There are any number of reasons for a player and his family to decide that entering the NBA Draft as an underclassmen is their best option. For some, their decision is based on money, and the chance to provide for a family struggling to get by.
Every year, though, we see players leave school early whose decision makes little common sense.
As should be expected, this year’s group of early entries into the draft includes several head scratching decisions. We break down the five worst NBA Draft declarations, below.
Arkansas G Michael Qualls and NC State G Trevor Lacey have each declared for the draft.
Why?
— Rich (@sportsguyrich) April 15, 2015
Dakari Johnson, Sophomore, Kentucky
At Kentucky, it can be hard to blame anyone for leaving early. After all, John Calipari is bringing in some of the nation’s top recruiting classes every single year, and he isn’t afraid of playing freshmen ahead of upperclassmen. However, next season, Johnson would have finally had a chance to truly shine in Lexington as the main big man. Instead, he looks like a mid-second-round pick with a real chance of sliding further.
Chris McCullough, Freshman, Syracuse
After missing the majority of his freshman season due to a knee injury, it can be be, on one hand, hard to blame for McCullough for leaving. But it’s not like he showed well in the time that he did play early on in the year. The smart thing would have been for him to return as a sophomore and dominate, showing NBA scouts that he can indeed be a force in the college game as opposed to a simple role player on an average team.
Trevor Lacey, Junior, North Carolina State
Okay, this one is particularly confusing. I mean, Lacey had a chance to come back and be a contender for ACC Player of the Year, and help the Wolfpack to a likely preseason Top 25 ranking. Instead, he’ll have to compete his butt off just to make it onto the draft radar at all. Leaving early when you likely won’t be drafted? Not a smart move, Mr. Lacey.
Jordan Mickey, Sophomore, LSU
This is another head scratching, though it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Mickey is a big-time rim protector, and there’s always a place for that in professional basketball. However, at this point, he’s still a late-second-round pick, at best. Another year at LSU likely wouldn’t have helped him much in that regard, though.
Michael Qualls, Junior, Arkansas
Qualls flashed an increased skill set as a junior, but I’m still struggling to see how a 6-foot-6 power forward excites an NBA team to take a chance on him in the first round. Maybe this was a case of Qualls simply being over the life of a college student, which is fair enough. However, I have a feeling he got some questionable advice with regards to his chances of being in the NBA next season.
