Next week’s G League Elite Camp and NBA Scouting offer players a great opportunity to prove themselves in front of NBA decision makers. In turn, it’s a critical week for college basketball programs hoping their star players will come back for another season before turning pro. Some players testing the draft waters have only retained their eligibility as a formality, but multiple star decisions could go both ways and have a major impact on the college basketball landscape for 2022-23. Here’s a look at some of the most notable names whose decisions could make (or break) their NCAA teams for next season.
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
SI Big Board-Ranking: 66
Williams scored a midseason turning point in Arkansas that led to the Razorbacks’ second consecutive trip to the Elite Eight. In the final 22 games of the season, in which Arkansas went 18-4, Williams averaged 13.5 points and nearly 11 rebounds while also making an impact defensively thanks to his talent for taking on attacks. And while the Hogs have seemingly prepared for Williams’ departure by adding three big men from the transfer portal, Arkansas’ chances of being the country’s No. 1 team next season likely depend on Williams making the school returns. The forward received an NBA Combine invite this week.
Drew Timme, Williams and Moussa Diabate
Kelley L. Cox, Nelson Chenault, Mary Langenfeld/USA TODAY Sports
Christian Braun and Jalen Wilson, Kansas
SI Big Board Ranking: Braun – 53, Wilson – NR
Two pickers from the Jayhawks national championship team, Braun and Wilson, are progressing through the drafting process while maintaining their eligibility. Braun was invited to the combine while Wilson earned a spot at G League Elite Camp. Brown would likely be a preseason All-American should he return to school and become KU’s #1 offensive option when Ochai Agbaji graduates and turns pro. If Braun doesn’t return to Lawrence, there will be even more pressure on freshman Gradey Dick, a five-star recruit expected to make an immediate impact on the Jayhawks. Meanwhile, Wilson would be one of the best returning players in the Big 12 should he go back to school.
David Roddy, State of Colorado
SI Big Board-Ranking: 36
Roddy shot at draft boards for a Rams team that was seeded 6th in the NCAA tournament during a remarkable season at Colorado State, where he averaged more than 19 points, 7.0 rebounds and 44% from three. He’s one of the more distinctive players in the draft due to his burly 252-pound, 6’5″ frame, with impressive passing skills and versatility combined with that deadly outside shot. But those physical limitations and questions about his next-level defense leave him as a question mark heading into combine week. If he performs well, he could enter the first round talk. At this point, it would be hard to imagine him returning to Colorado State for his senior season. But a return to CSU would place the Rams in the top 25 for virtually every preseason and earn Roddy a spot on most All-American lists with a chance to climb even higher on the draft boards in 2023.
Baylor Scheiermann, Creighton
SI Big Board-Ranking: 87
Scheierman signed to Creighton as a transfer from South Dakota State earlier this month, giving the Bluejays a strong argument to compete as a top-five team next season. But that ranking is based, at least in part, on Scheierman spurning the pros and enrolling at Creighton. His game fits exactly what the Bluejays need: a big wing with top-notch shooting ability and some skill as a passing player. It’s also a valued skill in NBA circles that earned him an invite to G League Elite Camp. It seems likely he’ll play college basketball next season, but choosing not to would be a huge blow to an overloaded Creighton roster.
Jake LaRavia, Wake Forest
SI Big Board-Ranking: 34
LaRavia, one of the biggest movers in the pre-design process to date, would be an unexpected one-time contributor to Wake Forest, in a blow to the program Steve Forbes is building in Winston-Salem. The forward is a formidable prospect at 6’9″ thanks to his skill and defensive instincts, and he’s been a big reason Wake has exceeded expectations in Forbes’ second season this season. If LaRavia does stay in the draft, the Demon Deacons will. But another year with LaRavia in tow would give Wake a chance to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
Kris Murray, Iowa
SI Big Board-Ranking: 37
Murray’s twin brother Keegan is a potential top-five pick in this year’s draft, but Kris Murray had a breakout season in Iowa City and is now on the NBA radar after averaging more than 9.0 points in under 20 minutes and 4.0 rebounds per game. Kris Murray isn’t the shotmaker that Keegan is, but his versatility at both ends of the parquet makes him an intriguing candidate to watch. Kris Murray’s draft announcement made it clear that he planned to return to school for another season, and it’s entirely possible he could shoot onto the NBA boards with a big 2022-23 season.
