Marquette Basketball: Next steps for Golden Eagles after Murray State defeat

Markus Howard’s NBA decision

Howard’s pending NBA decision is the question hanging over Marquette’s offseason right now. Though he has not said anything publicly about the NBA, many mock drafts project Howard as a mid- to late second-round selection in June.

Here’s the situation as it stands today. Howard should certainly put his name in the draft to go through the entire process. At the very least, he’ll be able to speak with team executives about his professional outlook, and you never know when a team is going to be wowed enough by his shot-making, work ethic, and character to spend a first-round or early second-round pick on him. However, if those conversations suggest another season of college is best for his NBA future, he will still be able to return to Marquette as long as he doesn’t sign with an agent.

But should he sign with an agent regardless of what feedback he gets? Players taken in the back half of the second round ultimately end up inking two-year deals (with a team option) for roughly $2M. That is obviously more money than he would get as a senior at Marquette and more money than this writer will ever sign for, but it’s not necessarily a “knock-your-socks-off” amount by NBA standards. No one should begrudge him for leaving early to move up a level, especially when there is real money on the line, but it’s not necessarily absurd for him to return to college either.

Howard did not finish the season especially strong – he shot just 35 percent over MU’s final seven games – which was likely forced by a mix of stronger defensive strategy and his tender left wrist. And though he is an NBA-level scorer, his turnovers, defense, and size make him anything but a sure thing in the pros. Only three sub-6-foot players have played in the NBA this year, and Howard is neither as refined as a point guard as Frank Mason or Tyler Ulis, nor as athletic as peak-Isaiah Thomas. There are still plenty of areas in which Howard could improve his game with one more year at MU, and thus potentially his improve his draft stock. He just turned 20 years old this month, so age is not as much of a concern for him as it may be for other players weighing a similar question.

Of course, he could also improve his game for an NBA team right away and be paid to do so, but Howard, as a member of the NCAA Oversight Committee, may be more invested in the college game than most. If he did return to college, a top-10 quality team would be waiting for him on campus, and one more season in Milwaukee would truly cement his legacy as a Marquette legend. Only Howard knows how much that means to him, but that title certainly isn’t worthless, even if he isn’t getting paid for it right now.

Marquette isn’t done if Howard does head to the pros. Sam Hauser is very capable as a lead option, as we saw when he dropped 31 points at Georgetown when Howard left early with an injury, and Joey Hauser is coming off a better freshman offensive season than his brother posted during his first year. Steve Wojciechowski should be able to cobble together a team that can compete for the Big East title, featuring McEwen, Elliott, Sacar Anim, and Brendan Bailey in the backcourt, and the Hausers, Theo John, Ed Morrow, and Jamal Cain down low. There is a definite ceiling for a team sans Howard, but MU should still be bound for the NCAA tournament.