This season’s Auburn basketball team was the second-youngest in the country, and it finished under .500. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t chock full of talented prospects.
Bruce Pearl said after Saturday’s season-ending 78-71 win over Mississippi State that “several” of the team’s 11 scholarship players could test the NBA Draft waters.
The coach didn’t mention any names, but it stands to reason that guard Sharife Cooper, wing Allen Flanigan and forward JT Thor are at the top of that list.
STAY OR GO? Breaking down Auburn point guard Sharife Cooper’s upcoming NBA Draft decision
“(They) need to get evaluated as far as where they would go in the draft if they declared as eligible,” Pearl said. “We might have a couple of guys who will declare and see if they can move their way up or not.”
That won’t necessarily mean they’re gone, though. College basketball players, unlike football players, can enter their names in the draft, meet with professional teams and even sign with an agent while still maintaining the option to return to school for another season, so there’s no downside.
Jared Harper, Bryce Brown and Austin Wiley all entered their names in the NBA Draft and decided to return once during their standout careers – after being evaluated and told by NBA scouts what areas of their game they need to improve upon. Chuma Okeke and Isaac Okoro declared after the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, respectively, and ultimately decided to turn pro after learning how high their draft stock was.
Okeke was selected 16th overall by the Orlando Magic despite the fact that he was still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the Tigers’ Final Four run. Okoro was selected fifth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, becoming the program’s first lottery pick since Chris Morris in 1988.
“Isaac really wanted to come back,” Pearl said. “We looked at where he was going to be and talked to NBA clubs and said, ‘Dude, that’s not an option. You’re not coming back. You can take classes all summer and you can hang out here, but you’re not playing for the Auburn Tigers next year.’ We just make that decision. Our job is to get those guys ready, and when they’re ready they need to go and start taking care of their families.”
Cooper is the player most likely to be in that boat. The highest-rated recruit to ever don an Auburn uniform was limited to just 12 games. He missed the first 11 while the NCAA reviewed his eligibility and last four due to a left ankle injury, but he starred when he played, averaging a team-leading 20.2 points and 8.2 assists.
Multiple mock drafts (including USA Today’s For The Win, ESPN, SBNation, Bleacher Report and NBC Sports) project Cooper to be a lottery pick.
“I think that Sharife is one of the best pure points in this class in terms of his feel for the game and his playmaking,” said Bryan Kalbrosky, who analyzes NBA Draft prospects for the USA Today Network. “I would be a little surprised if he did come back. I don’t know how much he’d really be able to improve his stock, in my opinion, because I’m already assuming the jumper is going to get better.”
Flanigan has likely already improved his stock dramatically in the eyes of NBA talent evaluators after making a significant sophomore leap. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound wing went from averaging 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds last season to 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds this season. He raised his shooting percentage from 39.4% to 45.5% from the floor, 14.3% to 33.8% from 3-point range and 45.9% to 77.6% from the free throw line.
Thor may not be quite ready to depart Auburn, but there’s no doubt that he’s destined for the NBA. The 6-foot-10 former top-60 recruit averaged 9.4 points on 44% shooting (22 of 74 from 3-point range), 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and nearly a steal and assist during his freshman year, and that was after only three seasons of high school – he reclassified to join the Tigers a year early.
A chance hear directly from NBA personnel would only help his development.
“JT’s going to be a pro,” Pearl said. “We all know it.”
It may just be a matter of when for him and some of his teammates.
The NBA has not set a date for the 2021 draft, but it typically takes place in June.
Josh Vitale is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale. To reach him by email, click here.