Jalen McDaniels to Withdraw From NBA Draft, Return to SDSU
With only 90 minutes before the deadline remaining to make a decision, Jalen McDaniels has announced that he will return to San Diego State for the 2018-2019 season.
McDaniels was able to keep his college eligibility due to him not hiring an agent, despite declaring for the draft.
McDaniels certainly kept himself busy working out for various teams.
He attended workouts for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Milwaukee Bucks; eleven teams in total.
Come basketball season however, McDaniels will be donning the Red and Black for his sophomore season.
McDaniels didn’t appear in any mock drafts and wasn’t invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago. NBA scouts were impressed by his upside, but thought that he could gain some more weight and muscle on his 195-pound body if he went back to school in order to develop and grow.
If he packs on some more muscle and continues to make strides with his overall game, McDaniels has the potential to go in the first round in the draft next season.
Sources: San Diego State freshman Jalen McDaniels will withdraw from NBA Draft and return to school.
McDaniels had extensive predraft experience ahead of deadline today, and NBA executives believe another collegiate year solidifies potential first-round place for 2019.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 31, 2018
The news is certainly good for Brian Duchter and San Diego State. If McDaniels were to leave, the team would only have had only one player over 6″6′ with college experience (Nolan Norain). Now with McDaniels back on the roster, Duchter will carry two open scholarships.
McDaniels will get minutes and will be paired next to Devin Watson, while Matt Mitchell is sure to get minutes on the court after an encouraging freshman season. Jordan Schakel and three other incoming freshman in Joel Mensah, Nathan Mensah, and Aguek Arop will be battling for time as well, making this Aztec team a contender to return to the NCAA Tournament in March.
I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.