UCLA has landed its share of freshmen in the NBA draft during the one-and-done era.
Regardless of tenure, the proud program hasn’t been short on volume either, producing three first-round picks as recently as 2014.
But the two have never converged like they are expected to in Thursday’s NBA draft, in which three UCLA freshmen are projected to be first-round selections.
Each member of the Bruins’ 2016 recruiting class – Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu – elected to depart for the NBA after one transformational season. The trio helped UCLA peel itself off the mat after a 15-17 campaign to go 31-5 in 2016-17.
As quickly as they came, they were gone.
Ball, the point guard who led the NCAA in assists last season while quarterbacking the highest-scoring team in college basketball, isn’t expected to last long Thursday night. The Lakers are widely projected to select him with the No. 2 overall pick, which would complete the Chino Hills High product’s rare path to the NBA within a 40-mile radius of where he would play professionally.
“It will mean a lot to play for my hometown team and learn from the best point guard ever,” Ball said, referring to Lakers president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson. “Yeah that’s crazy to me. Magic Johnson is the best point guard ever. Words (couldn’t) describe that.”
Before he even arrived at UCLA, Ball spoke openly about his goal of departing for the NBA after one season in college. Leaf’s departure was less expected and Anigbogu’s may have even surprised the player himself.
Leaf and Anigbogu were five-star recruits, but were afforded the luxury of flying under the radar considering the star power of Ball – and his father, LaVar Ball.
Leaf, a 6-foot-10 power forward with perimeter skills coveted in the modern NBA, was so exceptional during his lone season at UCLA, he couldn’t ignore the first-round projections. Six days after the Bruins bowed out of the NCAA tournament in the regional semifinals, Leaf announced his intention to declare for the NBA draft and hire an agent.
Anigbogu, a 6-10, 250-pound center, is projected to be a first-rounder based more on his potential than actual production while at UCLA. The chiseled 18-year-old, who won’t turn 19 until October, displayed a physique and athleticism certainly worthy of the NBA, but averaged just 4.7 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes per game playing behind veteran center Thomas Welsh.
Anigbogu declared for the NBA draft, but weighed his options for another 15 days before hiring an agent and officially ending his college career.
“When Ike came to UCLA, I don’t think he was even considering that he could be a one-and-done guy,” said Josh Giles, Anigbogu’s coach at Centennial High School. “By the end of the season, when I was at the Pac-12 tournament watching UCLA play Arizona, there were a bunch of NBA GMs there and people were saying Ike could be the best future pro on the floor between both of those teams.”
Bryce Alford is hoping to be the fourth UCLA player selected in Thursday’s draft, but it’s less clear if he will be among the 60 picks. The last time UCLA produced four draft picks was 1982, but the program has never landed four in the top two rounds of the draft. Alford, who ascended to No. 5 on UCLA’s career scoring list during his senior season, is hoping his 43 percent 3-point shooting last season will make him an attractive option as 3-point shooting becomes a more valued skill in the modern NBA.
Alford is difficult to find among mock drafts, where both Anigbogu and Leaf are popular targets of the Portland Trailblazers, owners of the 15th, 20th and 26th picks.
Ball is among the most heralded crop of point guards in recent memory. Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is expected to be the No. 1 pick, but Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, Frenchman Frank Ntilikina, NC State’s Dennis Smith Jr. and Ball are also point guards expected to be among the top 10 picks.
The Lakers, the only team for which Ball worked out, seemingly cleared the way for his arrival Tuesday by trading point guard D’Angelo Russell, whom they selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft. Considering the flurry of activity preceding the draft, including the Boston Celtics trading the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers, Ball is among those not counting any chickens yet.
“I can’t tell the future,” Ball said. “I don’t know where I am going.”
