College basketball players essentially reveal their intent to stay in the NBA draft by hiring an agent, which renders the player ineligible for college basketball. At that point, there’s no reason to withdraw from the draft.
International players don’t have the same way to show their plans. As long as they declare for the draft by Sunday, they can withdraw by June 12 and play in foreign leagues, which don’t disqualify players for hiring agents.
So, the only way international players can show they’ll stay in the draft is saying so – which Jonathan Jeanne did.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:
7'2 French big man Jonathan Jeanne has entered the 2017 NBA Draft, his agent Bouna Ndiaye informed us. DX profile: https://t.co/mt7mhhsCdc
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 19, 2017
J. Jeanne fully intends on staying in the draft, and joining the NBA next year, @Boundiaye tells us. Will not accept draft and stash offers.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 19, 2017
Jeanne is a borderline first-rounder, probably more likely to go in the second. The French center will turn 20 in July, putting him in line with many sophomores.
He’s 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, and he’s fast for his size. That rare combination is enough to intrigue.
His speed will be important offensively, because Jeanne is toothpick thin. He’ll need to beat defenders to his spot, because otherwise, he’ll get bumped off it.
Jeanne blocks plenty of shots, given his size. Again, he’ll need to fill out in a major way before making a major impact.
