There are tons of NCAA Basketball underclassmen who have declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. Which are the decisions that will shape the 2019-20 season most?
The April 21st deadline for NCAA Basketball players to declare for the NBA Draft has passed, with 175 non-seniors on the list. It’s a similar number as last season, even though new rules have made it better for players. This is the first time that NCAA Basketball players can hire agents and still maintain college eligibility. There’s also a revamped G-League camp, which is another platform for players to showcase their abilities.
Between now and the deadline to withdraw for the 2019 NBA Draft (May 29th), there will be countless visits, workouts, and meetings that will provide the necessary amount of data to show where the players stand regarding their individual stocks. When it comes to the underclassmen, there are several categories to keep in mind when looking at them.
There are the “one and dones”, which are around 10-20 players who go pro after a great freshmen season. Then there are the those who are likely gone regardless of what happens in the combine like Nick Ward and Yoeli Childs, who just don’t have anything left to prove in college and want to get paid as a professional. And with the stigma of playing overseas gone, guys just don’t feel the need to play all four seasons in college, even if they aren’t viewed as draft picks. That’s about another 50 players.
As for the other give or take 100 NCAA Basketball players left in this scenario, a high amount will be returning back to college, as their intentions are to just get info gathered to work on their games and become better prospects. In fact, expect each day to hear a few names leading up to May 29 declare their returns.
But there are others who could easily stay or leave depending on what happens. Some will certainly have a bigger effect on the landscape than others and will have a huge impact on their respective teams. Here are the top 10 examples, as well as a prediction on what they’ll do.