UCLA Basketball: Bruins get great news from NBA Draft decidees
The UCLA Bruins received not one, but two pieces of great news when the NBA Draft decision deadline rolled around this week.
When Aaron Holiday decided to forego his senior season at UCLA to enter the NBA Draft, forecasts for the Bruins became cloudy. A First Four trip that fell short of expectations last year could’ve very well become the ceiling for the 2018-19 team.
Things only became bleaker when several others, including Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands, decided to dip their toes in the NBA Draft waters.
Luckily for UCLA, Wilkes and Hands both decided to come up for air.
This week, both of the young guns decided to return to Los Angeles for their sophomore seasons of college basketball. Their returns boost the Bruins from a team with middling expectations to one of the Pac-12’s premier programs next season.
Hands served as a starter for nearly half of UCLA’s games during his freshman season. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He also knocked down 37.4% of his three-point shots.
As good as the San Diego native was, Wilkes was even better. The Indianapolis transplant scored 13.7 points per game while pulling down 4.9 rebounds per contest.
UCLA also learned that Cody Riley withdrew from the NBA Draft. The big man didn’t play a single minute of his freshman season due to the shoplifting scandal, however; it remains to be seen what he can contribute.
Wilkes and Hands ensure that UCLA won’t be losing their top four scorers from a year ago.
Combine that with the arrival of future stars Moses Brown and Shareef O’Neal, and the Bruins might have something cooking.
Arizona is again seen as one of the conference’s top teams. Oregon’s recruiting class could propel them to the top of the standings.
After the NBA Draft decision deadline passed, though, UCLA must feel like they are in infinitely better shape than a week ago.