The deadline for players to declare for the upcoming 2021 NBA draft is May 30.
Texas currently has two players that have already announced their decision to declare for the draft in Kai Jones and Matt Coleman III. Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones have chosen to return to Austin under Chris Beard.
What about Jericho Sims and Greg Brown? What’s the hold up? There hasn’t been a peep out of either since the season ended as to what their plans for the future are.
At one point, Brown appeared to be a lock as an NBA Lottery pick at the start of the season before his play deteriorated, he started to get more fouls than points or rebounds and fell out of favor in the lineup.
It’s possible that as the season progressed, his draft stock took a hit. The fact that he wasn’t the first Longhorn to declare, despite having the most press, could have caused him to reconsider.
Sims was more of a rotational player to provide points and rebounds off the bench, but started to earn more minutes when the combination of him and Kai Jones proved to be more effective on offense and defense.
Sims’ draft stock likely increased as the season went on, but might not have been enough to get drafted. There haven’t been any major publications that have mocked him in the any of the 60 selections of the draft, so choosing to use that extra year of eligibility is important.
A UT spokesperson told reporters today that there is no update on the status of Greg Brown or Jericho Sims returning to Texas or declaring for the NBA draft. Brown was a projected lottery pick at the start of the 2020-21 season and Sims holds a fifth year of eligibility.
— Stephen Wagner (@stephenwag22) May 5, 2021
With new head coach Chris Beard coming into the picture, that might entice either or both to return and take another run at the NCAA Tournament, but the big name transfers that Beard has recently landed likely hasn’t made it any easier for them to decide. You have to remember that Sims and Brown were recruited under former head coach Shaka Smart and have no loyalties to Beard or vice versa.
Players such as Devin Disu and Timmy Allen coming to Austin via the NCAA transfer portal have already made the rotation a lot better than it was a year ago, regardless of what Brown or Sims ultimately decide.
Brown has only played one collegiate season and Sims has one more year of eligibility. It’s entirely possible they’re also considering the Royce Hamm route and transferring out of Texas. Both would be welcomed additions to plenty of college basketball rosters should they decide to play elsewhere.
Brown and Sims could be looking to gain more playing time under a different regime, but could miss out on the publicity Texas would offer as well as the developmental coaching that Chris Beard brings.
Both players would certainly be welcomed back in Austin, but their time is running short and will need to decide soon before their futures are decided for them.