2023 NBA Draft: Bobi Klintman Withdraws, Signs with NBL in Next Stars Program

Rather than staying in the 2023 NBA Draft, former Wake Forest forward Bobi Klintman is taking his talents to the NBL to play for the Cairns Taipans.

One of the most underrated draft prospects entering March was without a doubt Bobi Klintman, a 6-foot-10 forward out of Wake Forest. The Sweedish prospect only played one college season before declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft, but wasn’t the most productive. Klintman averaged just 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per in 20.5 minutes per contest.

With that in mind, the evaluation of Klintman goes well beyond the numbers. When watching him play, the tremendous amount of upside he contains is evidently clear. Even in the modern NBA, it’s not easy to find athletes of his size with perimeter skills and the fluidity he plays. Despite being the size of many college centers, he flashed the ability to handle the ball, facilitate and knock down triples with his smooth shot mechanics.

Klintman was one of the 78 players initially invited to the NBA Draft Combine last month, but pulled out before the scrimmages near the end of the event. This generated buzz that he had received positive feedback from teams and might have even earned a draft promise.

With 10 days until the 2023 NBA Draft, Klintman has now withdrawn and will join the Cairns Taipans as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program next season. At this point in the pre-draft process, he’s no longer eligible to play at the college level.

The Next Stars program is becoming increasingly popular and has produced several top draft talents in the past few years. Prospects like LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng have all been selected in the lottery, while Rayan Rupert is set to become the next first-round prospect later this month to come out of this program.

The NBL is absolutely loaded with talent next year for 2024 NBA Draft eligible prospects.

- AJ Johnson (Illawarra Hawks)
- Alexandre Sarr (Perth Wildcats)
- Taran Armstrong (Cairns Taipans)
- Ariel Hukporti (Melbourne United)
- Mantas Rubstavicius (New Zealand Breakers)
- Bobi…

— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) June 12, 2023

Klintman will bet on himself and look to solidify his spot as a first rounder in 2024 following the upcoming NBL season. He’ll be 21 years old at the 2024 NBA Draft, but absolutely has the chance to be taken in the lottery if he shows improvement and plays well with the Taipans.

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