A Number of LSU Basketball Underclassmen Have Important Decisions Ahead
Postseason basketball is so much more than wild, exhilarating finishes that always find a way to mix in a fair bit of madness. For fans it’s a stressed-filled, intoxicating spectacle.
But for the players on each of the 68 teams selected to participate in the big dance, it’s one last chance to show interested NBA teams what they're made of. Unfortunately, for many players that aren’t already seen as lottery picks, the loss of a postseason means a loss for that last exposure to NBA clubs.
For the 2019-20 LSU Tigers, a team that finished 21-10 and 12-6 in conference play, there are a number of players who have interesting decisions ahead in regards to their futures. Here are a few that could potentially be out the door.
Javonte Smart (sophomore point guard)
Coach Will Wade said at the beginning and of the season, that Smart's move to point guard wouldn't always look as aesthetically pleasing as Tremont Waters a year ago, but more times than not he'd get the job done.
Those sentiments turned out to be true as Smart led the SEC in assist to turnover ratio (2.16) during conference play. He had his up and down games from a shooting perspective as he averaged 12.5 points per game on 41.5% shooting.
"(Smart) has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the SEC. Did y'all know that?" Wade asked reporters. "He has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the SEC and everyone just s**** on him.
"I know he takes heat and it's not fair. It's not right. He's really, really good. And if you don't think he's a good point guard, you don't know anything about basketball. It's really that simple."
There were some stinkers for Smart, most notably in road losses against Florida and Alabama but there were also as many positive performances on the floor, like the final game of the year when he dropped 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Smart could elect to go pro in the coming weeks but would benefit from another year in college as well. If he were to return and continue an upward trend in his development, it'd be an added bonus to a stacked recruiting class for the Tigers next year.
Prediction: Declares
Emmitt Williams (sophomore forward)
As a 6-foot-7 forward with supreme athleticism and rebounding ability, Williams needed to be the Tigers "big man" in 2019. Williams averaged 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds a contest while shooting 56% from the floor and 42% (8-of-19) from three-point range.
While his effort and energy can't be overpraised, if Williams is serious about declaring for the 2020 draft this year, he'll need to prove to NBA scouts over the coming months that he can be a reliable perimeter threat. For his size, it's hard to make it in the league if you can't shoot the ball efficiently and you must always have great defensive instincts, an area Williams struggled with quite a bit in his sophomore campaign.
The other question Williams must ask himself over the coming weeks is how much he could improve his draft stock if he decided to return for a junior season. An extra year to continue to work on his shot could mean the difference in being drafted or undrafted.
Prediction: Declares
Trendon Watford (freshman forward)
The five-star freshman was asked to fill the shoes left by Naz Reid and Watford certainly showed flashes of what he can potentially become. Watford averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a contest which was good for No. 6 in the SEC and first among freshmen.
As a result, Watford was named to the All-SEC freshman team and while there's still work to be done on the defensive side of the ball, his offensive skills are undeniable. Watford scored double figures in all but three conference games for the Tigers on a 49% shooting clip for the season.
There are questions about how ready he is to make the jump to the NBA after one season in college but should he declare, there's a strong argument that he could become a second round pick in the right situation.
Prediction: Declares
Darius Days (sophomore forward)
There's a case that can be made that when Days was on the floor, he was the Tigers' most important piece outside of senior guard Skylar Mays. Unfortunately for the sophomore, he too often found himself in foul trouble, something that happened to him during his freshman season as well.
Days fouled out of six games in 2019 and picked up at least four fouls on 12 different occasions. When he was on the court, he was one of the Tigers' only perimeter threats opponents had to respect from the outside, despite shooting just 29.5% from three-point range for the season.
When he was able to play extended minutes, he recorded eight double-doubles and was always one of the more aggressive players on the floor, which is why he found himself in foul trouble a bit too much.
It's believed that Days will return for a junior season, one that would find him thrust into a leadership role with so many incoming freshmen and transfers. If all goes well, he should be one of the leading scorers on the team and set himself up nicely for the draft in a year's time.
Prediction: Returns
