List of Big Ten Early Entrants into 2020 NBA Draft
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Fifteen players from the Big Ten have applied to be early entrants in the 2020 NBA draft.
Ohio State had the most players entered with three. Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois had two. Purdue, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Maryland and Iowa had one each.
More than 200 players have thrown their name into the hat because a recent rule change allows college players to enter the draft and work out and/or interview with NBA teams. As long as they don't hire an agent, they can go through the entire process and then withdraw their name by the June 3 deadline and return to school.
It's expected that many of the 15 players on the list would do exactly that.
Here is the complete list of all Big Ten players who have entered, in alphabetical order:
- Dachon Burke Jr., Nebraska
- Marcus Carr, Minnesota
- Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
- Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
- Noel Eastern, Purdue
- Alonzo Gaffney, Ohio State
- Luke Garza, Iowa
- Aaron Henry, Michigan State
- Isaiah Livers, Michigan
- Daniel Oturu, Minnesota
- Jalen Smith, Maryland
- Justin Smith, Indiana
- Xavier Tillman, Michigan State
- CJ Walker, Ohio State
- Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State
The Big Ten has several seniors who likely will be drafted or signed by NBA teams this year. First-team all-Big Ten selections Cassius Winston (Michigan State), Anthony Cowan Jr. (Maryland) and Lamar Stevens (Penn State) all have high marks from NBA scouts. Second-team selection Zavier Simpson (Michigan) should get plenty of consideration as well.
The early entrants had a Sunday deadline to apply and have until June 3 to pull out. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA draft combine that usually takes place in mid-May likely will be canceled. Workouts with teams probably won't happen, and interviews with teams likely will take place only through virtual chats.
Related stories on early entrants
- INDIANA'S JUSTIN SMITH: Junior forward declares, was Indiana's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 2020. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE's NOJEL EASTERN: Junior guard/forward is a great defender who also led Purdue in assists. CLICK HERE
- IOWA'S LUKA GARZA: Top player's decision on NBA likely will determine contenders for 2021 Big Ten title. CLICK HERE
- FULL LIST: Complete list from NBA of all 205 players. CLICK HERE
