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2018 NBA Draft Preview: Jeffrey Carroll Could Become 34th OSU Player Drafted Next Summer

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On Thursday night, Jawun Evans’ name echoed across the Barclays Center when NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced the Philadelphia 76ers had drafted him for the Clippers via a trade with the 39th overall pick.

Evans became the 33rd Oklahoma State basketball player to hear his name called in the NBA Draft, and by the looks of next year’s draft, OSU is in prime shape to continue its draft success by having a player selected in two consecutive drafts for the first time since 2005 when Jeffrey Carroll exhausts his eligibility.

Carroll tested the NBA Draft waters after a breakout junior season season but pulled his name out of consideration in hopes of improving his stock for a weaker draft next go-round. And if early mock projections from talking heads mean anything, it was a wise decision.

In what was pegged as one of the deepest drafts in a decade, Carroll was a borderline undrafted projection. But early mocks for 2018 project him as a likely draftee; DraftExpress.com has him going 55th and NBADraft.net has him going 41st overall.

His production at the college level is what makes him such an intriguing prospect, given his ceiling to improve.

The need for 3-and-D players—which Carroll has exhibited he’s capable of producing at a high-level—is at an absolute premium in the NBA. There were 12 shooting guards who were drafted on Thursday, but only three—Luke Kennard, Josh Hart, and Sindarius Thornwell—who averaged more points per game than Carroll last season. And he was the No. 2 option last season!

With what is likely to be a big senior year in terms of production for Carroll, I expect his draft stock to skyrocket as he’s given a chance to showcase himself as the No. 1 option on offense. NBA teams have shown a willingness to take a chance on productive college players who played out the entirety of their eligibility in recent years such as Josh Hart, Frank Mason and Malcolm Brogdon. Carroll could be the least experienced of those (he was averaging just 8.2 points per game a year ago), but his meteoric rise as one of the Big 12’s best players could have the interest of NBA GM’s piqued when the draft rolls around next summer.

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