New rules set out by the NCAA allow underclassmen declared for the NBA Draft to return to school following the NBA Combine, provided that they haven’t hired an agent or accepted any gifts that would compromise their eligibility.
This means the number of underclassmen declared for the NBA Draft is exponentially higher than in years passed. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the names who have made their initial intentions known, starting with the point guards:
Anthony Barber, N.C. State, Jr.
Isaiah Briscoe, Kentucky, Fr.
Kareem Canty, Auburn, Jr.
Kris Dunn, Providence, Jr.
Dominique Hawkins, Kentucky, Jr.
Makai Mason, Yale, Soph.
Malik Newman, Mississippi State, Fr.
Tim Quarterman, LSU, Jr.
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky, Soph.
Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall, Soph.
Of these names, Kris Dunn, Tyler Ulis, and Isaiah Whitehead are perhaps the most intriguing for NBA teams. Of course, Dunn spent much of the season both being named the best point in the country while also fending off a list of minor injuries. Ulis is undersized, sure, but is an assassin off the ball-screen and has leadership qualities every NBA franchise covets. Whitehead is perhaps the most purely talented, but also the most volatile, of the group.
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