Wednesday marked the deadline for prospects to either withdraw from the NBA draft or forgo their college eligibility. Players like Mark Sears, Alex Karaban, Caleb Love, Walter Clayton Jr. and Johnell Davis chose to continue their college career.
However, there were a few who chose to stay in the draft but would have benefited from more time in the NCAA. Here's a look at some of them.
Top three CBB players who should have withdrawn from 2024 NBA draft
#1 Bronny James
Bronny James had a poor freshman season with the USC Trojans. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.4 minutes of game time. However, Bronny redeemed himself at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month, where he showed promising performances.
James is still projected to be a No. 54 pick, but many analysts believe that the guard would benefit from a few more years in college. The overall consensus is that Bronny James is not NBA-ready right now and needs more time.
#2 Cam Christie
In his lone freshman season at Minnesota, Cam Christie averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 39.1% shooting from beyond the arc. At the NBA combine, Christie was the 11th-fastest three-quarter sprinter.
However, he's a projected second-round pick with high chances of a non-guaranteed or a two-way contract. If he had returned to play for the Gophers for another year, his stats would have been much better, increasing his draft stock and his spot in the draft pick order.
#3 Reece Beekman
Reece Beekman came off a great breakout senior year with the Virginia Cavaliers, where he averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals. He shot 44.3% from the floor and 31.0% from the three-point range.
However, Beekman failed to capitalize on this at the NBA draft combine and didn't improve his draft stock much. The point guard is listed at No. 90 in ESPN's latest mock draft.
Reece Beekman has one more college eligibility year, which he could have used to improve his stat line and get a better shot at the draft next year. For now, Beekman is either looking at a two-way contract or an international career.
The 2024 NBA draft is scheduled for June 26 and 27 and will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.
Who else do you think should have withdrawn from this year's draft? Let's know in the comments section below:
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