Marcus Sasser, Houston
SI Big Board Ranking: NR
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Sasser has a lot to prove at G League Elite Camp after missing most of the 2021-22 season with a foot injury. Though Sasser is undersized, Sasser’s shooting ability from both catch and jump is among the best in his class, scoring 44% from nearly four shots per game in his 12 competitions last season. He played a key role in Houston’s run to the Final Four in 21 and, like most of Kelvin Sampson’s program, is a fighting defensive player. With Sasser back, Houston would be among the best teams in the nation 22/23.
Drew Timme and Julian Strawther, Gonzaga
SI Big Board-Ranking: Timme–86, Strawther–69
Gonzaga has finished No. 1 or 2 in KenPom in each of the last four seasons, but the Bulldogs’ hopes of doing so for a fifth straight year likely hinge on the return of both of these stars. Timme didn’t quite live up to the National Player of the Year hype he was heaped with preseason, but he’s still one of the best big men in college basketball and virtually unstoppable on the block. Of course, his lack of mobility makes him a questionable candidate for the next level, just like many other bigs who have their backs to the basket in the college game today. Strawther fits the pros more seamlessly as a slick 6’7-inch winger who hits high-level threes, but the Puerto Rican has more room to grow and could become Spokane’s next star winger with one more year of the season.
The Zags are in the mix for high-profile transfers like Tyrese Hunter (Iowa State) and Kevin McCullar (Texas Tech), so the roster is far from settled. But the return of Timme and Strawther would at least give the Zags a clear path to being among the nation’s elite again in 2022-23.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
SI Big Board-Ranking: 85
Indiana native Jackson-Davis eventually led the Hoosiers to the NCAA tournament in his junior season, another hugely productive one for the former elite recruit. Now he’s testing the drafting process for the first time in his career. Jackson-Davis’ inability to stretch the ground and his slightly undersized physique make him a questionable candidate for the next tier, where his ability to play a role may be defined by his defense. The big man should also be well-positioned to benefit from NIL this season should he return to college, where he would once again be the centerpiece for one of college basketball’s biggest brands.
Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houston, Michigan
SI Big Board-Ranking: Diabate–62, Houston–64
Michigan already got its biggest news of the offseason when it brought back Hunter Dickinson for a third season with the Wolverines, but those two lingering decisions could determine how serious a contender Juwan Howard’s team is in the Big Ten title race at the end. Diabate has top-notch physical tools and displayed brilliant flashes in his freshman season, and he has significant breakthrough potential should he return to Ann Arbor for a second year. Meanwhile, Houston had a rather disappointing season despite averaging more than 10 points per game. Still, with its great size and excellent shot from beyond the arc, there are still advantages that can be unlocked with it. A return to school or both would give Howard’s group a boost. Houston Turn the volume down A trip to the NBA Combine, however, appears to be bad news for Michigan’s hopes of bringing him back.
Adam Flagler, Baylor
SI Big Board-Ranking: 82
Flagler stepped into a bigger role at Waco last season after playing a complementary role on the 2020-21 national championship-winning team. He’s a little short for a true shooting guard, but Flagler is a top-flight marksman with impressive defensive skills who has converted nearly 40% in his career. There’s strong evidence he was Baylor’s top player last season, and it would be dangerous in the Big 12 to pair him back with elite newcomer Keyonte George in backcourt.
Trevor Keels, Herzog
SI Big Board-Ranking: 25
It’s difficult for prospects to turn down the pros if they’re going to be selected in the first round, and that’s probably the predicament Keels finds himself in heading into combine week. Keels could certainly bolster his stock with another year at Duke in a more attacking role, especially if he’s better at shooting the ball from deep than he was in his debut season with the Blue Devils. His return would bring further talent to new coach Jon Scheyer’s first-team, a group that already comprises one of the nation’s finest recruiting classes. Still, Keels is likely to expect the safety net of a guaranteed first-round contract unless he shows poorly next week.
Justin Lewis, Marquette
SI Big Board-Ranking: 33
Lewis pulled it all together in his sophomore season at Marquette, developing into one of the Big East’s best players thanks to his inside-out offensive play and toughness on the boards. His eventual NBA role will be that of a “big wing” capable of guarding multiple positions and expanding defenses. A return to Marquette would likely make him preseason player of the year in the conference and give the Golden Eagles a case to be in most preseason top 25s, but his skills are valuable enough that he has contenders at the top will be halfway through the second round and was able to play its way into the first with a strong week.
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