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The 2016 NBA Draft remains an option for Marcus Lee and Isaiah Briscoe, though it doesn't seem quite as feasible after neither were invited to the NBA Combine.
You would think both guys would have opted to return to UK by now, but that hasn't been the case so far. We already know Lee's situation and how he has one foot out the door in terms of the NBA, so we probably shouldn't expect him to pull out anytime soon.
As for Briscoe, it's common knowledge the plan for him is to come back, though not before he hears from NBA scouts, GMs and key decision-makers who can offer him insight into how he must improve to be a high draft pick in 2017.
That's what Briscoe's father reiterated to the LCJ as his son remains in wait-and-see mode with the NBA.
"Oh, I don’t know," said George Briscoe, Isaiah’s father. "We have no thoughts right now. He’s going to work out for teams and we’ll see what he does."
What ultimately killed Briscoe's NBA draft stock was his inability to find his offense as a college freshman after being a dynamic offensive weapon in high school.
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"What I’ve been working on with my son is just getting his offense back, because he didn’t get a chance to show it last year," George said. "You don’t’ go from five months ago being a dominant scoring guard to going to school and not being able to perform, so I’ve got to get his confidence back.
"You don’t go to (the BallIsLife.com All-America Game) and win the 3-point contest, you don’t go to the (Nike Elite Youth Basketball League) and win the championship at the foul line with two seconds to go – you don’t do all that and then just lose it. We’ll get it back."
George also stressed that his son has not hired an agent as they both love Kentucky and will be happy to see him back, but they do want to see what the NBA has to offer.
"Oh, heck no," his father said. "I love Kentucky. He’s really grown as a person, so I’m OK either way."
Be sure to read the full interview.
It's safe to assume the Briscoes are planning for Isaiah to be back in Lexington next season. However, the way his father spoke, I do wonder if they're not trying to convince NBA teams that Briscoe can be the kind of offensive weapon he was in high school that he didn't show in college.
As we've mentioned time and time again, it takes just one team to fall in love with a player for said player to make the NBA jump. Perhaps there will be one NBA team who looks at the defensive force Briscoe was as a freshman and thinks he can eventually revive that offensive game and become the kind of complete play we all thought Briscoe would be, which would have been good enough to be a first-round pick.
I doubt it, but then again, I've seen NBA decision-makers think/do crazier things than spending a late first/early second-round pick on a prospect like Briscoe.