The 2017 NBA Draft has come and gone, and the SEC saw four of its players chosen.
Three Kentucky freshmen went in the lottery, as could be expected, while South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell used a strong senior season to earn a second round selection. There was another group of four that was just as intriguing though: the players who came out early, but didn't hear their names called in New York, three of whom were once five-star recruits.
Each year, a few five-star prospects under-perform, but they often decide to head for the draft anyway, and executives often don't know what to do with them. Players like Skal Labissiere and Harry Giles had poor freshman seasons, but after being such sought after recruits, their draft stocks remained intact after just one season, and both were selected in the first round.
Under-perform for two seasons, and executives won't touch you if you decide to come out. PJ Dozier and Isaiah Briscoe learned that Thursday night, as both point guards left two years of eligibility on the table before going undrafted. Dozier and Briscoe both inked free agent deals and will see summer league action, but they're far from being sure things to make their respective rosters.
Let me be clear here. When I say that Dozier and Briscoe under-performed, leading them to go undrafted, this isn't to say that either player had a bad college career. If that were the case, neither would have the opportunity to play in the summer league, and we wouldn't be talking about this. However, Briscoe was ESPN's top-rated point guard in the 2015 class, while Dozier was ranked as the No. 19 player in the group, ahead of 2017 lottery picks Luke Kennard and Donovan Mitchell.
In just two years, Dozier and Briscoe went from being two of the most coveted players in the country to ranking outside the top 60 players in the draft. Mentally and emotionally, that has to be a tough adjustment, which likely factored into their decisions to enter the draft early. But was it really worth it?
Everyone's decision is different, and we can't forget that financial issues can certainly play a part in these decisions. But...
We've seen highly-rated players benefit from extra years in college in the past, such as Buddy Hield and Denzel Valentine, a pair of lottery picks in 2016, or even Thornwell, who wouldn't have been drafted after any of his other collegiate seasons. Let's not forget that Thornwell was a big-time recruit as well, ranking No. 41 in the 2013 class (ahead of Zach LaVine) with the ability to go virtually wherever he wanted.
Even this year, we saw players who weren't content with their draft status return to school in an effort to boost their stock or at least secure the guaranteed contract that comes along with a first round selection. Miles Bridges, Michigan State's do-it-all forward, likely would've been a first-rounder this year after ranking in the top 10 in his recruiting class, but with a loaded lottery, he returned to school. Caleb Swanigan made the same decision last year, and he became an All-American and a first round pick in 2017.
This isn't all to say that players like Dozier and Briscoe should give up on their NBA dreams, because they shouldn't. Players like Udonis Haslem and Ben Wallace have enjoyed great careers after going undrafted, so there's certainly precedent, even though these guys are behind the 8 ball.
What bothers me most about Dozier's decision is that he had the opportunity to really boost his stock as a junior. Even with Kory Holden eligible for the 2017-18 campaign, there's not much competition for the ball in the South Carolina back court when it comes to experienced players. Dozier would've had an incredible opportunity to prove himself on a team that still should have some publicity after last year's Final Four run.
And there's reason to believe he could've elevated his stock. In six games without Thornwell last season, Dozier averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. After another summer to develop, what could that have been over the course of the season? Physically, Dozier was more gifted than several players who got drafted, including Thornwell.
We can only wonder what could've been for Dozier in the NBA, had he stuck around for one more year.