Marcus Bagley, playing for Hurley at ASU, enters his name for the NBA draft.
Marcus Bagley, playing for Hurley at ASU, enters his name for the NBA draft.
I’m not sure if this has been posted anywhere, but Armando Bacot has announced he is testing the waters.
Armando Bacot "testing the waters" of the NBA draft:
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
It seems that our guys, even those who are not obvious NBA material, tend to declare and hire agents...they rarely test the waters. I wonder why? Could it be that they come in with such a strong OAD mentality (“if Duke recruits me I must be good enough to be a OAD”) or does the Duke staff advise them to go all-in once they make that decision. I sure wish some (like DJ) would test first.
I haven’t checked the history to support my theory that they don’t often test the waters, but I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.
Since this a Duke fan site and we can state our opinion of what the coaching staff would think without asking the coaching staff....
I would think that for building a roster I would prefer that there be no uncertainty. If someone wants to go pro, hire an agent. The staff will definitely know they had another scholarship open and a need for a player at the position that is vacated. The staff can then go ahead without any uncertainty and work to fill the roster spot.
Well, yeah...but DJ? And it seems there have been others who should have had a solid understanding that they might not get drafted, or at least not in the first round, but they went anyway. I guess they are still making an “informed decision”...just not one that makes sense to some of us.
I recall Javin and Marques testing the waters (no agent) a couple of years ago, with Javin opting to come back and Marques going pro. But my perception is the same as yours. Our guys seem to go "all-in". While not a ton of data, my quick scan of the last 10 years seems to bear that out. Sharper folks on the board can tell me otherwise.
If I recall correctly (a dubious premise), both Frank Jackson and Gary Trent Jr. declared without hiring an agent at first. Both evidently liked what they heard. Given that each was an early second round pick (Jackson was #31 overall, Trent #37 overall), they were likely informed that they had a chance of going in the first round but otherwise certainly would be picked in the second round.
Also, I was getting ready to clown some GMs for letting Gary slip to #37, but looking back that was a pretty solid draft. Of the 36 picks before him, 30 are currently playing in the NBA, and 5 played in the NBA in 2020 with a chance to return soon (Jacob Evans, Dzanan Musa, Omari Spellman, Elie Okobo, Melvin Frazier). Only one is seemingly out of the picture completely: #16 pick Zhaire Smith, whose career was derailed by an extreme allergic reaction to sesame (seriously). Sure, Gary turned out to be better than some of the guys drafted ahead of him (the ones mentioned above, plus Jerome Robinson, Troy Brown Jr., Chandler Hutchison, Aaron Holiday, Mo Wagner, Lonnie Walker), but for the most part the GMs picked NBA-ready guys. Good work everyone.
Scott Rich on the front page
Trinity BS 2012; University of Michigan PhD 2018
Duke Chronicle, Sports Online Editor: 2010-2012
K-Ville Blue Tenting 2009-2012
Unofficial Brian Zoubek Biographer
If you have questions about Michigan Basketball/Football, I'm your man!
I believe Javin DeLaurier is the only Duke player to "test the water" and subsequently return to Duke.
Iirc, Frank and Gary both went to the combine, and played in the scrimmages and did extremely well in the first few. So they pulled out of the later scrimmages (which someone on here said was normal if they were getting good feedback and/or guarantees). I don’t remember when either of them hired an agent, but I think at least Frank’s play at the combine affected his decision.
Toronto is looking to do an "abbreviated" rebuild considering they have a solid young core of VanVleet, Siakam, and Anunoby. Trent has fit perfectly into that group. If Toronto can find a young 5 with upside (they aren't low enough down in the lottery for this to be likely, but Evan Mobley would be an incredible fit) that group could make noise for years to come. Maybe not a superstar level ceiling, but a complete team that would compete and be very good defensively. I'm excited to see how Trent continues to develop as a Raptor.
Scott Rich on the front page
Trinity BS 2012; University of Michigan PhD 2018
Duke Chronicle, Sports Online Editor: 2010-2012
K-Ville Blue Tenting 2009-2012
Unofficial Brian Zoubek Biographer
If you have questions about Michigan Basketball/Football, I'm your man!