2016 SEC Players Potentially Entering the NBA

[jbcarol]

SEC Players on NBA's final list of official early entry candidates for the 2016 draft

Wade Baldwin IV  Vanderbilt

Antonio Blakeney  LSU

Isaiah Briscoe       Kentucky

Kareem Canty       Auburn

Damian Jones       Vanderbilt

Moses Kingsley     Arkansas

Skal Labissiere     Kentucky

Marcus Lee           Kentucky

Jamal Murray       Kentucky

Malik Newman      Mississippi State

Tim Quarterman   LSU

Ben Simmons       LSU

Tyler Ulis             Kentucky

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 12h12 hours ago

There are 162 players on the Early Entry list and only about 65-70 will get invited to the Combine.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 7h7 hours ago

162 players are on the early entry list for the NBA Draft. Only 60 will be drafted. I'll say it again: this rule is not for the long term.

The story isn't who is declaring for the NBA Draft: the story is who is going to be coming back to school. May 25th can't come soon enough.

[jbcarol]

USA TODAY Sports Verified account
‏@USATODAYsports

Ben Simmons sill holds the top spot in the latest NBA mock draft, but for how much longer? http://usat.ly/1SAtvBb



5. Murray, SG, UK

17. Baldwin IV, PG, VU

19. Skal, C, UK

24. Tyler Ulis, PG, UG

27. Damian Jones, C, VU

[jbcarol]

Chad Ford Verified account
‏@chadfordinsider

Major update of our Top 100 now that the deadline for underclassmen to declare has passed. http://es.pn/1ThpPXc

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats 3h3 hours ago

Ben Roberts Retweeted Chad Ford

Isaiah Briscoe at No. 71 (11 spots outside of draft range). No Marcus Lee in the Top 100.

1. Simmons

3. Murray

11. Skal

17. Ulis

21 and onward are Insider

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 3h3 hours ago

Hearing some NCAA All-Americans, like Yogi Ferrell and Fred VanVleet are on the NBA Combine alternate list. Underclassmen taking their spots

NBA teams telling me they prefer to use the Combine as an evaluation tool for (often younger) players they want to get a better feel for.

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 4h4 hours ago

NBA Combine invites went out overnight. At least 3 different versions were dispersed. Here's one for top prospects:



Here's the NBA Combine invite that went to players that must play five on five to attend (2nd rounders and beyond?)



Also some players who are apparently "alternates" got the following NBA Combine "invite" (more like questionnaire)

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 27m27 minutes ago New Jersey, USA

Kentucky's Skal Labissiere and Oregon's Elgin Cook invited to NBA Combine, agent Travis King tells @SNYtv. @GoodmanESPN 1st reported.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 18m18 minutes ago

Kentucky's Marcus Lee is on the alternate list for the NBA Draft Combine, a league source told ESPN.

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 12m12 minutes ago

More players invited to NBA Combine: Kyle Wiltjer, Jake Layman, Joel Bolomboy, Wade Baldwin (drills), Demetrius Jackson (drills) Perry Ellis

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 3m3 minutes ago

Jamal Murray and Thon Maker both invited to the NBA combine, agent Mike George told ESPN.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 3h3 hours ago

Mississippi State's Malik Newman has been invited to the NBA combine, source told ESPN.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 4h4 hours ago

Tyler Ulis invited to the NBA  Combine, sources confirmed to ESPN. So, Murray, Ulis and Skal invited — Poythress, Lee, Briscoe alternates.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 6h6 hours ago

Stefan Moody's agent, Jason Elam, told ESPN that his client has had interest from 6 NFL teams. Intrigued, but Moody wants to play in NBA.

[jbcarol]

 Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 7h7 hours ago

Former Florida forward Dorian Finney Smith has been invited to the NBA combine, source told ESPN.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 7h7 hours ago

Former Vanderbilt players Wade Baldwin and Damian Jones both told ESPN they have been invited to the NBA combine.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 2h2 hours ago

Updated NBA combine invite list now up to 62. Still a working list. About 70 or so have been invited by NBA.

