Happy Hump Day everyone! Today is an especially fun day, not only because we are halfway through the week, but also because we get the start of the NBA Draft. For those that are unfamiliar, the Draft will be taking place across two days for its two rounds this year, which is the first time the NBA has had it that way. There will be a total of 58 players selected with two teams forfeiting their picks due to rule violations.
Now! Why do we care about some silly little draft? Because this year we have TWO Coug superstars who are projected to be drafted inside the top 58!
Jaylen Wells has shown up as high as the early 40s in some sports media projections, which is a number that has risen significantly since his announcement of entering in April. One of the reasons for that was his performance in the NBA Combine Game 3 Scrimmage, where he broke out off the bench for a point total of 13 pts in 14 minutes played, which surely caught some attention across the league. Another opportunity came from the Golden State Warriors, who held a pre-draft workout and invited Jaylen, along with DJ Rodman— The irony. Jaylen also is reported to have had pre-draft workouts with the Hawks, Timberwolves, Magic, and Kings!
Isaac Jones, according to @LeagueHim, has had five total pre-draft workouts of his own, and looks to be a late second rounder at minimum thanks to his performances in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) , Reese’s College Senior All-Star Game, and the NBA draft combine scrimmages. He put up 20pts, 15pts, and 21pts (a double-double with 10 rebounds) in the three PIT games with ONE turnover, and led the tournament in field goal percentage— Shooting a blistering 79.3%, going 23 for 29 from the field! In the Reese’s game, he put up 10 points, which was tied for 3rd highest on the team, and added 8 rebounds to go along with it. He put together a masterclass in his first NBA combine game, totaling 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in only 19 minutes. Isaac has done a lot more work to boost his draft stock over the last 3 months than Jaylen has, which is great news, as he was projected off the board by most in early April!
The two are very promising NBA prospects, each with their own talents that they bring to the table! Isaac has a high motor and finishing touch, and Jaylen has fantastic shot creation ability and range. Both have tremendous efficiency on their shots too! And let’s not forget that they are also both terrific Cougs, with amazing attitudes and incredible work ethics.
I am SUPER excited to see these guys continue to grow and develop at the next level, and wish them nothing but good fortune with any team. That being said, I do have my favorites. I would LOVE to see Jaylen and Isaac play for a west coast team and be close to home, so Golden State, Los Angeles (both teams), Sacramento, and Portland would all be fantastic. The Warriors, if Klay Thompson is still there, would be a dream and I would probably disturb my neighbors celebrating if that happened during the draft! I also grew up near Chicago, so I will say the Bulls would make ME happy even though it might not please as many Cougs. These are my selfish hopes and dreams, all fun and games, and I would just be thrilled to see both of their names called today or tomorrow night! And if not during the draft, I am EXTREMELY confident they will be contracted by a team shortly after. They are just too great to pass up on in the NBA! That’ll do it for me today, I hope you all have a great summer week and as always, Go Cougs!
How to watch/listen: ESPN, ESPN+, ABC, ESPN Radio at 8pm E.T. today and 4pm E.T. Thursday (you can also follow along on NBA.com with the live draft board)