Evan Daniels thinks Isaiah Todd stays in 2020 & Tyler Herro very likely to enter NBA Draft

For the last month, many have assumed Isaiah Todd would ultimately reclassify into the 2019 class.

Currently a five-star forward in the 2020 class, Todd is working on getting his academics in order so he can reclassify into 2019 if he so chooses. And with the Kentucky Wildcats having just offered Todd a scholarship last week, it was starting to look like a sure thing Todd would be in 2019.

But in the wide world of high school recruiting, nothing is ever a sure thing.

247 Sports recruiting analyst Evan Daniels, who initially predicted Kentucky for the talented forward, now thinks staying in 2020 is the likelier option.

The Isaiah Todd recruitment is interesting. Originally I thought it was a shoo-in for Todd to reclassify, but now I’m thinking he’ll stay in 2020. That said, I think Kentucky is in great shape in his recruitment as of today.

That would be a significant hit to Kentucky’s 2019 efforts if it comes to pass, especially with Matthew Hurt trending toward Duke. The only way this could be a good thing for Kentucky is if they ultimately land another promising big in 2019. Perhaps that could be someone like N’Faly Dante, another 2020 big who may ultimately move into 2019.

Either way, this is some unexpected bad news for Kentucky’s 2019 efforts, and Daniels had more bad news regarding the 2019-20 roster. He thinks freshman guard Tyler Herro is very likely to leave for the NBA Draft this year.

My gut says PJ Washington and Keldon Johnson are locks to enter the NBA Draft. I think Tyler Herro is likely to make the jump to the NBA. Let’s put it at 90 percent.

A sophomore Herro could be one of the best players in college basketball, but the buzz continues to grow he’ll be leaving Lexington after one year.

While there’s a lot of debate as to Herro being ready for the pros after this season, we are seeing more mock drafts start to including him in Round 1, including the latest from CBS Sports, where Herro goes 23rd to the Oklahoma City Thunder:

The Thunder are 17th in the NBA in 3-point shots taken per game, and 19th in 3-point shots made. It’s one of their biggest flaws; Paul George making 41 percent this season is the only thing keeping them afloat. Drafting Tyler Herro would be an immediate booster to that end. He’s hitting 35.2 percent from deep this season, but his numbers are up quite a bit around 45 percent over the last month. Herro is a very good spot-up shooter, and with Russell Westbrook sinking defenses using his penetrating drives, he’d have plenty of open looks in OKC to knock down.

The good news is Daniels thinks Ashton Hagans, Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery all return, which would be a great foundation with Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney and Dontaie Allen coming in. Kentucky is also in good shape for five-star forward Keion Brooks. If all of that comes to pass, Kentucky’s roster could look like this next season:

• PG: Ashton Hagans
• SG: Tyrese Maxey
• SF: Kahlil Whitney
• PF: EJ Montgomery
• C: Nick Richards
• Bench: Keion Brooks, Immanuel Quickley, Jemarl Baker, Dontaie Allen.

That’s a really good nine-man unit, but ideally, it will include one more big man. It’s very hard to make it through an entire season with only two capable big men, so hopefully, Kentucky finds a way to get one of Todd, Hurt, Dante or another big for next season.