Nico Mannion to decide on NBA Draft within a few days, per report

Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images

While Nico Mannion is fully expected to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, the Arizona Wildcats point guard has yet to officially announce his intentions.

Expect that to happen pretty soon.

The freshman told an Italian newspaper—La Repubblica—that he will make a decision “entro pochi giorni” which translates to “within a few days” in English. The article was published on April 6.

Here is where Mannion stands in a bunch of mock drafts/big boards:

• Bleacher Report: 17th
• ESPN: 14th
• The Athletic: 29th
• SB Nation: 15th
• CBS: 17th (Kyle Boone) and 18th (Gary Parrish)
• Sports Illustrated: 17th
• Sporting News: 10th

Mannion entered the 2019-20 season with a ton of hype, though most would probably agree he didn’t live up to it. The McDonald’s All-American averaged 14.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.6 turnovers per game as a freshman, but only shot 39.2 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from 3 as Arizona finished its shortened season outside the AP Top 25 despite being ranked as high as 12th at one point.

But Mannion was expected to be a one-and-done from the moment he stepped on campus, and Arizona coach Sean Miller all but confirmed that idea in January when he said “we’re gonna lose Nico” when discussing the importance of adding Georgetown transfer point guard James Akinjo.

That coupled with the fact Mannion is unanimously projected to be a first-round pick makes it a longshot that he will change course and return for his sophomore season, though it’s still a possibility until he announces otherwise.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts https://ift.tt/39JscyT
via IFTTT