Five Players That Should Have Stayed in School

Five Players Who Should Have Stayed In School

1. Daniel Gibson. He was considered a likely lottery pick before the season, but appears to have regressed. He scores well, but can be turnover-prone and has trouble with pressure. He may not really be a point guard. Another year would have let him work on involving his teammates better. Now, he’s looking at being taken in the late first or early second round.

2. Darius Washington. His game is similar to Gibson’s, as are his questions. He has an NBA body and is a good scorer, but his assist-to-turnover ratio was about even, raising questions about his ability to run the point in the pros.

3. Josh Boone. He supposedly has all the physical tools, but I feel like he rarely showed them in his first three years at UConn. He could be a good shot-blocker and rebounder, but lacks an offensive game. Many wonder if he’s soft, especially after he got pushed around by Jai Lewis in the Elite Eight. Nonetheless, scouts feel like his potential would make him a solid first-rounder if he developed a bit at school over the next year. Instead, he’s staying in this draft, and is projected to go in the second round.

4. Guillermo Diaz. He’s an incredible athlete (noticing a theme in this year’s draft?) and a tough kid. However, he’s inexperienced and can be turnover-prone. Another year at Miami to shore up his ballhandling skills would have moved him up into the lottery.

5. Danilo Pinnock. He fits the GW mold of exceptional athleticism but possessing raw skills. He needs to develop offensively. Currently, he’s probably going undrafted, but if he’d stayed another year, he would’ve established himself as a solid second-rounder.

Adam’s Comments. I think there is more to the Darius Washington story than meets the eye. He was a stud at Memphis and by the Tourney, he was splitting time at the point with walk on Anthony Allen. I got some serious “ this sucks” vibes from Washington late in the season, so I think he was planning to go no matter what. I can’t imagine losing his job would have been good for his draft stock, so maybe he was wise to try now. I do think that Antoine Wright should stay in school. Oh wait, he’s been on New Jersey’s bench all year. (Sorry if that joke sounds familiar – I used it last year.)