LSU Forward Darius Days Entering 2021 NBA Draft
If there was one player of LSU's big four who possibly could've made a return for one more year, it was Darius Days. After going through the draft process a year ago, Days came back to school for a junior season with a new look, dropping 20 pounds and as a result, had a career season for the purple and gold.
On Friday he announced via Instagram that he'd be entering the 2021 NBA Draft but didn't indicate whether or not he'd be hiring an agent.
"Thanks to Baton Rouge for all of the love, support and life long relationships, you welcomed a small town country kid from Raleigh, Fla. into Tiger Nation," Days wrote.
Days averaged 11.6 points and 7.8 rebounds, shooting a career high 50% from the floor and 40% from three during his junior season for the Tigers. In the past, Days had struggled with foul trouble but coming back in much better shape he was able to stay very physical while improving on some of his foul trouble tendencies.
Along with Javonte Smart, Days will leave as one of the more accomplished players in recent memory from a win-loss perspective. The duo went 48-27 during the regular season in their three-year career, including a 39-14 record in the SEC. During that span the Tigers went to the Sweet Sixteen in their freshman season and Round of 32 before a loss to No. 1 seed Michigan in this past year's NCAA tournament.
Now, both, along with Trendon Watford, are set to take the next step in their careers. For Days, the NBA prospects are a little bit murky at the moment. While his shooting range and rebounding are coveted aspects for NBA teams this day and age, he's still not the quickest forward for his 6-foot-7 size.
Days would have stretches where he looked like one of the most dominant forces in the conference and others where he'd plateau. It's why this last year he was the true x-factor on this LSU team as a solid performance usually meant a win and a bad one usually meant a loss.
As a three-year player in the SEC, he'll need to post some good combine numbers and interview well for an NBA team to take a chance on him with a draft pick. He seems most likely the kind of player to be signed to a Summer League deal or a two way contract, where he'll split time in the G-League and NBA team.
