Alabama star freshman Amari Allen declared for the NBA Draft on Sunday night while maintaining his college eligibility. It was a move that was long expected, though many believe the odds are good that Allen will ultimately remove his name from the draft and return to the Crimson Tide for his sophomore season.
But that final decision won't be made for at least another month. Allen has until May 27th at midnight to remove his name and return to Alabama. In between now and then, Allen will gather direct feedback from scouts, coaches, and front office executives, and will participate in the NBA Draft Combine from May 10-17 in Chicago.
Allen hit a bit of a freshman wall down the stretch, but he's got impressive physical tools, and his developmental path will have plenty of pro shot-callers intrigued.
Entering the process, Allen has been thought of as a late first or early second-round pick. But some like him more than others, and have him considerably higher. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman fits in that category, and his updated mock draft would be bad news for Nate Oats and Alabama's hopes of retaining Allen for a second year in Tuscaloosa.
Jonathan Wasserman has Amari Allen at No. 18 in his mock draft
It's not quite the lottery, but at No. 18, it would be hard for Allen to pass that up and return to college for his sophomore season. The Bleacher Report draft expert has Allen going to the Charlotte Hornets with that pick and notes that "teams are taking Amari Allen seriously."
Working in Allen's NBA favor - and against Alabama - are prospects such as UConn's Braylon Mullins, Duke's Patrick Ngongba, and Florida's Thomas Haugh, all electing to return to school. That's a trio of projected first-round picks that have cleared out of Allen's way, allowing him to move up draft boards before ever working out for a team.
This remains a deep and talented NBA Draft, and Allen could parlay a big sophomore year into next season's lottery. It's a similar path taken by Labaron Philon, who had a late first or early second-round draft projection a year ago before returning to Alabama and putting together a season that culminated in him being named to the All-American 3rd Team.
Philon's decision was fruitful, and Wasserman mocks the Tide superstar guard at No. 10 overall to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Allen will take that feedback from both Oats and, undoubtedly, Philon about a potential return to Alabama. But if he continues to trend upward once the pre-draft process kicks into gear, he could elect to stay in the draft and put the Crimson Tide in a bit of a bind on next season's roster.
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