After withdrawing from a pre-draft workout with the Utah Jazz to mull his draft decision over, Maryland’s Kevin Huerter has officially declared for the 2018 NBA Draft.
Last Monday, the Utah Jazz were scheduled to have Maryland standout Kevin Huerter in town for a pre-draft workout. Unfortunately, as my J-Notes colleague Ryan Aston pointed out shortly thereafter, Huerter cancelled the workout in order to return home and visit with his parents about either returning to school or remaining in the draft.
It was unfortunate for the Jazz to not get an in-depth look at him as the six-foot-seven guard is certainly an intriguing prospect. At the same time, though, it was a completely understandable and respectable move as he was facing a life-changing decision.
It now appears that said decision has been made.
Kevin Huerter announced on Wednesday that he will indeed officially declare for the 2018 NBA Draft. This choice no doubt was largely influenced by his strong combine performance that has seen his stock skyrocket. Huerter is projected by many to be a first-round pick and could very well land right where the Jazz are selecting at No. 21.
In fact, according to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo, there is chatter that Huerter actually secured a promise from a team to be selected in the first round. That certainly would have impacted his decision even more than his strong combine performance.
Word around the league tonight is that Maryland’s Kevin Huerter has obtained a promise from a team drafting in the first round. Certainly a helpful factor in his decision process.
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) May 31, 2018
The Utah Jazz aren’t a team that gives out draft promises, so especially considering that he forewent the workout with them, there’s practically no chance that they are the team that told him as much. Still, if Huerter is available when the Jazz select, he could very well be a target for them.
He averaged 14.8 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from deep in his final year at Maryland and projects to have significant upside. Several have drawn comparisons between him and Klay Thompson.
Was digging through some draft videos and came across this Klay Thompson and Kevin Huerter comparison. It’s not as far off as I expected. Obviously, this is just a one shot comparison but Huerter could be a good buy if you’re drafting later.
— Oliver Maroney (@OliverMaroney) May 31, 2018
🎥 via: https://t.co/wQVOrDomwv pic.twitter.com/afZJWeq1aJ
Turning into the next Thompson is obviously a long-shot, but that’s still a reassuring snapshot of his potential. With that being the case, and considering that he could be within reach at No. 21, it’s quite obvious why the Jazz would be keeping a close eye on him. There hasn’t been any word yet on if they’re going to reschedule a workout with him, but according to the Salt Lake Tribune’s Tony Jones, the Jazz will make every effort to do so.
Next: Utah Jazz: Nigel Williams-Goss named MVP, Hayward’s surgery
We’ll be sure to keep you posted if said workout is indeed scheduled. In the meantime, be sure to stay glued to TheJNotes.com for all your updates leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft.