UCLA Basketball: Jalen Hill Declares for the NBA Draft
UCLA Basketball: Jalen Hill Declares for the NBA Draft
Hill is the second Bruin underclassman to put his name into the draft mix.
(Photo Credit: Scott Chandler/UCLA Athletics)
UCLA redshirt sophomore Jalen Hill became the second Bruin underclassman to enter his name for the 2020 NBA Draft yesterday, according to multiple media reports.
Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes:
Hill’s declaration was intended mostly to get feedback from NBA personnel on his draft standing and possible areas for improvement, according to a person close to the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Hill’s declaration follows one from Chris Smith a few weeks ago.
Bruin Report Online’s Tracy Pierson also believes that Hill’s declaration is intended to allow Hill to “‘test the waters’ to get a sense of his draft stock and feedback from NBA personnel.”
Losing Hill, Smith or both of them would certainly be a blow to Mick Cronin’s program, especially after yesterday’s announcement that the Bruins’ top recruit Daishen Nix has decided to decommit from UCLA in order to play in the NBA G-League. But, after reading both the LA Times and Bruin Report Online articles, it seems as though Hill’s departure is unlikely. It’s not sure if Smith’s declaration is intended for the purposes of feedback or not.
As "Early Entry Candidates”, both players have until June 3rd to withdraw their names from the draft and be able to return to Westwood for next season. Of course, it goes without saying that that also assumes that there will be a 2020-21 college basketball season.
Go Bruins!!!
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I hate to be a broken record on this but, in Dimitri's fine post re Daishen Nix opting for the G League and [ostensibly] s $300 large payday, that and this will be the tip of a rather ominous iceberg. My contention is this: as long as the cloud surrounding the state-imposed COVID-19 lockdown restrictions remain, the young men and women who are now scholarship athletes will opt for the most tangible course to secure recompense for their skills.
If there is the prospect of no Fall and Winter athletics in California, then young men like this will enter the pro draft. Others may hit the transfer portal and go to other universities whose teams will play in the Fall and Winter so as to maintain their skill levels and marketability.
I am sure this not the main concern for this young young man but I will bet it was one of the considerations in arriving at this decision.
(Note that I do not say that California should NOT continue with the restrictions; that is a matter of public health and the governor's decision. I am just saying that the present confusion will have athletes reaching for some certainty and clarity for their futures.)
Oh, basketball, why are you doing this to us?