It's Not Time to Panic...Yet
Three Mountaineers (Sean McNeil, Taz Sherman, Miles McBride) have already declared for the 2021 NBA Draft all while leaving open the option to return to school. Senior-to-be Derek Culver has not made his future intentions public but must do so by May 30th.
Anytime a player declares for the draft, it puts a bit of a scare into the fanbase. There's always the "what if" game the comes into effect and if a player's evaluation comes back from the NBA much better than anticipated, there could be a chance that said player decides now is the time to make the jump. The one thing the fans should not do in this situation is to start hitting the panic button. Each of the three publicly declared for the draft is not projected to be high draft picks which increases the likelihood of them returning. In fact, McBride is the only one that is viewed as a "draftable player" right now. Even though he may be the most ready to make the leap, he is widely projected as a 2nd round pick. Unless he gets a 1st round grade back in his evaluation, I'd be surprised to see McBride move on. His potential is through the roof and coming back at least one more season could really put him on the NBA's radar instead of just barely being on it.
Sean McNeil and Taz Sherman are both sharpshooters but to be successful in the NBA or heck, even the NBA's G-League, they will need to improve their ball skills and defense. Playing overseas could be a viable option for Sherman but should he come back and post big numbers at WVU in 2021-22, he will up his chances at getting drafted or at least get a shot in the G-League - same with McNeil.
The time to worry about the WVU roster is not now. Scouts and NBA personnel are just beginning the evaluation stage of the declared prospects and will do so diligently to give the athletes the best possible feedback. The deadline for players to withdraw from the 2021 NBA Draft is set for July 19th at 5 p.m. EST. Decisions will likely be made in the months of June or July rather than April or May. Filing paperwork for the NBA Draft is honestly something every underclassman should do if advised. It does nothing but help the player understand the areas in which he needs to focus on and the report will also detail what the NBA scouts like. Don't mistake these young men for thinking they're 100% ready for the next level. Most that declare understand that there is still a lot of work to be done and are only declaring to see where they currently stand.
The one good thing is, head coach Bob Huggins has already landed a few players in the transfer portal (Dimon Carrigan & Malik Curry). Those two alone will help improve the team's lackluster defense from this past season and Carrigan, in particular, will solve the Mountaineers' issues protecting the rim. Huggins and his staff are still searching for more help in the transfer portal including DePaul's Pauly Paulicap, Monmouth's Melik Martin, and former Alabama signee Langston Wilson. If West Virginia can get at least two of the three declared players to return, they will be in pretty good shape for the 2021-22 season.
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