NBA Draft: Chances of an Auburn Basketball Player Being Selected
A day before the NBA Draft there has not been much mention of any Auburn basketball players being drafted in either of the two rounds.
However, there is still a chance that Tyler Harris, Cinmeon Bowers or Kareem Canty could get their name called on Thursday night. The odds of that happening are pretty low, but if you look at the numbers those players put up in the SEC you have to give some consideration.
Harris sounds like the best chance for an Auburn player to get drafted as he’s worked out with as many as 10 NBA teams including the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks.
The 6-foot-10, 228 pound Harris should be intriguing to a lot of NBA teams because of his versatility. He averaged 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Tigers in 2015-16, while racking up eight double-doubles.
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He’s not a great threat to shoot the three, but he can space you out and hit some jump shots, while also possessing the ability to hang with guys down low.
Auburn’s Tyler Harris, Cinmeon Bowers get NBA Draft workouts
It also helps that he has a brother, Tobias, who is already playing in the NBA for the Pistons. Even if Harris isn’t drafted on Thursday, I would expect him to sign with a team soon after.
Bowers has had at least one workout with the Milwaukee Bucks, so his chances of being drafted seem pretty low. He nearly averaged a double-double for the Tigers the past two seasons, and showed just as much versatility as Harris being able to play down low and as a point guard when Auburn was shorthanded.
Still, the chances of Bowers being selected in the NBA Draft are very small. It already sounds like he’s preparing to continue his career overseas, which I think will be the best move for him.
Finally, there is the odd case of Kareem Canty. He was by far Auburn’s best player at the beginning of the 2015-16 season – although he was up-and-down at times – but then all of sudden he quit on the team and decided to leave early for the NBA Draft.
Canty has very good handles as a point guard and can shoot the lights out, but I don’t know who is going to take a risk on his attitude. He basically argued with the coaches all season, and then ultimately just quit on his team.
He’s a great basketball player though as he was in the top five in the SEC for points and assists per game for much of the season. I could see a team taking a chance on him in the second round, but he’ll most likely be another one to sign with an NBA team after the NBA Draft.
Auburn basketball has not had a player taken in the NBA Draft since Jamison Brewer way back in 2005, and I don’t see that streak being broken in this year’s NBA Draft. Harris, Canty and Bowers are all nice players, but not enough to warrant a pick in the NBA Draft.
Next: NBA Draft: First Round Picks From Auburn Since 1978
I think Harris and Canty each sign with an NBA team after the NBA Draft is over, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Harris crack a roster in the summer league.