Maker was ruled eligible for the draft in February after he had only been two credits short of graduating with his high school class.
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19-year-old Makur Maker, the cousin of Thon Maker, will reportedly declare for the NBA Draft straight from high school, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Maker was ruled eligible for the draft in February after he had only been two credits short of graduating with his original 2019 high school class in California.
Born in Kenya and growing up in Australia, Maker moved to the United States in 2015 where he would attend five different high schools in California, Ontario and Arizona. He drew interest from several of the top college basketball programs, including Kentucky, UCLA, Oregon and USC, and even considered playing in the National Basketball League before entering the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-11 Maker is considered to be an above-average playmaker for his size given his ability to handle the ball and get out in transition. Maker averaged 14.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and one block in 26 minutes per game last summer on his AAU team, Dream Vision.
The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year will forego his remaining college eligibility and enter the NBA Draft.
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Memphis Tigers freshman forward Precious Achiuwa told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Friday that he will hire an agent and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft.
Achiuwa was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.1 steals and one assist in 31 games played last season with the Tigers. He was also named the AAC Freshman of the Year.
The 6-foot-9 prospect flourished playing the center position once James Wiseman left the team. He flashed his defensive ability at the position and his 7-foot-2 wingspan figures to intrigue teams picking in the middle of the first round.
Achiuwa is highly touted for his ability to rebound. His 24.7 defensive rebound percentage ranked second among all players in the conference as his 22-point and 22-rebound performance on Feb. 29 against Tulane certainly flashed that ability.
Successful virtual drafts held by the WNBA and NFL could lead the way for the NBA to follow suit.
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Given the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, sporting entities around the globe have turned to the virtual world in order to stay connected with each other.
Practice facilities across all leagues have been shut down to prevent social interaction to help limit the spread of the virus. As a result, teams are holding video conference calls for meetings, workouts and training sessions to stay in communication.
Although live sports have been put on hold, leagues have still moved forward with key offseason events, such as the WNBA Draft that took place last Friday. It became the first virtual draft in history and it went down as a huge success.
The 2020 WNBA Draft was the second most-watched in league history and the most-watched since 2004. ESPN saw a 123% increase in viewership compared to last year and averaged 387,000 viewers throughout the evening.
On Thursday, the NFL will take its turn hosting its draft, an event that is projected to shatter viewership records.
Like the WNBA Draft, fans will tune in to ESPN to see which player their favorite NFL team selects but many will be curious to see how things operate in the virtual world. With over 100 camera feeds to manage, something almost assuredly will go wrong.
With the WNBA and NFL leading the way, essentially serving as the guinea pigs, the NBA will certainly be paying close attention to how things are managed should they decide to follow suit and hold their own draft virtually.
Of course, that decision has yet to be made as the 2020 NBA Draft is still scheduled to take place on June 25. The league is uncertain when and if the season will return to play, and with the schedule in limbo, the draft itself has taken a backseat.
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Teams are currently prohibited from working out prospects and viewing live video from prospects and were only recently approved to hold virtual meetings with players. As a result, the NBA has been pressured to move the draft back until at least August to give teams enough time to properly scout and prepare.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that all options are on the table when it comes to returning to play and that same logic can be applied to the draft. If the league does move the draft back to at least August, the state of the country could be drastically changed then from present-day making it uncertain if the draft will take place in person or in the virtual world.
With much to be decided in the coming weeks, the status of several events on the NBA calendar is still up in the air but one thing is certain: The NBA will be watching on Thursday night.
Alabama Crimson Tide guard Kira Lewis Jr. announced on Twitter on Tuesday morning that he will sign with an agent and remain in the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore earned First Team All-SEC honors after averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31 games played. Lewis shot 50.7% from the field, including 36.6% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts.
Lewis established himself as perhaps the top point guard in the class in transition as Alabama played in an uptempo system last season. He ranked inside the top 20 among all Division I players with 5.1 points per game scored in transition.
Although the 2020 NBA Draft on June 25 is in jeopardy due to the coronavirus pandemic, underclassmen still have until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 26 to officially declare and up until 5 p.m. ET on June 15 to withdraw and still maintain their college eligibility.
Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, four assists and 1.3 steals per game with the Tar Heels.
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North Carolina Tar Heels guard Cole Anthony announced on Friday that he will leave school early and enter the 2020 NBA Draft after a solid freshman season.
