Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel, and Jaylen Johnson will all declare for the NBA Draft, but will not hire agents, head coach Rick Pitino told ZAGSBLOG Wednesday afternoon.
Louisville's Deng Adel, Jaylen Johnson and Donovan Mitchell will all test the NBA Draft waters w/o agents, Rick Pitino tells me.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 22, 2017
Sophomores Mitchell and Adel were among the team’s leaders in scoring at 15.6 and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Johnson, a junior, averaged 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 59 percent from the floor.
After a disappointing finish to the Cardinals’ season by getting bounced in the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament against Michigan, losing three of their key contributors to the draft would be a massive blow.
Mitchell is the only one of the Louisville trio currently projected to be drafted this upcoming June. DraftExpress.com has the 6-foot-3 guard being selected with the No. 21 overall pick.
Due to the NCAA rules that were implemented last season, players can declare for the draft and go throughout the process without losing their amateur status so long as they do not hire agents. Following the NBA Draft Combine, held May 9-14 in Chicago, they have up to 10 days to make their decision to either return to school or turn pro.
Photo: Chris Humphrey
