Gonzaga basketball scoring leader Kyle Wiltjer considers declaring for NBA draft
Kyle Wiltjer is considering skipping his senior basketball season and declaring for the NBA Draft, a Gonzaga source said.
Wiltjer led the Zags in scoring at 16.8 points and was second in rebounding at 6.2. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward made 46.6 percent of his 3-point attempts and 79 percent at the free-throw line. He was named second-team NABC All-American and third-team AP All-American.
Center Przemek Karnowski said earlier this week he hasn’t decided whether he’ll return to Gonzaga or pursue a professional career. The All-WCC first-team selection made 62 percent of his field-goal attempts and averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.
April 25 is the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft.
Neither Wiltjer nor Karnowski appear in the first two rounds of 2015 mock drafts by nbadraft.net and draftexpress.com. In draftexpress.com’s 2016 mock draft, Wiltjer is listed as the 20th pick in the second round. The 2016 nbadraft.net mock draft has Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis 11th but doesn’t list Wiltjer or Karnowski.
Sabonis has told GU coaches he is returning for his sophomore season.
ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman tweeted that NBA executives have told him that Wiltjer “might go undrafted.” Tweeted ESPN.com NBA insider Chad Ford: “Yikes! We don’t even have a draft card for Wiltjer. Never heard a scout who thought he was a NBA player.”
Wiltjer, who sat out one season at Gonzaga after transferring from Kentucky, has earned his business degree and has been working on a master’s degree.
Ford doesn’t have Wiltjer or Karnowski among his top 100 prospects. CBSsports.com lists Wiltjer at No. 84. Draftexpress.com’s rankings of the top juniors put Wiltjer at 29th and Karnowski at 38th.
Wiltjer said he was planning on returning to GU but it should be pointed out that was roughly 30 minutes after Gonzaga’s record-setting 35-win season ended with a loss to eventual national champion Duke in Houston.