The college basketball world is anxiously waiting for decisions from many of its top players who still have college eligibility remaining. Players who entered the NBA Draft but did not sign with an agent can still pull out of the draft and go back to school, but they don’t have much longer to do that. The NBA needs to know, one month before its draft and in the days following its draft combine, which players are committed to a professional career and which ones are content to wait one more year to develop. Here are some of the better examples of players who should return to school and polish their skill sets before making the leap to the NBA a year from now:
Rawle Alkins, Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats’ offense bogged down in the NCAA Tournament this past March, so while Alkins possesses an intriguing mix of power and speed, he obviously has work to do as a point guard who gets his teams into the flow of a halfcourt set. He can work on his jump shot, which is not where it needs to be, and he can go through a season in which Arizona will not have big men Lauri Markkanen and Chance Comanche, who both declared for the NBA Draft. Alkins will face a different test if he comes back to school, and that challenge should make him a much better and more complete player. Being able to grow dramatically as a player while also helping Arizona to become a Final Four team should be worth the delay of a professional career by one year. Alkins is a great candidate to go back to school and transform the way NBA teams see him.
Frank Jackson, Duke Blue Devils
The big thing to realize with Duke is that last season, the Blue Devils were dealing with all sorts of injuries. They didn’t have their best five players on the floor for much of the season, and even when they did, those five players weren’t fully healthy. Jackson had a hard time blending into the lineup, and that’s why his level of impact was not as big as it could have been… partly due to forces he could not control. Jackson should strongly consider returning to Duke, playing with a healthy team for a full season, and giving NBA clubs a much more defined sense of what he can do. He could become a clear-cut lottery pick, which seems worth the one-year wait.
Tony Bradley, North Carolina Tar Heels
In the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina relied heavily on big men Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. Bradley moved into the background for a supporting role. He made some very small contributions – valuable, but very rare. Now that Joel Berry has decided he will return for one more season, Bradley could team with Berry to give Carolina its best inside-outside combination. Bradley needs to go through a college season as his team’s primary low-post option. Handling that kind of pressure will tell NBA teams that he’s ready for the next level. He isn’t ready right now – it’s not close.
Svi Mykhailiuk, Kansas Jayhawks
When Mykhailiuk declared for the draft – even though he didn’t sign an agent – it seemed like a surprise. Mykhailiuk is a good shooter, but his speed is simply not at an NBA level. “Svi” has a lot of work to do in terms of developing his body and becoming a much more dangerous athletic presence at Kansas. Even more than Bradley, Mykahiliuk is simply not prepared for NBA basketball and what that entails. He might not even be ready for European leagues overseas. He has to stay in school.
Kansas was obviously one of the best programs in college basketball last year and would get a boost from his return. They won the Big 12 – again – with a record of 16-2 in conference play and 31-5 overall. They should again be the best program in that conference – especially if Mykhailiuk decides to return for one more season.
Click here to bet on the 2018 college basketball futures right now. DSI will have all of the latest lines, spreads and props as we get closer to the season!