Anthony was a top-three player out of high school and is considered to be a first-round pick. In 22 games with the Tar Heels, Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, four assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 40.2% from the field.
Anthony said on Instagram last month that he would hold off on announcing his future plans due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Anthony was widely expected to enter the draft given his potential to be a high pick in the first round.
The former Kentucky guard is the first prospect from the 2020 NBA Draft class to sign with Rich Paul.
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Former Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyrese Maxey has signed with agent Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group ahead of the NBA Draft, the agency announced on Thursday.
The 6-foot-3 freshman announced on April 6 that he would leave school early and enter the NBA Draft. Maxey averaged 14 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31 games played with the Wildcats, earning Second Team All-SEC honors in the process.
Maxey is considered to be a lottery pick by most insiders given his ability to impact games on both ends of the floor. He is projected to be selected seventh in the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft.
Klutch Sports has emerged as perhaps the top agency in the NBA given its All-Star clientele, headlined by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and John Wall among others. Paul signed several prospects from the 2019 NBA Draft class, including Darius Garland, Darius Bazley and Talen Horton-Tucker.
The Kentucky sophomore was voted the SEC Player of the Year by the coaches after averaging 16.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
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Kentucky Wildcats sophomore Immanuel Quickly told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Monday morning that he will sign with an agent and enter the 2020 NBA Draft.
The SEC Player of the Year averaged 16.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30 games played while he shot 42.8% from 3-point range. He shot 92.3% from the free-throw line, ranking sixth-best among all underclassmen in the country.
Quickly struggled during his freshman campaign, averaging just 5.2 points in 37 games, but bounced back in a big way during the 2019-20 season and established himself as a potential first-round prospect. He is projected to be selected 30th in the latest 2020 NBA Rookie Wire Mock Draft.
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The 6-foot-3 guard projects to be a two-way player at the next level given his ability to shoot from beyond the arc and defend.
Quickly has a lethal floater after ranking inside the top 10 in points scored from floaters, per Synergy, and his 6-foot-10 wingspan that will certainly intrigue teams.
Duke Blue Devils freshman Vernon Carey Jr. announced on social media on Friday afternoon that he will leave school early and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-10 center was named the ACC Rookie of the Year after averaging 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and one assist in 31 games played. He led the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding and blocks and was named to the All-ACC First Team.
Carey has emerged as a possible first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and is projected to be selected 27th in the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft. He was a strong post-up threat at Duke but showed some decent shooting ability, which will need to improve at the next level.
Carey was often the best player on the court when he played but it is certain that he will need to evolve his game to match the style of play in the NBA. Many believe that if he can develop a consistent shot, he will have a bright future in the league.
Green is projected to be a second-round pick in the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft.
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Arizona Wildcats freshman Josh Green told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Friday afternoon that he will leave school early and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 12 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 30 games played. Green projects to be a solid two-way player given his 6-foot-10 wingspan and ability to shoot after converting on 36.1% of his 3-point attempts.
Green emerged as a strong ballhandler with the Wildcats in transition opportunities, even ranking among the best in the country for a period of time. With an improved jump-shot, Green can be a potential steal for a team should he fall to the second round.
Green is the third freshman from Arizona to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, joining teammates Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji. Mannion projects to be a first-round pick while Nnaji is also considered a second-round pick like Green.
NBA teams are hopeful the league office will push the draft back until no sooner than August.
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Teams around the NBA are reportedly hopeful the league office will move the 2020 NBA Draft back from June 25 until at least August, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The NBA pre-draft process has been severely altered this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and it has prevented teams from properly scouting draft-eligible prospects. As a result, teams would like more time to prepare and scout players.
Teams are currently prohibited from working out prospects and viewing live video from prospects and were only recently approved to hold virtual meetings with players. Many around the sport have thought the NBA should consider moving the draft back but no official decision has been made.
Prospects have been forced to work out on their own terms due to social distancing guidelines enforced by the federal government and many haven’t been inside of a gym since last month.
Reporting with @DraftExpress: As information gathering on draft-eligible prospects remains limited in a pandemic, many NBA teams are united in hopes of encouraging the league office to push the date of the June 25 draft until no sooner than August 1. Story soon on ESPN.
While the draft as yet to be officially moved, the existing deadlines for early-entry prospects still remain. Underclassmen that wish to enter the NBA Draft have until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 26 to do so and can withdraw up until 5 p.m. ET on June 15.
