Why Koa Peat should return to Arizona for his sophomore season

Long-range shooting has never been the focal point of Peat’s offensive game, but his cold performance at the combine could easily cause him to slide down draft boards.

“I didn’t shoot well on Monday, but that’s how shooting goes some days,” Peat said on Wednesday. “I feel like my midrange (form) is kind of the same. I’ve always had a higher release in midrange. Thought I shot the mid-range pretty solid. In my 3, trying to bring it down a little bit lower and to get more arc. It didn’t really shoot it well, but, you know, can’t get too high or too low about it.”

If he ends up sliding to the end of the first round or into the early part of the second, finances will be another factor for Peat to consider. At that draft range, he would likely make around $2-3 million in his rookie year.

But if he returns to Arizona, the Wildcats could offer him roughly $5 million in NIL money. He’ll likely end up making a lot of money in the long run no matter what, but it’s hard to turn down several million extra dollars.

Another factor that could come into play is the level of competitiveness that the Wildcats would be at if Peat were to return. He’d be playing in a stacked frontcourt alongside Motiejus Krivas as well as elite wing Ivan Kharchenkov and several high-level transfer players.

This squad would easily be back in contention for another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite all of these factors, Peat is still expected to keep his name in the draft. In fairness, it’s hard to knock a player already as talented as Peat opting to make his NBA dream a reality as soon as possible.

He told reporters at the combine that he’s not going let the outside noise impact his decision, and rightfully so.

“I’m trying not to let that consume me, knowing that I can do other things to affect the game, affect winning,” Peat said. “I feel like I’ve won my whole career, and I feel like I can do that at the NBA stage as well.”