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Rutgers guard Caleb McConnell has announced that he is declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft. The Scarlet Knights guard will also maintain his eligibility for next season, leaving the door open for a possible return next fall.
The news isn’t a huge surprise as the current rules allow players to explore the possibility of being drafted before returning to their school for the following season. With one year of eligibility remaining the move allows McConnell to see where he stands with NBA teams and see if he has the potential of winding up in the league. At the very least it could help him find out what areas NBA teams want him to improve in.
In his fourth season at Rutgers McConnell averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.1 assists per game. He wasn’t a major offensive threat, shooting 39.1% from the field and 27.1% from three, but was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He is an elite defensive player, but without an offensive game to match it’s hard to see how he would fit at the next level.
McConnell joins Ron Harper Jr. and Jaden Jones as the third player to declare for the NAB Draft. Harper is a potential second round pick, so there’s a decent chance he will stay in the draft. McConnell and Jones don’t project to be draft picks so there’s the possibility that both could return to Jersey next season.