UConn junior guard Andre Jackson has opted to enter his name in the 2023 NBA Draft pool and will test the waters, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Jackson, who started 31 of 36 games for the national champions in 2022-23, averaged just 6.7 points per game with a modest .432/.281/.646 shooting line. However, he chipped in 6.2 RPG, 4.7 APG and 1.1 SPG while playing strong defense.
According to Wojnarowski, team executives believe Jackson’s play in the NCAA Tournament boosted his stock and view him as a borderline first-round pick if he remains in the draft. The junior is currently the No. 30 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2023.
In addition to Jackson, Purdue center Zach Edey also announced that he’ll test the draft waters without forgoing his remaining college eligibility (Twitter link).
Unlike Jackson, who is considered a promising NBA prospect despite underwhelming scoring numbers at the college level, Edey was an NCAA star, earning National Player of the Year honors after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game across 34 starts as a junior for the Boilermakers.
However, there are questions about Edey’s NBA ceiling due to his lack of agility and versatility on defense, Jonathan Givony of ESPN writes in his scouting report. The 7-foot-4 Edey still ranks 49th overall on ESPN’s board but is referred to by Givony as a “Boban Marjanovic-style player” unless he can add some range to his jump shot.
Finally, Adam Flagler, who won a national championship with Baylor in 2021, is also declaring for the 2023 draft, per Givony (Twitter link). The redshirt senior guard only ranks 74th overall on ESPN’s board but is coming off a strong 2022-23 season in which he posted 15.6 PPG and 4.6 APG while making 40.0% of his three-pointers.
Flagler has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, but neither Givony’s report nor his own Instagram announcement indicates whether he plans to forgo that final year or keep the door open to return to school. When he withdrew from last year’s draft, his comments strongly hinted that he planned to go pro in 2023.
More must-reads: