Not everyone is dancing this year in the NCAA men’s tournament, and there are a few NBA draft prospects we won’t see on the biggest stage in college basketball.
Of course, there are four players from the G League Ignite team — Jaden Hardy, MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels and Michael Foster — who won’t be playing in the tournament. Yahoo Sports is also excluding international draft prospects.
No. 2 seed Kentucky has, on the bench, possibly the best NBA prospect on the team in Shaedon Sharpe. Head coach John Calipari has stated the 6-foot-6 guard will return next season and play for the Wildcats, but his draft status is unknown for the 2022 NBA draft.
Below are seven college-level NBA prospects we won’t see in the NCAA men’s tournament.
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Patrick Baldwin Jr., UW-Milwaukee
Freshman: 12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Baldwin Jr. was a top-10 player out of high school and chose to play for his father at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee over blue-blood programs. He has great size at 6-foot-9 and is a solid ball handler. Unfortunately, Baldwin Jr. played only 11 games this season after suffering various minor injuries that kept him sidelined. He showed glimpses of what he could be at the next level after posting 26 points (6-for-6 from 3-point range) in a win over Robert Morris in December. The rest of the season was filled with inconsistency on the court, and Baldwin Jr. was one of the hardest prospects for NBA personnel to evaluate this season. He still deserves a first-round look, but a lot will ride on Baldwin Jr.’s pre-draft process and workouts with NBA teams.
Alondes Williams, Wake Forest
Senior: 19.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.2 apg
Williams was the ACC Player of the Year and has transformed his draft stock after transferring from Oklahoma where he was under utilized, averaging 6.7 points in 18 minutes. The 6-foot-5 guard is one of the best passing guards in this draft class and is an elite playmaker who led a resurgence of a struggling Wake Forest team this season. At 23, Williams is an older prospect in this draft class, but he’s a plug-and-play guy who can give early minutes off the bench to any NBA team with his experience and natural feel for the game. Williams isn’t the best shooting guard in this draft, shooting just under 30% from 3-point range, but he is a player teams will look at in the late first round and early-to-mid second round.
Orlando Robinson, Fresno State
Junior: 19.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg
Robinson is a 7-footer who shot 34% from 3-point range and averaged nearly three assists per game this season. He has a rare combination of length and versatility, and he has solid size at 235 pounds. Robinson might have flown a little under the radar this season playing for a struggling Fresno State team in the Mountain West Conference, but he has all the intangibles to be a contributing stretch-five in the NBA. Robinson tested the NBA draft waters last season and elected to return for his junior season where he improved on almost every stat line and could be a second-round steal in this year’s draft.
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska
Freshman: 16.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Nebraska struggled this season, and McGowens disappeared on the floor at times. As a 6-foot-7 guard, he can score at ease for his size and and has a solid first step off the wing. Right now, McGowens is a projected late first round, early second-round pick and needs to improve his shot selection at the next level. He shot just 18-for-38 from the field the last three games to close out the season. He has great size and can score at ease, posting 20-plus points 11 times this season. Even if he needs some extra time to develop his game in the NBA, he has strong scoring instincts and is incredible in transition with the way he runs the floor and finishes.
Harrison Ingram, Stanford
Freshman: 10.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3 apg
Ingram was named the Pac-12 freshman of the year and finished the regular season strong, netting 16 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists in a loss to No. 1 seed Arizona. His game is mature beyond his age (19) and Ingram has a high basketball IQ off the wing. The 6-foot-8 forward could test the waters and elect to return for his sophomore season to improve his draft stock, but there’s a ton of potential for Ingram at the next level and a team could draft him this year to develop his game a little bit more within their organization.
Jabari Walker, Colorado
Sophomore: 14.9 ppg, 9.4 rpg
At 6-foot-9, Walker is an intriguing stretch-four prospect at the NBA level. He has a solid frame that has room to add some muscle mass. He appeared more comfortable with the ball in his hands this season. His game in the paint has improved, and he made the right read off of a double team more consistently this season. Walker is a player who can hold his own on the defensive side against stronger opponents but isn’t the most naturally athletic big in this draft class. Walker recorded 17 double-doubles this season and is a projected early-to-mid second-round pick.
Jordan Hall, St. Joseph’s
Sophomore: 14.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.8 apg
Hall might be one of the most under-the-radar prospects in this draft class after St. Joseph’s 11-19 season. The 6-foot-7 elite guard is a triple-threat prospect who dishes out dimes, can rebound and score at every level. In back-to-back wins over Penn and Temple in December, Hall combined for 59 points (12-for-17 from 3-point range), 12 rebounds and 12 assists. His first step off the dribble is deadly, and he reads the defense well off the pick-and-roll. Every year at the NBA draft combine, there’s a player who shoots up draft boards, and Hall could be that player this year.
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