On Thursday, Arizona could have three players taken in the first round of the NBA Draft for the first time ever.
Bruce Pascoe Bennedict Mathurin has been a projected NBA lottery pick basically since the day he stepped back on Arizona’s campus last summer. Dalen Terry’s reported draft stock now suggests he won’t fall into the second round.
If so, Arizona could have three players taken in the first round of the NBA Draft for the first time ever. People are also reading… Then, two years ago, the Wildcats appeared on the cusp of putting three freshmen players all in the first round. Josh Green went 18th and Zeke Nnaji was 22nd, but Nico Mannion fell to No. 48 overall, well into the second round.
Then projected as a mid-second round pick, Terry entered the draft but kept open the option to return to school — the belief being that he would come back if not assured of a top-20 selection. “Teams that have a specific need — I know there’s some teams that have had a lot of real interest in Christian and they’ve had multiple conversations with me about them,” Lloyd said. “So I think he’ll be all right on draft night.”On Thursday, Lloyd likely will get a recruiting boost that could help load his future teams with talent: He’ll be able to tell top targets that he helped put three guys into the 2022 NBA Draft.“It helps,” Lloyd said of that possibility. “I think it helps everybody.
“I think he’ll continue to improve, but I think what he’s shown is that he’s got a much higher ceiling than that people thought maybe a year ago and certainly playing on that team . And he’s selfless. It’s not about him. He’s willing to do whatever it takes. And that’s certainly what NBA teams are looking for. Not every player is going to be a star in the NBA. He can contribute in a number of different ways.