The NFL Draft may be this weekend, but there is plenty of news surrounding June's NBA Draft. With the early entrant eligibility deadline for the draft on April 28, here's a look at who's in and who's out from the ACC.
Declared for the NBA draft
Lorenzo Brown, N.C. State: Brown is leaving for the NBA after a junior season in which he averaged 12.4 points and an ACC-best 7.2 assists per game. At 6-foot-5, Brown has very good size for a point guard, but he shot just 26.3 percent from beyond the arc last season and watched his scoring actually decrease from his sophomore season. He's a potential second round pick.
Reggie Bullock, North Carolina: Bullock broke out during his junior season, raising his scoring
average from 8.8 to 13.9 while grabbing 6.5 rebounds. Bullock should intrigue NBA owners in need of a wing player thanks to his 43.6 percent shooting from 3-point range. He could hear his name called in the late-first round.
Alex Len, Maryland: Len is leaving Maryland after his sophomore season after scoring 11.9 points and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game. Len is still somewhat raw, but he is almost assuredly going to be drafted in the lottery. Len could be a top-five pick this June.
C.J. Leslie, NC State: Leslie's stock slipped after returning to school last season. The Wolfpack's leading scorer put up 15.1 points and grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game, shooting more than 50 percent from the floor in 2012-13. Unfortunately for Leslie, he's considered a bit of a 'tweener in NBA circles. At 6-foot-9 he's got the height to be an NBA power forward, but at 200 pounds he is underweight. He'll be taken somewhere around the late-first or early-second round.
Returning to school
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina: Hairston burst on the scene mid-season when Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams made the change to a small-ball lineup, making Hairston his power forward. Hairston averaged 14.3 points per game and shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range last year. Hairston could be the focal point of the North Carolina offense next year with Reggie Bullock taking his talents to the NBA.
James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina: McAdoo went from being a potential lottery pick last season to being a fringe first round pick this year, which is part of the reason why he is returning to school this season. McAdoo averaged 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in his first season as a starter. He'll look to improve those numbers next season and rebuild his sinking draft stock.
T.J. Warren, N.C. State: Warren started 14 games last season, averaging 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Warren could be the Wolfpack's most important player in 2013-14 given that Brown, Leslie, Richard Howell, and Scott Wood are all going to the NBA and Rodney Purvis is transferring to UConn. Warren will look to play his way into the first round next season.
Still deciding
Shane Larkin, Miami: Larkin, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, is still undecided about his basketball future. Larkin made his presence felt in his sophomore season, scoring 14.5 points, doling out 4.6 assists, and playing 36.4 minutes per game. With Marcus Smart going back to Oklahoma State instead of entering the draft, Larkin could be a first-round target for teams looking for point guard help.
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