Big 12 Sees Multiple Players Declare for NBA Draft

STILLWATER – There’s always at least one player from nearly every team who enters that year’s NBA Draft. There was no doubt this season that Oklahoma State star freshman, Cade Cunningham, was headed to the NBA as he’s the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

However, it seems this year there’s a few more players than normal throwing their hats in the NBA Draft ring. That includes Cowboy sophomore guard Avery Anderson III, as well as other guys from around the Big 12. Anderson declared back on April 3 but is doing so without an agent which allows him to return to Oklahoma State next season should he not get an evaluation he deems appropriate.

There have been several people over the past few weeks that feels Anderson will return next season. He’ll get his draft evaluation, which will include strengths and weaknesses, then will return as the face of the program following his final month of play this past season. That group of people includes someone inside OSU basketball, who told Pokes Report last week it was smart of Avery to put his name in for a draft evaluation as it will allow him to continue to improve even more throughout the summer and fall and into the 2021-22 season following an excellent finish to the 2020-21 season.

Anderson averaged 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season, but 16.6 points a game in the final 10 games of the season. Those numbers are up from the 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a sophomore.

Other players from around the Big 12 to throw their name in the NBA Draft hat are Texas players Greg Brown and Kai Jones, Texas Tech’s Terrence Shannon and Mac McClung, who also entered the transfer portal, Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, OU’s Austin Reaves and De’Vion Harmon (though Porter Moser is working hard to keep Harmon) and Baylor’s Davion Mitchell.

This is a list that certainly has the chance to continue to grow as we get further into the spring.

Texas Tech has also seen a good amount of players enter the transfer portal after the departure of head coach Chris Beard to Texas.