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Will he or won’t he.
That’s the question will likely be asking regarding several Kentucky Wildcats for the next two months. John Calipari said he expects everyone on UK’s roster to declare for the draft, and the deadline to withdraw from it won’t come until June 11.
That means we’ve got a ways to go before hearing the final word on what several Wildcats will do, at least if they don’t sign with an agent right away.
Everyone expects Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to leave, as he’s being projected as a high as a top-10 pick following a breakout freshman season.
Kevin Knox may not be quite as a sure thing to leave for the NBA, but for now, we should probably expect him to go and be pleasantly surprised if he doesn't.
Even Wenyen Gabriel may be ready to begin his professional career.
What about Hamidou Diallo?
The redshirt freshman guard was an enigma for much of this past season at UK. He would dominate both ends of the floor one game, then be a complete disaster the next. That’s expected with young players, but few have as much untapped potential as Diallo does.
That potential will probably get him drafted if he ultimately declares for the NBA Draft.
That’s probably why Kyle Tucker of SEC Country is giving Diallo just a 10-percent chance of returning to UK for another season.
However, KSR’s Matt Jones says don’t write off Diallo to the NBA just yet.
“Diallo is considering coming back,” said Jones. “What Cal wants him to do will have a big impact. If Cal looked at him and said, you need to come back, he might just do it. My prediction is still all three of those guys will go, but Hami has a shot at returning.”
I think Diallo ultimately leaves, but at least there appears to be a chance he’ll return for one more season. There’s no question he needs it, but passing on being an NBA Draft pick is hard to do.