Should I Stay or Should I Go: Transfer or Declare for the NBA Draft?

Several players who entered the transfer portal are NBA prospects –– should they take their talents to another school, or enter the NBA Draft?

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Jaxson Robinson (2) looks to shoot against / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

With the deadline to enter the draft quickly looming, several players have decisions to make regarding their basketball futures. Here are three of those top players.

Jaxson Robinson | Guard/Wing | Brigham Young → ?

BYU's Jaxson Robinson has been a scoring threat for the Cougars all season long after transferring from Arkansas. He averaged 14.2 points, 2.5 boards, and 1.3 assists per game in his most recent season, doing so on 42.6% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc.

After Mark Pope left BYU for Kentucky, Robinson entered the portal with the question looming of whether he'd go pro or stay in college for another season. With a skillset on offense as good as his, teams could take a flier on him earlier and earlier as more players decide to stay in the college ranks.

Mohamed Diarra | Forward | NC State → ?

After a miraculous Final Four run that started with the Wolfpack winning the ACC Tournament, several players caught the eyes of the media as NC State became America's sweetheart (except for UNC fans). Obviously, DJ Burns Jr. was the belle of the ball, though not the best NBA prospect on the team.

That would be forward Mohamed Diarra, a defensive-minded big who led NC State in stocks last season, averaging 1.7 per game. Though his scoring was a big question mark (just 6.0 points per game), his defensive prowess makes him an interesting prospect.

Whether he is drafted or not, Diarra will probably spend a season or two in the G League developing some kind of offensive ability, because as of right now, he is unable to shoot the three consistently (30.8%) as well as struggling to score off the bounce. It would probably serve Diarra to take another year of college ball before trying to get drafted.

Wooga Poplar | Off-Guard | Miami FL → ?

After a Final Four run in the 2022-23 season which ended in a loss to eventual back-to-back national champion UConn, Wooga Poplar decided to stay in the college ranks and work on his game, which may have been the move considering how strong last year's class was.

Now that he's entered the portal, it will be an interesting decision on what he decides to do. Would he go to a powerhouse school and play in front of big-time scouts and fans? Or does he join a smaller conference, maybe a WCC, where he can be "the" guy, similar to what Brandin Podziemski did when transferring from Illinois to Santa Clara.

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All three of these players have legitimate pro potential, but may not be all the way there yet. Whether they stay or go, their decisions will be public soon enough.

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