Purdue Basketball: Sports Illustrated NBA Draft Rankings

The NBA Playoffs are in full go.

But, in just a couple of short months, the NBA Draft will be here.

Our Seniors are gone, but there is one Super Sophomore that we are all worried about.

Well, Sports Illustrated has some nice things to say about Carsen Edwards, their Number 68 overall prospect.

“Edwards enjoyed a breakout season as Purdue’s go-to scorer and put himself on the radar as a legitimate NBA prospect. He’s entering without an agent and would seem best-suited to return for his junior year, where he should have a much better case in the draft, but is worth paying attention to now. His ability to make difficult shots off the bounce in spite of his size is rare, and his aggressive, bowling ball-style downhill game can be a lot of fun to watch. He needs to improve as a playmaker, defender and floor leader, but he’s a name to follow who could provide instant offense and help run a bench unit.” - SI

At 68, that is not being drafted, if you are not familiar, there are only 60 players drafted in the NBA Draft, but many sign as undrafted players and play in the G-League. He has until May 31st to pull his name from the NBA Draft.

Another familiar name, Vince Edwards comes in at 73.

“Though Edwards supplied Purdue with a bit of everything as an undersized four-man, he does nothing on an elite level, and a lack of great explosiveness and burst off the dribble precludes him from being a surefire NBA contributor. He’s a known commodity at this point, able to make open threes, rebound and handle different matchups on defense, but all of those things will be much tougher tasks in the pros. Edwards can make set threes yet isn’t a great shot-creator, which probably limits him to being a small-ball four, though he might be able to stay in front of slower wing players. He will have to fight for his place in the league.”

I do think Vince will be signed as undrafted FA - but will be hard for him to stick to an NBA roster.

There was no listing of Isaac Haas or PJ Thompson on the SI list, as expected.

Dakota Mathias was also not listed. There is a real chance that he is signed as an undrafted free agent and could stick for a team. In a recent NBA showcase event, Dakota was rumored to have played really well. There were statements saying that he shot the ball very well from three and he played great defense.

Of the four seniors, I think Dakota has the best shot to be in the NBA.

Best of luck fellas!