Michigan State has three current and former players entered in the NBA Draft right now and all of them are ranked in the top 100 of CBS Sports’ NBA prospects rankings.
Junior Xavier Tillman, who says he is 50/50 on whether to stay in the draft or return to school for his senior season, is the top-rated Spartan, coming in at No. 26 overall. This is right in line with many of Tillman’s projections, which usually have him slotted somewhere between Nos. 20 and 40 in the class.
Outgoing senior Cassius Winston is next on the list at No. 42. That would put Winston squarely in the middle of the second round and give him a good chance of making an NBA roster for the 2020-2021 season. Sophomore Aaron Henry is third among the Spartans coming in at No. 62. That would slot him just outside of the 60 players that get drafted, but would likely leave him as one of the top undrafted players.
Also of note to MSU fans is Karim Mane, who appears on the list at No. 77. The Canadian high schooler is MSU’s top recruit target left on the board and will be deciding between turning pro or going to college. If Mane goes to college, Michigan State is thought to be the leader in landing him.
The deadline for Tillman and Henry to withdraw from the draft and retain their eligibility to return to MSU was initially scheduled for June 3, but the NCAA moved back the deadline indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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