Baylor Basketball: Why Johnathan Motley should decide to return to Waco

Mar 24, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Baylor Bears forward Johnathan Motley (5) reacts after loosing to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The 2018 Draft is weaker

The 2017 NBA Draft is loaded with talent and depth. Just look at it this way, De’Aaron Fox, who very well could be the number one pick in a regular year, is the third best point guard and Dennis Smith Jr. is the fourth best lead guard. Then there are players like Zach Collins and Justin Jackson, who have top 10 potential, who are currently projected to be selected late in the lottery.

The 2018 Draft is not weak by any stretch of the imagination, but Motley certainly has a better chance of being a lottery pick (or a mid-to-late first round pick) in 2018 than he does in 2017. Combine his injury with the depth of this class, and it just makes more sense for Motley to wait one more season in order to land a guaranteed check.

Next: Early preseason top 25 for the 2017-18 season

One of the biggest concerns before this past season was Motley inconsistency — would have a double-double one night and give maximum effort while the next evening he would have a dud of a game. That wasn’t the case in 2016-17 but if the forward stays in Waco, he can prove that this past campaign wasn’t just a one-hit wonder.

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