The NBA released the full list of early entry candidates for the 2019 NBA draft on Tuesday.
There is a total of 233 players who declared early, and of that number six are from LSU. Junior forward Marlon Taylor joined the list of Skylar Mays, Naz Reid, Javonte Smart, Tremont Waters and Emmitt Williams to declare.
Those six players combined for 2,284 of LSU’s 2815 points last season.
The six players from LSU tie Kentucky for the highest number of any players from one school to declare early this year. Duke and Gonzaga each have five early entrants.
NCAA rules state all players with remaining eligibility can enter the draft and sign with an agent, who can only pay for food and transportation, and keep their eligibility as long as they remove their name from the draft 10 days after the NBA combine.
This year players have until May 29 to remove their names and keep their remaining eligibility. In the meantime, they are free to meet with teams and go through the NBA combine, which is May 15 to May 19. However, only around 60-70 players get invited to the combine, and the 233 number stated above is strictly underclassmen and some international players. The number doesn’t include graduating college seniors or older international players.
With the limited number of spots at the NBA combine, other events like the Professional Basketball Combine and the Elite Camp have popped up. Still the vast number of draft prospects results in limited opportunities for most players who aren’t top 100 prospects, which means most players have to do their own heavy lifting and schedule private workouts with teams.
The full list of NBA combine invitees will likely be released sometime late next week.