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 1m1 minute ago Manhattan, NY

Who got invited to the NBA Draft Combine?
https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/nba-draft-combine-invites-coming-out/175455224 ...

SEC NBA DRAFT COMBINE INVITES

Wade Baldwin IV                  Vanderbilt   

Dorian Finney-Smith                      Florida

Damian Jones                         Vanderbilt

Skal Labissiere                        Kentucky

Jamal Murray                          Kentucky

Malik Newman                       Mississippi State

Ben Simmons                            LSU

Tyler Ulis                                Kentucky

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/727172771923529729

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 15m15 minutes ago

UNC announces that Kennedy Meeks has withdrawn from NBA Draft process and will return to school next season.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 14m14 minutes ago

Malik Newman's father, Horatio Webster, told ESPN that has son has not signed with an agent. There has been speculation to the contrary.

[jbcarol]

Marcus Lee
‏@JustMarcusLee

Beyond excited to participate in this years NBA Combine!

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony
‏@DraftExpress

Isaiah Briscoe worked out for the Spurs today according to his father. Will work out for the Clippers this week, Lakers right after Combine.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 2h2 hours ago

Only 20 days until we find out who is actually staying in the 2016 NBA Draft.....#countdown

[jbcarol]

NBA DraftVerified account
‏@NBADraft
The 2016 #NBACombine Participant List Released: http://on.nba.com/1SS6KsA

SEC Players

Wade Baldwin  Vanderbilt

Dorian Finney-Smith Florida

Damian Jones Vanderbilt

Skal Labissiere Kentucky

Marcus Lee Kentucky

Jamal Murray Kentucky

Malik Newman Mississippi State

Tyler Ulis Kentucky

Kyle Wiltjer  Gonzaga <- Kentucky

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 1h1 hour ago

New on DX: 11 underclassmen who didn't have great showings at the NBA Combine, and now have plenty to think about: http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Underclassmen-Who-May-Need-To-Return-After-Middling-Combine-Showings-5482 ...

Marcus Lee: The Kentucky junior ranked statistically as the worst performer at the NBA Combine with a -3.3 PER, and the actual impression from watching him wasn't much different. Lee hasn't improved his body or skill-level in the least bit since arriving in Lexington, and has just an average feel for the game to compensate for that. Lee is in a difficult situation now, as he'll have to hope to be spoon-fed minutes over much more talented players for yet another season with an excellent recruiting class coming in at Kentucky. The alternatives, included going undrafted and playing in the D-League, aren't much more enticing. In a perfect world, he would be able to transfer to a lower level college without having to sit out a year, but that's unlikely to be an option.

Malik Newman: While he was a bit better Friday than Thursday, Newman still had a lot of the same struggles that marred him at Mississippi State. He's a streaky shooter, doesn't have a great feel for the game and is a bit small for a shot-making two-guard with marginal results. Newman would greatly benefit from returning to school as trying to fight his way onto a team (either as a second-round pick or undrafted free agent) at age 19 is no easy task. If he is absolutely set on staying in the draft, his best bet may end up being a one-year, D-League draft and stash player.

[jbcarol]

NBA Combine | UK's Lee realistic but hopeful

CHICAGO – If Marcus Lee stays in the NBA draft, which he swears is still undecided, the Kentucky junior will go into it with eyes wide open.

"I definitely understand the (NBA Development League) may be an option, and that's a normal step for a lot of people," Lee said Friday at the pre-draft scouting combine in Chicago. "Our Harrison twins started in the D-League, and now they're doing well in the NBA. Dakari (Johnson) is thriving in the D-League, and he'll come up soon, too. So I see it as another step, and it's totally fine and normal."

At least Lee seems realistic about his pro prospects – neither ESPN nor DraftExpress.com project him to be picked in June – after an unremarkable performance this week at the combine. In a pair of five-on-five games against other draft hopefuls, Lee produced just four points, three rebounds, one block and six fouls in 36 total minutes.

