2016 NBA Draft Early Entrants: March 29, 2016

The rules for entering the draft have changed a bit. As long as a player does not hire an agent he may "test the draft waters" up to three consecutive years. Which is why you will hear John Calipari say every one of his players is declaring for the draft. A statement like that does mean as much as it sounds.




I will break this list down into two sections. The first will be players who have hired an agent, meaning they are in. I will give brief descriptions of each prospect. The second list will be players who have declared, but can return to school at any time.


To be updated daily.




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Updated: March 29, 2016. 3:30 PM EST




Hired an Agent - Officially In




SF/PF Ben Simmons, Fr, LSU
6'10, 225 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 19.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 4.8 apg
Projected Draft Range: Top 3




Ben Simmons was always an easy one and done. His team disappointed big time, failing to even reach the NCAA Tournament, but Simmons did little to hurt his draft stock. He showed Lamar Odom-like skills as a ball handler, slasher, scorer, rebounder and all around threat. His game is very NBA friendly. I think only Brandon Ingram could push him as the top overall pick.




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PG/SG Kris Dunn, Jr, Providence
6'4, 220 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 16.4 ppg, 6.2 apg, 5.3 rpg
Projected draft range: Top 15




Kris Dunn is a four year junior who has already graduating, so as expected, he will move on to the next level. Dunn began the year on a tear and even made his way into the top five of a few mocks, but cooled down as the season went on. Dunn had a nice showing during the tournament, showing his ability to get to the rack and score tough buckets. His game should appeal to teams like the Kings or Bucks, who need some toughness and leadership from the position. Even though Dunn is not a great shooter, he should be a top 15 pick.


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C Stephen Zimmerman, Fr, UNLV
7'0, 240 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 10.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Projected draft range: Mid to late first round


Stephen Zimmerman was a high recruit who chose to stay home in Las Vegas for school. He had a solid freshman season, averaging close to a double double with two blocks a night. He is a good athlete who can run the floor. The issue is he is not a very efficient scorer at this stage of his development, and is not yet ready to play major minutes at the NBA level. He is 7 foot, which is pretty much a guaranteed ticket to the first round, but he will have to be coached and developed into a servicable rotation player.




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PF Marquise Chriss, Fr, Washington
6'9, 225 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 13.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Projected Draft Range: Mid to late first round




Marquese Chriss could have used another year to develop his body and game, but he has the skills that teams are looking for in their power forwards. He has a good face up game with range out to 20 feet, can rebound on occasion and block shots. Chriss is still a project that will struggle to see the court early, but he could develop into a decent role player and should hear his name called in the teens or early 20's.




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PG/SG Dejounte Murray, Fr, Washington
6'5, 170 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 16.1 ppg, 4.4 apg, 6.0 rpg
Projected Draft Range: Late first, early second round




Dejounte Murray was not an extremely high recruit, but he outplayed almost all freshman this past season. He reminds me of a Tony Wroten/Rodney Stuckey type. He can handle the ball but is not really a point guard. He could be valuable to the team as a scoring combo guard off the bench. If Murray can show he has real point guard skills he should crack the first round. If not, he looks like a second round guy to me.
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SF DeAndre Bembry, Jr, St. Joseph's
6'6, 210 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 17.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.5 apg
Projected draft range: Late first, early second round


DeAndre Bembry did it all for St. Joseph's as he won Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors. Bembry is a bit of a point forward. He takes very good care of the ball and can lead an offense on occasion. Two things could keep him out of the first round. He is not a good shooter or overly committed defender. Like I have said a hundred times, the 3 and D wing player is all the rage in the NBA right now.
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SG/SF Wayne Selden, Jr, Kansas
6'5, 220 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 13.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg
Projected draft range: Second round


Top recruit Wayne Selden looked like a mega bust after his first two years at Kansas, but put together a very solid junior campaign, putting himself back on the NBA Draft map. Selden is a tough scorer and a solid defender. Unfortunately, he is not that athletic of a wing, or a fantastic jump shooter, two things that will probably limit his draft stock to the second round.




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PG Anthony Barber, Jr, North Carolina State
6'2, 195 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 23.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.6 rpg
Projected Draft Range: Second round




Anthony Barber exploded as a junior, turning into one of the best scorers in the country. With superstar prospect Dennis Smith Jr. heading to North Carolina State next year, Barber decided to move on. Unless a scoring point guard has great size or fantastic speed, it is hard for him to crack the first round. Barber should be drafted somewhere in the second round with a chance to stick in the league as a scoring backup.




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PG Tim Quarterman, Jr, LSU
6'6, 190 lbs
2015-2016 Draft: 11.2 ppg, 3.6 apg, 4.6 rpg
Projected Draft Range: Second round




Tim Quarterman had a nice junior year. He took good care of the ball and still managed 3.6 assists per night despite sharing the rock with Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney. Scouts are always intrigued with 6'6 point guards, though they rarely work out. Quarterman is just an average athlete and shooter, which likely limits his draft range to the second round.




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PG Kareem Canty, Jr, Auburn
6'1, 195 lbs
2015-2016 Stats: 18.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
Projected Draft Range: Undrafted




Kareem Canty transfered from Marshall to Auburn. He put up great stats before leaving the program during the middle of the year. There have been hundreds of undersized scorers who just do not have that standout skill to make the NBA, and Canty is just that. He will not be drafted.




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Testing the Waters






PG/SG Jamal Murray, Fr, Kentucky (Top ten)
PF/C Damian Jones, Jr, Vanderbilt (Mid first round)
PF/C Skal Labissiere, Fr, Kentucky (Mid first round)
SF Dedric Lawson, Fr, Memphis (Mid to late first round)
PF/C Chinanu Onuaku, So, Louisville (Mid to late first round)
PF Caleb Swanigan, Fr, Purdue (Mid to late first round)
PG Wade Baldwin IV, So, Vanderbilt (Mid to late first round)
PG Tyler Ulis, So, Kentucky (Mid to late first round)
SG Malik Beasley, Fr, Florida State (Late first, early second round)
PF Ben Bentil, So, Providence (Late first, early second round)
SG Isaiah Whitehead, So, Seton Hall (Late first, early second round)
PG/SG Isaiah Briscoe, Fr, Kentucky (Late first, early second round)
PF Cheick Diallo, Fr, Kansas (Second round)
PF Marcus Lee, Jr, Kentucky (Second round)
SF Dwayne Bacon, Fr, Florida State (Second round)
PG/SG Malik Newman, Fr, Mississippi State (Second round)
SF Jaron Blossomgame, Jr, Clemson (Second round)
C Isaac Humphries, Fr, Kentucky (Second round)
SG/SF Peter Jok, Jr, Iowa (Second round, undrafted)
PF Derek Willis, Jr, Kentucky (Undrafted)
SG Que Johnson, Jr, Washington State (Undrafted)
SF Tony Anderson, Fr, SE Missouri State (Undrafted)
PG Makai Mason, So, Yale (Undrafted)

Jonathan Carrano

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