NBA Draft 2021: Intriguing early-entry decisions to watch in coming month
Other decisions to watch
Marcus Bagley – Arizona State – 6’8, 215 lbs – Freshman – October 2001
After an uneven freshman season, riddled by injury, Bagley elected to enter the transfer portal and NBA Draft. His size and shooting make him a first round player on my board, but it doesn’t appear he’s getting the same feedback. Bagley would be one of the more under-the-radar transfer adds if he decides to return.
Max Abmas – Oral Roberts- 6’1, 165 lbs- Sophomore – April 2001
Abmas was a March Madness darling after leading No. 15 seed Oral Roberts to the Sweet Sixteen. His insane off-the-dribble shooting helped him lead the country in scoring. Abmas could return to Oral Roberts and try to have similar success, transfer to a bigger school and show he can score at a higher level, or use that end-of-the-season momentum to enter the draft.
I buy Abmas shooting and scoring, but his size and the depth of guards in this class would have me hesitant on taking him in round one. But I’m also unsure to what level he can improve his stock. If he does return though, expect another monster scoring year.
Cockburn used his sheer size to average 17.7 points on 65.4% shooting last season. Despite his productivity, there are questions surrounding how Cockburn’s old-school, a back-to-the-basket game may translate. His free throw percentage was sub 60%, he took zero three-pointers, and he had only five assists the entire season.
Next. Latest mock 2021 NBA Draft 1st Round. dark
As a result, he’s seen as someone who could go in the late second round or even undrafted. If he comes back to school, he’ll potentially be the best big man in the sport. But, it may be hard to improve on those areas of weakness, and given he’ll be 22 by the start of next season, he may be better off turning pro.