He measured 6-foot-10 ½ in shoes, impressed with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and was a deft defender, but Lee struggled on the other end, hitting just 1 of 6 shots in scrimmages, at times getting pushed around. The performance was not unlike his inconsistent career at UK...

"I think he'll probably go undrafted," ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford said, "and I think he's making a mistake (leaving early). Because we've seen several players – Buddy Hield, Denzel Valentine, Malcolm Brogdon – put it all together their senior year and not be penalized because they're seniors. They're moving up in the draft."

Maybe Lee will have a last-minute change of heart, too, and come back to Kentucky. He said Thursday he's "87 percent" sure he'll stay in the draft but he has not hired an agent and has until May 25 to pull out and return to school.

"It is really hard" to decide, Lee said. "We'll continue to get more feedback, and then once we kind of settle down, we'll have a family meeting to kind of talk it through."

Lee said he's heard from "a couple" teams who would be interested in taking him in the second round. He hopes to grow that number over the next week with at least four workouts for NBA teams around the country, starting here with the Bulls this weekend.

He said he doesn't require any kind of promise that a team will pick him to stay in the draft, but he'd like to feel good about finding a potential home.

"There could be some teams that say they're very uncertain, but some teams are like, 'No, I really like you,'" Lee said. "That's where you kind of have to weigh the odds and go from there. That's where the decisions come. It's all on when you weigh the risks and you weigh the reward on it. That's something me and my family are going to do very soon."

One thing that he claims will have "no impact at all" on the decision is Kentucky's heavily hyped incoming freshman class, which includes five-star big men Bam Adebayo, Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones – and might soon add No. 1-ranked center Marques Bolden. Lee isn't worried about being able to showcase his skills on a loaded roster...

So what does John Calipari, who has had players drafted in droves since coming to Kentucky, think about this pending decision? Has he advised Lee to return to school?

"Coach Cal is one of my biggest supporters," Lee said. "When we had a conversation about it, he was like, 'That's totally fine with me.' He was like, 'I'll always be on your team.' That's something that's great to have. Some coaches would be like, 'No, I don't want you to go.' He'll tell you the honest truth and then be on your side no matter what."

That honest truth surely included some real talk – which the aforementioned Dakari Johnson could confirm – about how the D-League won't be nearly as luxurious as the private-jet life and rock-star status he currently enjoys at Kentucky.

[jbcarol]

The third edition of the NBA.com Top 30 Board is based on conversations with executives and scouts during the combine activities. One of the big takeaways from Chicago is that front offices remain torn on the top spot...

1. Ben Simmons | LSU | PF-SF | 6-10 | 245

6. Jamal Murray | Kentucky | SG-PG | 6-5 | 200

10. Skal Labissiere | Kentucky | C-PF | 7-0 | 220

18. Wade Baldwin IV | Vanderbilt | PG | 6-3 | 195

20. Damian Jones | Vanderbilt | C | 7-0 | 250

23. Tyler Ulis | Kentucky | PG | 5-9 | 160

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/732595048861306880

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/732347306004058113

Eleven SEC basketball players were listed in Chad Ford's top 100 prospects list, but only five of those players were projected to be drafted in the first round.

LSU's Ben Simmons was featured at the top of Ford's list as the No. 1 player in the 2016 class.

SEC's other player in the top three was Kentucky guard Jamal Murray, who was rated No. 3 on Ford's list.

Forward Skal Labissiere was ranked 11th on the list, despite a lackluster freshman season at Kentucky.

Tyler Ulis was next on Ford's list at No. 17.

Rounding out the top 20 was Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin IV ... Baldwin's teammate, Damian Jones came in at No. 40 on Ford's list...

Mississippi State G Malik Newman (No. 57), LSU G Tim Quarterman (No. 66), Kentucky G Isaiah Briscoe (No. 74),Florida F Dorian Finney-Smith (No. 79) and Kentucky F Alex Poythress (No. 81) rounded out the group of SEC players on Ford's list.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 2h2 hours ago

The vast majority of the NBA execs I have spoken to have not changed their stance: Would still take Ben Simmons with No. 1 overall pick.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/732588673699618817

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 1h1 hour ago

Will be really interesting to see how Ben Simmons' camp handles things now. No secret he wants to end up in LA. Will he visit Philly?

