NBA Draft

NBA Early Entry List: Prospects Leaving Early for 2023 NBA Draft

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Antonio Kozlow
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Antonio Kozlow Sports Editor

Antonio is a life long sports enthusiast and professional journalist, who shares an obssesive urge to find and dig up the most interesting facts to guide gamblers towards more exciting, yet safe bets. In his own words, ''you can never really know enough about the things you love''.

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Sports Editor

Updated30 Mar 2023

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As the 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on June 22, all young prospects are beginning to question if this is their moment to try and touch basketball glory and become professionals.

All the early applicants who desire to declare for the draft have less than a month to make their official decisions, as Sunday, April 23 is the deadline.

However, if players who declare still want to maintain their NCAA eligibility, they must announce their withdrawal before the end of May. As for the NBA removal, which is commonly more relevant for international athletes, should come before June 12.

As the clock is ticking, some players who’ve shown immense potential have already made their wishes known to the public, as we’ve reported at least 50 athletes willing to take their chances in the next draft. One of latest to announce, for example, was Duke’s Dariq Whitehead after their March Madness run came to an end.

It’s important to mention that ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the list of early entrants has become significantly bigger as the NCAA allowed players an extra year of eligibility. Last year, for example, 289 athlete made their initial declarations as early entrants, and 149 of them eventually made it.

Here is our list of over 50 players who seem to be on their way to making the draft, even though some of them are just testing the waters or simply changing schools.

Let’s start with the college underclassmen we expect to remain in the draft, as listed in alphabetical order:

  1. Jaylen Clark, G, UCLA (junior)
  2. Keyonte George, G, Baylor (freshman)
  3. Taylor Hendricks, F, UCF (freshman)
  4. Jett Howard, G, Michigan (freshman)
  5. Gregory Jackson II, F, South Carolina (freshman)
  6. Maxwell Lewis, F, Pepperdine (sophomore)
  7. Mike Miles, G, TCU (junior)
  8. Nick Smith Jr., G, Arkansas (freshman)
  9. Terquavion Smith, G, NC State (sophomore)
  10. Jarace Walker, F, Houston (freshman)
  11. Dariq Whitehead, G/F, Duke (freshman)

As some of them are still young, this is a list of players who might just be trying out their luck or will simply be transferring to new colleges:

  1. TJ Bamba, G, Washington State (junior)
  2. Jalen Cook, G, Tulane (junior)
  3. LJ Cryer, G, Baylor (junior)
  4. Tristan Da Silva, F, Colorado (junior)
  5. Mouhamed Gueye, F/C, Washington State (sophomore)
  6. PJ Hall, F/C, Clemson (junior)
  7. Coleman Hawkins, F, Illinois (junior)
  8. Meechie Johnson Jr., G, South Carolina (junior)
  9. Dillon Jones, G/F, Weber State (junior)
  10. Tyrin Lawrence, G, Vanderbilt (junior)
  11. Judah Mintz, G, Syracuse (freshman)
  12. Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers (junior)
  13. Kario Oquendo, G, Georgia (junior)
  14. Brandin Podziemski, G, Santa Clara (sophomore)
  15. Justin Powell, G, Washington State (junior)
  16. Brice Sensabaugh, F, Ohio State (freshman)
  17. Mike Sharavjamts, F, Dayton (freshman)
  18. Jamal Shead, G, Houston (junior)
  19. Primo Spears, G, Georgetown (sophomore)
  20. Deshawndre Washington, G, New Mexico State (junior)

The following list are college seniors we expected to make it all the way to the 2023 NBA Draft in June, also in alphabetical order:

  1. Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, F, Memphis
  2. RayJ Dennis, G, Toledo
  3. Tosan Evbuomwan, F, Princeton
  4. Seth Lundy, F, Penn State
  5. Terry Roberts, G, Georgia
  6. Ben Sheppard, G, Belmont
  7. Justice Sueing, F, Ohio State

Others who are probably just testing the draft waters:

  1. Manny Bates, F, Butler
  2. Branden Carlson, F/C, Utah
  3. Ta’Lon Cooper, G, Minnesota
  4. Marcus Domask, F, Southern Illinois
  5. El Ellis, G, Louisville
  6. Jaylen Forbes, G, Tulane
  7. Joseph Girard, G, Syracuse
  8. Hakim Hart, G, Maryland
  9. Emanuel Miller, F, TCU
  10. Rayquawndis Mitchell, G, Kansas City
  11. Landers Nolley, G/F, Cincinnati
  12. Quinten Post, F/C, Boston College
  13. Zyon Pullin, G, UC-Riverside
  14. Cormac Ryan, G, Notre Dame
  15. Tyrese Samuel, F, Seton Hall
  16. Isaiah Stevens, G, Colorado State
  17. Noah Thomasson, G, Niagara
  18. Qudus Wahab, C, Georgetown

We’ll make sure to update this stats as the days go by, so that you can track your favorite new basketball players in their journey to the NBA.