Bennedict Mathurin has been a projected NBA lottery pick basically since the day he stepped back on Arizonaβs campus last summer. Dalen Terryβs reported draft stock now suggests he wonβt fall into the second round.
And, despite the NBAβs devaluation of 7-footers in recent seasons, Christian Koloko has been still projected to become an early or middle second round pick in Thursdayβs NBA Draft.
βI think Christian Koloko is undervalued, frankly,β ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said Tuesday during a Zoom media conference. βI sort of project him more in the first round.β
If so, Arizona could have three players taken in the first round of the NBA Draft for the first time ever.
Despite having 75 players drafted throughout NBA draft history and multiple players taken in 13 NBA Drafts since it went to two rounds in 1989, the Wildcats have only had two first-round picks in four different drafts.
In 1989, Sean Elliott went third and Anthony Cook 24th. In 1998, Mike Bibby was second and Michael Dickerson 14th and, in 2015, Stanley Johnson was eighth and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 23rd.
Then, two years ago, the Wildcats appeared on the cusp of putting three freshmen players all in the first round. Josh Green went 18th and Zeke Nnaji was 22nd, but Nico Mannion fell to No. 48 overall, well into the second round.
Maybe this time it could be different. Maybe Koloko and Terry both join Mathurin in the first round, where two-year contracts starting at $4 million are guaranteed.
βThat would be awesome,β UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. βI mean, at this point, I hope so.β
Producing three high-level NBA Draft picks would go a long way toward easing what has been a rough spring for Lloyd.
Neither Koloko nor Terry were projected to leave for the NBA entering last season and, while Kolokoβs stock rose starting in November when his defense helped him earn the MVP of the Las Vegas Main Event, Lloyd still had reason to expect Terry would return earlier this spring.
Then projected as a mid-second round pick, Terry entered the draft but kept open the option to return to school β the belief being that he would come back if not assured of a top-20 selection.
Then Terry rose through the predraft process to become a possible top-20 pick who, at a minimum, could command significant guaranteed money as an early second-round pick. He was gone.
Lloyd said NBA teams value somebody with Terryβs size, length and skills more than a center these days but that heβs also found some teams interested in how Koloko might help them.
βTeams that have a specific need β I know thereβs some teams that have had a lot of real interest in Christian and theyβve had multiple conversations with me about them,β Lloyd said. βSo I think heβll be all right on draft night.β
So will Lloyd, probably.
On Thursday, Lloyd likely will get a recruiting boost that could help load his future teams with talent: Heβll be able to tell top targets that he helped put three guys into the 2022 NBA Draft.
Maybe even three in the first round.
βIt helps,β Lloyd said of that possibility. βI think it helps everybody. It always reinforces to me that weβre doing the right things, that weβre developing them the right way. And Iβm sure it helps recruiting. So, yeah. All good problems.β
Hereβs how Arizonaβs three NBA Draft prospect look entering Thursdayβs draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York:
Their defensive ability is a major reason why guard Dalen Terry, center, and 7-footer Christian Koloko, right, could be taken in Thursday's first round.
Bennedict Mathurin
Age: 20 (born June 19, 2002)
Hometown: Montreal
Position: Wing
NBA measurements (w/shoes): 6 feet 6 inches, 205 pounds
Mock draft projections: No. 5 overall (ESPN), No. 6 (Athletic, NBADraft.net), No. 7 (Yahoo), No. 9 (CBS)
Arizona resume: The 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year, Mathurin averaged 17.7 points while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range in 2021-22. He started 12 of 26 games as a freshman in 2020-21, averaging 10.8 points while shooting 41.8% from 3.
Skillset: Athleticism, shooting ability, ability to move off the ball, competitiveness.
Bilas says: βThereβs a chance that Mathurin gets drafted higher than heβs projected, including that he could go number five, because heβs such an explosive shot-creator and so good in transition with his speed and power. Heβs such a good cutter and he rebounds his position. Heβs got positional length. Heβs got a 6-9 wingspan (as measured at the NBA Combine) So with his athleticism, length and his ability to shoot the ball, heβs a prototypical NBA wing.β
Dalen Terry
Age: 19 (born July 12, 2002)
Hometown: Phoenix
Position: Wing
NBA measurements (w/shoes): 6-7, 195 pounds
Mock draft projections: No. 17 overall (CBS), No. 20 (Yahoo), No. 21 (ESPN), No. 22 (Athletic), No. 27 (NBADraft.net).
Arizona resume: Terry was named to the 2022 Pac-12 all-defense team. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while posting a nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2021-22 and shooting 36.4% from 3-point range. Started 14 of 26 games as a freshman in 2020-21, averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Skillset: Versatility, ballhandling, instincts, ability to defend multiple players.
Bilas says: βTerry is really interesting. Heβs another guy whoβs crazy long with a 7-foot wingspan. But he does everything, and he really improved as an offensive player over the course of last season. He impacts the game in just about every way. He defends. Heβs really active. He can guard multiple positions (and he gets a) number of deflections. Heβs also got a really high basketball IQ. He can really see the floor. He makes good passes and heβs a ball-mover instead of a ball-stopper.
βI think heβll continue to improve, but I think what heβs shown is that heβs got a much higher ceiling than that people thought maybe a year ago and certainly playing on that team (helped last season). And heβs selfless. Itβs not about him. Heβs willing to do whatever it takes. And thatβs certainly what NBA teams are looking for. Not every player is going to be a star in the NBA. He can contribute in a number of different ways.β
Christian Koloko
Age: 22 (Born June 20, 2000)
Hometown: Douala, Cameroon
Position: Center
NBA measurements (w/shoes): 7-0, 221 pounds
Mock draft projections: No. 32 overall (CBS), No. 36 (ESPN), No. 40 (NBADraft.net), No. 45 (Yahoo), No. 46 (Athletic).
Arizona resume: Koloko is the reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in 2021-22. he averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2020-21 and 2.3 points per game in a limited role as a freshman in 2019-20.
Skillset: Shot-blocking, ability to defend smaller players, low-post scoring.
Bilas says: βWhile he is not a guy whoβs going to be banging down 3s, he can really defend and heβs not just a shot blocker/shot changer/rebounder. He can switch out on a guard and cover them the entire possession. A lot of big guys will get caught in a switch and they can guard for a couple of dribbles. But if you remember back to the Oregon game at McKale, he switches off on Will Richardson and makes an amazing defensive play, and did the same thing on Jacob Young β twice in the last several possessions (21 seconds) of the game. Arizona doesnβt win that game without Koloko having that ability. So you donβt have to listen to somebody tell you he can do that. You saw it real time in that game. And thatβs not the only game he did it. He did it throughout the course of the season.β
Rim shots
Arizona has offered scholarships to 2023 forward Cody Williams of Gilbert Perry High School and 2024 guard Dedan Thomas Jr. of Henderson (Nevada) Liberty High School after watching both heavily during Section 7 play last weekend.
Arizona 2023 commit KJ Lewis announced he will transfer from El Paso Chapin High School to Duncanville High School in the Dallas area for his senior season in 2022-23.
Former UA guard/forward Emmanuel Akot announced via On3 and Instagram that he has committed to Memphis after playing the last two seasons for Boise State. Akot left the Wildcats midway through his sophomore season of 2018-19 and sat out until 2020-21 as a transfer.
