Creighton Basketball: Justin Patton to declare for draft, hire agent

Creighton basketball is losing their seven-foot center to the 2017 NBA Draft.

Before losing Maurice Watson Jr. to a torn ACL, the Creighton Bluejays were one of the elite teams in the Big East Conference. They were a Final Four contender that featured athleticism, a high scoring offense and a solid, albeit, inconsistent defense.

Related Story: Justin Patton oozing with lottery pick potential

We knew about Watson and Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster coming into the 2016-17 season, but the biggest surprise for Creighton was 7’0″ redshirt freshman Justin Patton. Patton was sensational, showing off an NBA potential that wasn’t even a thought for the Omaha native just years ago.

And now months after breaking out, Patton is heading to the league. The center officially declared for the 2017 NBA Draft on Wednesday evening and will hire an agent, making a return to Creighton an afterthought.

Patton was just a four-star recruit in the class of 2015 out of North High School in Nebraska who held only one Division I college offer. That offer was from Greg McDermott and Creighton, a program that watched him in camps in the area throughout his youth. Patton wasn’t an ESPN top 100 recruit but McDermott saw his potential, upside, and skills.

The center sat out his true freshman season in order to get stronger and more fundamentally sound on both ends of the floor. And it sure did work because Patton was excellent in his redshirt freshman season.

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The big man averaged 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 68 percent from the field and 53 percent from three. He had five 20+ point games and recorded three double-doubles.

Patton has unique mobility for his size as he runs the floor like a gazelle, finishing alley-oops at the rim and showing the ability to fill lanes in transition. Because he was a guard before having a crazy growth spurt late in his high school career, Patton has a smooth jumper from the perimeter and the skills to handle the ball on occasion. He also has excellent length, a terrific attitude and the potential to be a dominant rim protector and paint finisher at the next level.

Where Patton can stand to improve is with his strength. Against Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he struggled against the toughness and physical play of Hassan Martin, scoring just eight points and grabbing just seven rebounds. If he adds bulk to his frame, he will not only become a better rebounder and post defender, but he can operate even more successfully on the block on offense.

Patton also needs to develop his fundamentals defensively. He is still inexperienced in terms of guarding pick-and-rolls and making plays as a help defender.

Regardless of all the improvements that need to be made, he is still a borderline lottery pick — Draft Express currently has the center getting selected by the Indiana Pacers at No. 17 overall. 

Meanwhile for Creighton, this is a massive loss. With Patton heading to the draft and Cole Huff and Zach Hanson graduating, the Bluejays will be lacking depth and talent on the interior. Martin Krampelj and Toby Hegner will be the only returning players who have experience in the rotation.

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The Bluejays will rely heavily on guards Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas in 2017-18 as Maurice Watson Jr. and Isaiah Zierden are also graduating and leaving the program. Creighton will likely remain in the middle of the pack in the Big East.