Emoni Bates drawing attention of NBA scouts after recent turnaround

A few years ago it would have been a given that Emoni Bates would be on the radar of most NBA teams. He was a 2021 five-star recruit and was ranked No. 5 in the nation behind only the likes of Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Shaedon Sharpe and Jaden Hardy.

For those not in the know, Banchero, Holmgren and Sharpe went No. 1, No. 2 and No. 7, respectively, in the 2022 NBA Draft.

So, yes, Bates was a potential NBA star in the making, but he flailed in his one season at Memphis. Then in December, the current Eastern Michigan hooper received 18 months of probation for gun charge that was originally two felonies — "carrying a concealed weapon" and "altering ID marks" — before a plea deal.

From top recruit nationally to playing in the MAC at Eastern Michigan, it was a fall from grace for Bates. It's worth noting that he's more than taken advantage of his second chance, though.

From dropping 29 consecutive points the other night to averaging 20.5 points and 5.7 rebounds a game for the Eagles, Bates has slowly but surely put himself back on the national radar. So much so, in fact, that 247Sports' Eric Bossi has quotes from two NBA scouts who believe Bates can be a player in the league one day.

“Say what you want about how he’s progressed or hasn’t progressed as a player compared to what the expectations are, he’s still very much a lethal shot-maker when he’s on,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “And while he takes some questionable shots and isn’t efficient, there is a role for him in the league as an off-the-bench scorer if he can become a more efficient shooter and is a willing team defender. Some of his habits simply need to be reprogrammed.”

Another scout had a similar take.

"There are plenty of questions about Emoni, but he’s proving to me that he can play in our league," a Western Conference scout said. "It’s going to be the job of whoever takes him to bulk him up and focus his energy in a positive direction, but if you have a chance to take him towards the end of the first round or early second, the potential reward is worth the risk."

That has to be exciting for Bates, but his career will always end up being a case of "what could have been."

He was right up there with the Bancheros and Homgrens of the NBA pipeline at one point. Sure, he could still end up carving himself out a future in the league, but from a potential top-five pick to late first or early second is quite a slide in perception.