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress 1h1 hour ago

Our mock draft is now updated with the official draft order (that was easy!) and projections based on team needs: http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016/ ...

2. Ben Simmons  LAL

6. Jamal Murray  NOLA

8. Skal               SAC

17. Baldwin IV    MEM

20. Ulis              IND

21. Damian Jones ATL

52. Malik Newman UTAH

59. Finney-Smith SAC

[jbcarol]

ESPN's Chad Ford has released a new mock draft following the NBA Draft lottery

Ford has the Sixers selecting LSU forward Ben Simmons with the first overall pick.

Ford also has an SEC player going third overall in the NBA Draft: Kentucky guard Jamal Murray to the Boston Celtics.

The next SEC player in Ford's projections shows up at No. 11, with Kentucky's Skal Labissiere going to the Orlando Magic.

Tyler Ulis is the next SEC player in Ford's mock, going to the Denver Nuggets with the 15th pick.

The last SEC player Ford predicts as a first-round selection is Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin IV. Ford has Baldwin going to the Detroit Pistons with the No. 18 pick.

Ford had 11 SEC players included in his top 100 NBA Draft prospects list. In addition to the five listed above who made Ford's top 20, Mississippi State guard Malik Newman (No. 57), LSU guard Tim Quarterman (No. 66), Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe (No. 74), Florida forward Dorian Finney-Smith (No. 79) and Kentucky forward Alex Poythress (No. 81) were listed in his top 100.

The NBA Draft will take place on June 23 on ESPN.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/GaryParrishCBS/status/732922723610038273

2. Simmons LAL

3. Murray    BOS

11. Skal      ORL

14. Ulis       CHI


17. Baldwin IV  MEM

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 8h8 hours ago

10 teams that will be impacted by their players' NBA Draft decisions. Here's more @CBSSports: http://cbsprt.co/1W4M8TV

Mississippi State

    Player in limbo: Malik Newman
    Why he'll stay in draft: Newman has always fancied himself as a one-and-done guy. The 6-3 guard didn't have the freshman season that many people thought he'd have

    Why he'll go back to school: A preseason toe injury in October really hampered Newman's readiness to play and that was evidenced by his statistics

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/733629986477871104

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 4h4 hours ago

11 underclassmen who participated in the NBA Draft Combine without an agent still have yet to make a decision. Big couple of days ahead.



Including Briscoe, Marcus Lee, and Newman.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/733672368208531457

...As for Marcus Lee, who has until May 25 to withdraw from the NBA Draft but has already withdrawn from several workouts, Cauley-Stein also had some advice.

"I haven't spoken to him, but it's more if you're ready to go, go," Cauley-Stein said. "But if you're having second thoughts about it, don't gamble it."

As for Isaiah Briscoe, who also has until May 25 to decide, Towns said he's spoken to him.

"He's enjoying the process and that's the biggest thing," he said. "You gotta enjoy the process and use this time wisely."

[jbcarol]

With the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA Draft approaching on Wednesday, many college players have already declared their intentions to return to campus.

But numerous high-profile college players are still weighing their decisions.

That group includes the Kentucky duo of Isaiah Briscoe and Marcus Lee, Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, Villanova guard Josh Hart, Providence forward Ben Bentil, Xavier wing Trevon Bluiett, Mississippi State guard Malik Newman, Seton Hall guard Isaiah Whitehead, Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes, Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan and Indiana forward Troy Williams.

**Briscoe's father, George, told me by phone on Friday that his son, the former Roselle (N.J.) Catholic star, has upcoming workouts with Minnesota and Atlanta and still hasn't made up his mind. Meantime, Lee cancelled several recent workouts but it remains unclear what he will do.

**Mississippi State's Newman had workouts scheduled with Milwaukee (Friday), the Nets (Sunday) and the Knicks (Tuesday). His father, Horatio Webster, told me on Thursday that if he wasn't satisfied with his son's draft status, Newman would return to campus.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/734530561688141826

Both Canty and Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said the suspension was due, at least in part, to an altercation with Steven Pearl, Bruce's son and Auburn's director of basketball operations.

