Five-star prospect Makur Maker entering NBA Draft - reports
Monday 27 April 2020 07:53, UK
Five-star prospect Makur Maker is entering the 2020 NBA Draft, according to reports.
The 6ft 11in center was born in Kenya and raised in Australia before moving to California in 2015. His cousin is Detroit Pistons forward Thon Maker.
Maker is ranked as the No 12 recruit in the Class of 2020 by both ESPN and the 247Sports composite.
Earlier this year, the NBA determined that the 19-year-old Maker was eligible for the draft after he had fallen two credits shy of graduating with his original 2019 high school class in Irvine, California.
Memphis freshman Precious Achiuwa says he will enter the draft.
Achiuwa announced his decision in a Twitter post on Friday. The 6ft 9in, 225lb Nigerian-born star is projected as a likely first-rounder and possible lottery pick.
Achiuwa said he has dreamed of playing in the NBA since he picked up the game. He became the first player in the American Athletic Conference named both player and freshman of the year after averaging 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Paul Eboua, a 6ft 9in power forward from Cameroon has declared for the draft. The 20-year-old confirmed his decision on Saturday with ESPN.
Ranked as the No 53 draft-eligible prospect in the ESPN 100, Eboua played professionally in Italy's top division last season with Pesaro and averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.
"This last year in Pesaro was a great experience for me," Eboua told ESPN. "They provided a wonderful atmosphere to get better in and I definitely tried to take advantage of that as much as possible. I believe NBA teams saw the energy, athleticism, competitiveness I bring every moment I am on the floor and that I'm definitely not afraid of a little contact."
Florida guards Andrew Nembhard and Tre Mann have declared for the NBA draft while keeping open the option of returning to school.
The Gators made the announcement on Sunday, the final day underclassmen had to decide on their futures.
Nembhard hired NCAA-certified agent Jaafar Choufani so he can retain his college eligibility and potentially return to school. He also declared for the draft last year and eventually returned to Florida after not getting invited to the NBA scouting combine.
The sophomore averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 2019-20. With 173 assists and 80 turnovers, his assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 49th in the country.
Mann, a freshman, averaged 5.3 points off the bench.
The decisions by Nembhard and Mann come after two other Florida starters - guard Scottie Lewis and forward Keyontae Johnson - decided to return to school.
South Carolina's leading scorer AJ Lawson is entering the NBA Draft for a second straight season.
Gamecocks coach Frank Martin confirmed on Sunday that Lawson would not hire an agent, meaning he could return to the team for his junior season.
Lawson is a 6ft 6in forward from Toronto and was considered an NBA prospect when he stepped on campus two seasons ago.
He entered the draft last year, but was not invited to the league's combine. He held individual workouts for several teams before coming back to the Gamecocks. He started all 31 games this season at South Carolina, averaging a team-best 13.4 points a game.
The NBA draft combine is scheduled for May 21-24.
The draft is scheduled for June 25 in Brooklyn, New York, although the date and location are uncertain while the NBA is shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
