could reap significant financial benefits from doing so, assuming good health. At just 18, he could spend another season at Duke in a more prominent role, and in doing so he could really show, consistently, what he can do at the college level while showing NBA teams his real value. I’m certainly not in a position to tell an 18-year-old what to do, especially with so much money at stake, but in a blue-blooded program like Duke I would be well positioned to supplement the lost income to postpone his career in the NBA. with lucrative money in NIL deals, one might think. There is probably no right decision, but he will earn more by going back to school than by staying in the draft. – Kyle Boone
Kris Murray (Iowa)
Kris Murray doesn’t need to look far to find the plan of how retiring from the draft and returning to Iowa for another season could benefit him in the long run. All he has to do is look at the simulated drafts that his brother, Keegan, has as a padlock to be selected in the lottery after his second season. Identical twins are not identical players, but they are similar enough that it is easy to see parallels in how they will translate to the next level.
As a versatile 6-8 striker, Kris would have a chance next season to take an important step in the same way that Keegan did while leading the Big Ten in scoring last season. He has already shown enough skill as a versatile defender and threatens to shoot outside to be a likely draft pick if he stays inside. But if he comes back and gets 35 games as a top choice for the Hawkeyes, he could become a lottery pick. too. – David Cobb