"I said a lot of things, I got into an altercation with Steven Pearl that I regret and I learned from, which led to my suspension," Canty told AL.com. "That was a mistake that I made on my part that I should have just finished out the season. ... I just decided to leave after my two-game suspension because of my frustration with the season and I handled that all wrong instead of just sticking it out and riding with my teammates."

Bruce Pearl said there was more than one incident that caused him to suspend Canty indefinitely.

"It wasn't just a run-in with my son, Steven, there was a series of run-ins," Pearl said. "Kareem is passionate and he's intense and there were times where he was as good as anybody out there on the floor. Had we had more success, had I had a little bit more depth, had we had some better players to play with I really think he could have survived it and not made some of the mistakes that he made."

When Canty left Auburn on Feb. 11 he "didn't have any real plan." First he went overseas and signed a non-guaranteed contract with a team in Germany, where he said he practiced but didn't play in a game...


Canty was disappointed not to be invited to the NBA Combine earlier this month, but admits he had only himself to blame for having left college mid-season.

"My whole life I've been focused on basketball. My whole thing is basketball," he said. "I actually got a chance -- "

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 2h2 hours ago

Only 2 days until we find out who is actually staying in the 2016 NBA Draft.....#countdown

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 54m54 minutes ago Manhattan, NY

After working out for Milwaukee and the Nets, Malik Newman has the #Knicks on Tuesday.
https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/malik-newman-contemplating-return-to-mississippi-state/179031276 ...

Newman will pull out of the NBA Draft and return to Mississippi State for his sophomore season if his father is not satisfied with his projected draft status.

Once projected as high as the No. 4 pick by DraftExpress.com, the 6-foot-3 1/2 Newman is currently slotted at No. 52. He has not hired an agent and has until May 25 to decide about returning to campus.

"Right now everyone is projecting him a second round pick and, to be quite honest with you, I don't know if we're going to take the chance on being a second-round pick," Horatio Webster, Newman's father and a former Mississippi State star, told SNY.tv by phone on Thursday. "Being that he's just a freshman, if he don't get a promise or something that's concrete, then we're not going to take the chance on being a second-round pick. He would pull his name out by the 25th."

Newman famously chose Mississippi State over Kentucky and Kansas and then did not live up to the hype due to series of nagging injuries including turf toe and a back injury.

In his lone season on campus, the preseason All-SEC Second Team honoree averaged 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists and the Bulldogs failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

"I just think it was the injuries," Newman told me last week at the NBA Draft Combine. "I mean nagging injury after nagging injury. I never could get 100 percent during the season. That's really the only thing I can think of."

At the Combine, he averaged 6.5 points and 1.0 assist in two games.

"I don't think he did enough to be a first-round [pick] but if it's a good situation in the second round then we would entertain it," Webster said. "If not then he will go back to school."

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla thinks coming back for a sophomore year would be a good idea.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 8m8 minutes ago

Kentucky's Marcus Lee is still debating whether to return to college or remain in the NBA Draft, sources told ESPN. Could go either way.

[jbcarol]

Parrish: How the new NBA Draft rules are working

The change in the way underclassmen can test the waters of the NBA Draft has been criticized by some. But, best I can tell, the new rule is doing what it's designed to do.

Prospects are spending real time in front of NBA executives and scouts.

They're getting honest evaluations.

And, for the most part, they seem to be listening.

To be clear, I realize it must be a headache for college coaches...

But if the price of amateur athletes making informed life-altering decisions is a few weeks of uncertainly for millionaire coaches, well, I'm OK with that. And I think everybody else should be OK with that, too.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 3h3 hours ago Manhattan, NY

Kentucky G Isaiah Briscoe works out today for the Wolves, via @DWolfsonKSTP. Also has Atlanta.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/loganlowery/status/734603503784628224

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/status/734486401119588352

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/MikeBBonner/status/735129251016527872