Gold: Pac-12 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline winners, losers
Now it’s official: Those who are in are in and those who are out are out.
Not that every Pac-12 hopeful who entered the NBA Draft will be selected, but now we know who officially won’t be returning. Some names, like UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., were written off long ago. Others — like the Bruins’ Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona — were on the fence.
Now that we know who is in and who is out, we can analyze their impact on the season to come.
Here’s my list of the Pac-12’s NBA Draft withdrawal deadline’s biggest winners…
Colorado coach Tad Boyle
Tristen da Silva is back, and so are the Buffaloes.
A first-team All-Pac-12 pick, da Silva was one of the league’s top scorers at 15.9 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.4 percent shooting from deep. There was quality and quantity, as da Silva had 11 20-point games, including 5 with 25 or more. His year-over-year improvement was significant, as he improved from 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
His return, along with the addition of TCU transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr. and 5-star recruit Cody Williams, gives Boyle plenty to be excited about. The Buffaloes also return Luke O’Brien, J’Vonne Hadley, Julian Hammond III and KJ Simpson. They’ll enter next year with eyes set on a Pac-12 title and at least a Round of 32 berth.
It’s also a bit of a relief for Boyle, who needs a big year.
“I’ve learned through the years to try not to worry about things I can’t control,” Boyle said, according to BuffZone.com. “To be honest, I’ve tried not to think about it, other than what we’d do if he wasn’t going to come back. Because it’s not like we’re going to find a guy to replace him right now. It’s great that he is (returning). You’ve got to understand where these kids are coming from. It’s a process that I think he grew from and he learned a lot.
“Next year, when he does become a pro, he’s going to be that much further along and ready for that process.”
Utah coach Craig Smith
With a roster in a state of flux entering his 3rd season at the helm, Smith retains the services of one of the conference’s top players from the past two years.
Carlson averaged 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game in 2022-23, and he had some truly inspired individual performances. He was Utah’s lone bright spot in its season-ending loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament, scoring 27 points on 60 percent shooting while grabbing 10 rebouds. It was his 3rd 20-10 game of the season.
If he can increase his rebounding a bit, he’ll be a regular double-double threat.
His return bolsters the continuity under Smith, who improved the Utes from 11-20 to 17-15 last year. With Carlson’s return, 20 wins is on the table.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd
Lloyd has had a ton of talent in his 2-year stint in Tucson, and he was already in the midst of his second major remake in two years, but getting supersub Pelle Larsson back to go along with San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson gives Lloyd to critical pieces as he looks to avoid a 3rd straight early exit.
Larsson announced his return to Tucson a couple weeks ago on Instagram but Johnson’s withdrawal from the NBA Draft pool was done without much fanfare, certainly not the kind that awaited him when he announced his decision to leave the NCAA runner-up Aztecs for Arizona, picking the Wildcats over Kentucky.
Along with the arrival of former North Carolina star Caleb Love, it’s been a pretty good run for Lloyd. Arizona loses Azuolas Tubelis to the professional ranks, Kerr Kriisa (transfer to West Virginia), guard Courtney Ramey (graduated) and wing Cedric Henderson Jr. (graduated), but the Cats are expected to contend for another Pac-12 title.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin
It’s not all good news for Cronin.
Getting Bona back was perhaps the biggest individual fortune-turner on this list, as his energy and defensive toughness will be the glue that Jaime Jaquez Jr. provided for years, but Jaylen Clark leaving his name in the draft pool is a tough blow, especially if Clark goes undrafted.
The best defender in college basketball can’t really be replaced by any one player. It’s like he had three arms. He was just everywhere for the Bruins, and if his offensive game had taken a step forward, we’re talking a potential player of the year candidate.
Always playing with a chip on his shoulder, he seemed ready to test his game at the next level, even despite his season-ending Achilles injury, which dealt a death knell to the Bruins’ postseason chances.
Earlier today, I spoke with Jaylen's father, Cornelius, who said his son was ahead of schedule in his recovery and walking unassisted. Also, doctors found his Achilles was unusually tight and were able to loosen it to improve mobility. The hope is it will increase his athleticism
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) May 31, 2023
Not that Bona won’t improve on both sides of the ball, but Clark’s overall ceiling was higher, at least for this year.
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley
Hurley is a winner in more ways than one.
Point guard Frankie Collins announced his return for a second season, giving Hurley at least one returning starter from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad. Collins, a sophomore, transferred to ASU from Michigan last year and averaged 28.2 minutes, 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists as the team’s starting point guard, obviously a position of great concern for Hurley, one of the best point guards in college basketball himself. Having that voice at the top to lead the way for another season is critical.
Collins will need to improve his shooting after he shot 40.1 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from 3-point range and 62.2 percent at the free-throw line, but his return is critical with the loss of the Cambridge brothers, Desmond and Devan.
But Hurley also adds with a bit of subtraction, as long-time malcontent Marcus Bagley left his name in the draft pool. The brother of former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley Jr., Marcus has not lived up to his lofty billing since arriving on the Sun Devils’ campus. He was in need of a fresh start, and so was Hurley.