Anton Watson, Steele Venters among Gonzaga players to declare for 2023 NBA Draft

It's likely Venters and Watson are going through the draft process to be evaluated

The NBA released its full list of early entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft, and five Gonzaga players have officially declared.

There are a total of 242 players on the list. The five Gonzaga players are Drew Timme, Julian Strawther, Anton Watson, Malachi Smith and Steele Venters. 

Strawther and Smith publicly declared their intentions to go pro in March. Timme came on the Gonzaga Nation podcast in early March to talk about his intentions to enter the NBA draft.

Venters, who transferred to Gonzaga from Eastern Washington in early April, is likely going through the draft process to be evaluated and find out what NBA scouts and executives think he needs to work on. Venters can withdraw his name from consideration for the draft by May 31 to retain his college eligibility.

Watson has not publicly declared for the draft and still has one year of eligibility remaining. It's possible he could withdraw his name by May 31 and play a fifth year at Gonzaga. 

The 2023 NBA Draft will be held on June 22. You can read the full list of early-entry candidates here.