Indiana Basketball: Four Hoosiers declare for 2017 NBA Draft
Indiana basketball could lose four players, OG Anunoby, Thomas Bryant, James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson, to the 2017 NBA Draft.
In addition to a brand new coaching staff led by former Dayton head coach Archie Miller, the Indiana Hoosiers may also have an almost entirely new roster in 2017-18.
Related Story: Reactions on Archie Miller getting hired by Hoosiers
Shooting guard James Blackmon Jr. already declared for the 2017 NBA Draft without an agent earlier in the offseason, but on Monday and Tuesday, three key players opted to put their name in the draft waters.
OG Anunoby was the first to do so, hiring an agent in the process. Anunoby averaged 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game during his sophomore campaign before tearing his ACL in a game against Penn State. The 6’8″, 235-pound forward has the versatility, athleticism, and physical tools that will always keep him on the first round radar, however, it was too risky to return to college coming off a torn knee ligament.
Anunoby’s draft stock will be an interesting conundrum as his ability to score off the bounce and knock down open threes while also being able to defend numerous positions could be awfully valuable at the next level. Will his knee injury hold teams back from selecting him late in the first round? Will it limit his athleticism for a couple of seasons?
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While Anunoby’s questions have not yet been answered, there might be even more debate about Thomas Bryant.
Bryant declared for the draft on Tuesday but did not decide to hire an agent. Instead, Bryant will go through the draft process and then will have the opportunity to return to the Hoosiers 10 days after the NBA Combine.
The 6’10” center from Rochester, NY was originally thought to be a one-and-done talent. While Bryant had a solid freshman year in which he averaged nearly 12 points and six rebounds per game, he struggled defensively and did not show enough of the consistent floor stretching ability that scouts believed he had.
In his sophomore season (this past year), Bryant improved in the scoring (12.6 points) and rebounding (6.6) department, but continued to lack the lateral quickness necessary to defend pick-and-rolls. On top of that weakness, Bryant’s shooting percentage tanked from 68 percent in year one to 52 percent in year two. That’s going to raise a red flag with NBA scouts and executives, and that’s the main reason why Bryant made the right decision in not opting to hire an agent.
Finally, the last Hoosier to declare was Johnson. The 6’3″ guard has the smallest chance of all Indiana players of getting drafted despite averaging 12.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2016-17. Johnson is an excellent perimeter defender and spot-up shooter on offense, but he lacks the physical tools and pure athleticism of some other NBA prospects. Add in the fact that this 2017 Draft is loaded with talent, and it’s highly unlikely that Johnson will be selected.
It’s tough to project who will return and who will remain a professional (besides Anunoby obviously), especially given the fact that there is a new coaching staff in place. The good news is that Indiana has talented guards Curtis Jones, Devonte Green and Josh Newkirk returning. If Blackmon and Johnson join that young trio, Indiana could be a tough out in the Big Ten. If Bryant also returns to anchor a front court that will be lacking big bodies outside of De’Ron Davis, the Hoosiers could be headed back to the NCAA tournament and will likely be ranked throughout the season.
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Regardless, there are a lot of moving parts right now in Bloomington. That was expected after Tom Crean got fired, but Indiana fans must be patient as Miller tries to build his own legacy in the Big Ten.