2 Arizona Wildcats Basketball Players Picked in Recent NBA Mock Draft
The Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team is thought to be one of the most talented rosters in the nation.
Coming into the season, they were ranked highly, coming in at No. 10 in the AP Poll. A loss to the Wisconsin Badgers last week caused them to slide, but their season-long outlook has not changed much.
Tommy Lloyd’s group is still considered one of the strongest and expected to challenge for a national championship. Experience and depth are two things that should work in their favor as the season moves along.
They have a talented trio in the backcourt who are in the starting lineup and found a lot of success on the transfer portal. Trey Townsend, Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso are all going to contribute after coming to Tuscon from the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Tennessee Volunteers and Campbell Fighting Camels.
Not many coaches have two NBA-caliber players coming off their bench as the Wildcats do in their frontcourt.
One of them, Motiejus Krivas, did not actually make the cut in a recent mock draft done by the Draft Digest Staff over at NBA Draft on SI.
It was certainly a surprise, as analysts viewed him as a potential breakout candidate this year. Working his way back from an injury, he has seen his playing time increase and the skills he brings to the court are evident.
Some mock drafts have him right outside the lottery, as he will continue to improve his stock as he gets healthier.
In the Draft Digest Mock, two Wildcats did end up making the cut.
Freshman Carter Bryant, who is currently coming off the bench for Lloyd, landed with the Houston Rockets at No. 24.
Bryant has immense upside, as some evaluators believe that he has lottery-level talent. It will be interesting to see how his role changes as he goes along in his freshman campaign as Lloyd could give him more minutes once he gets more comfortable.
A top-20 recruit in his class, he is averaging 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.7 steals in only 16 minutes per game.
Joining him on the mock draft was guard KJ Lewis, who just missed out on being a first-round pick. He lands with the Charlotte Hornets at No. 32, via the Philadelphia 76ers.
The dynamic guard is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per game, to go along with 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in 21.3 minutes per game.
