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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Bryan Kalbrosky

Zach Edey, Andre Jackson and the top-10 stay-or-go college decisions in the 2023 NBA Draft

Andre Jackson Zach Edey NBA NBA Draft Andre Jackson Jr USA TODAY Sports Brandin Podziemski Brice Sensabaugh Judah Mintz Julian Phillips (Person)

The deadline to apply to become an early-entry candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft has passed, and several prospects soon have tough decisions to make.

Some of the most notable players in college basketball, like Purdue’s Zach Edey and UConn’s Andre Jackson Jr., declared for the draft while retaining their collegiate eligibility.

NBA draft prospects will have a more clear picture of their potential trajectory after the G League Elite Camp (May 13-14) and the NBA Draft Combine (May 15-21) in Chicago.

Once players have considered their feedback from the pre-draft process, all those who are “testing the waters” for the 2023 NBA Draft have until May 31 to withdraw from the early entry list if they wish to play in the NCAA next season.

They can also wait until June 12 to fully withdraw from the draft if they wish to play outside the NCAA (e.g. NBG League Ignite, Overtime Elite, or for an international team) while retaining their eligibility for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Below are the most interesting prospects who have decisions to make that could highly impact both the 2023 NBA Draft and the 2023-23 NCAA men’s college basketball season.

Some data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

1
Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)

Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh is reportedly hearing positive feedback from NBA teams about the possibility of hearing his name in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, via USA TODAY SMG’s Buckeyes Wire.

That isn’t particularly surprising, though, considering he is a genuine three-level scorer who made 50 shots at the basket, 50 shots from mid-range, and 50 shots beyond the arc. Among the sixteen high-major freshmen to ever accomplish as much before this season, 13 were selected in the first round.

At only 19 years old, Sensabaugh averaged 0.47 points per touch for Ohio State. That ranked No. 1 overall among all projected first-round draft picks, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

I’d expect Sensabaugh could hear his name called in the lottery on draft night and no later than the second half of the first round should he decide to remain in this class.

2
Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)

Brandin Podziemski scored just 22 points during the entirety of his freshman season at Illinois. He transferred to Santa Clara and enjoyed a phenomenal breakout campaign, winning West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Podziemski averaged 19.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent on 3-pointers. That is particularly impressive considering 69.9 percent of Podziemski’s 3-point attempts were contested. That was the highest rate among all consensus top-100 prospects, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

Among all underclassmen, per Cerebro Sports, he had the highest overall grade in the catch-all metric C-RAM (12.1) last season.

After a 26-year gap between draft picks from Santa Clara, the WCC program could potentially have a first-rounder selected in back-to-back seasons.

3
Julian Phillips (Tennessee)

Tennessee’s Julian Phillips still has plenty of work to do on the offensive end of the floor, where he averaged 8.3 points per game and shot just 23.9 percent on 3-pointers.

But as a defender, there is a lot to like about Phillips. He allowed only 0.56 points per defensive chance as a freshman. That ranks No. 1 overall among all consensus top-100 prospects, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.

The 19-year-old could significantly improve his draft stock with a more consistent jump shot, but with his defensive upside, there is still plenty of reason for teams to consider selecting Phillips on draft night.

4
Bobi Klintman (Wake Forrest)

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote a fantastic story about why Wake Forrest’s Bobi Klintman could be the “mystery man” of the 2023 NBA Draft.

He doesn’t have a tremendous body of work on his resumé quite yet, but the upside is outstanding. Klintman is a 6-foot-10 wing who can dribble, pass, and shoot.

Klintman averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for Sweden at the U20 Euro Championship B in 2022, via Cerebro Sports. He also played well down the stretch for Wake Forrest, notching 17 points and 11 rebounds with 1 steal and 1 block during a win over Syracuse in the ACC Conference Tournament.

5
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette)

When he declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, we wrote about why Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper is the perfect fit for a team looking to draft the next OG Anunoby.

Marquette outscored opponents by 26.8 points per 100 possessions when Prosper was on the court relative to when he was not, per CBB Analytics, which ranked second-best among players at all top-tier Division I programs.

Overall, per Evan Miya, Marquette maintained an overwhelmingly positive point differential (362) when Prosper played. The main reason was how well he contributed defensively.

Opponents were 3-for-26 (11.5 percent) on 3-pointers when Prosper contested their jumper, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform, which was the lowest opposing 3P% among all consensus top-100 prospects who contested at least 20 shots from beyond the arc.

He was one of the leaders in drives per touch, he shot well from the corners, and he was one of only a handful of high-major players to record at least 30 dunks and 3-pointers in 2022-23.

Although he is a junior, he is only four months older than Alabama freshman Brandon Miller. He is also younger than several notable sophomores in this class, including UConn’s Jordan Hawkins.

6
Judah Mintz (Syracuse)

Syracuse’s Judah Mintz is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. But he could potentially draw real interest this year, too.

Mintz recorded 0.38 closeouts per defensive chance. That ranked as the most among all consensus top-100 prospects, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform. His opponents scored just 0.12 points per touch on those closeouts, meanwhile, which was also the best among consensus all top-100 prospects with at least 90 closeouts tracked.

On the other end of the floor, meanwhile, Mintz forced contact often and was one of the Division I leaders in converting and-1 opportunities. He is a fantastic scorer from the midrange, especially for a freshman, and he is a promising two-way prospect.

7
DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)

(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

As we reported earlier this week, Dayton’s DaRon Holmes quietly declared for the draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility.

Holmes had the second-most dunks (89) of all Division 1 prospects last season, per Bart Torvik. He was also one of the most efficient players in college basketball when rolling to the rim after ball screens and he was one of the leaders in shooting fouls and floor fouls drawn as well.

Still only 20 years old, Holmes projects as one of the most intriguing big men in this draft class.

8
Andre Jackson Jr. (UConn)

After winning the national championship, UConn’s Andre Jackson said that he “wants to come back” to defend the title and only would return to college if coach Dan Hurley specifically told him it was time to turn pro.

Jackson reportedly required a “nudge” from Hurley to declare for the draft because his heart is with the Huskies.

But for several reasons, it makes sense for Jackson to at least hear feedback from pro teams. Hurley has described Jackson as the “best athlete” he has ever coached and Jackson approached recording a triple-double in all four games that UConn played leading up to the Final Four.

If he can increase his efficiency on the offensive end of the floor with one more year of college basketball, his athleticism and versatility will make him a likely first-round pick. But he may already offer enough intrigue to earn a lucrative deal in the NBA.

9
Zach Edey (Purdue)

Purdue’s Zach Edey was a force to be reckoned with in college basketball, winning consensus National Player of the Year.

The 7-foot-4 big man led all Division I players in field goals made in the paint, per CBB Analytics, but he didn’t end the season the way he would have liked with a tough loss in the opening round of the NCAA men’s tournament.

Edey could earn approximately $1 million from NIL, according to The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz, which could actually exceed what he would make in the NBA on his rookie deal. Another year at Purdue might not be the worst idea for the big man.

10
Adem Bona (UCLA)

UCLA freshman Adem Bona was named Pac-12 Rookie of the Year and made Pac-12 All-Defense. While he got hurt down the stretch, he was a highly impactful player for the Bruins.

Bona recorded the second-most dunks among all freshmen, per Bart Torvik. He also had the highest percentage of shots that were layups (35.7 percent) among all consensus top-100 prospects, per AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.