Arizona Basketball: Brandon Randolph testing NBA Draft waters

Arizona Basketball sophomore Brandon Randolph, testing the waters in the upcoming NBA Draft.

After two years with Arizona basketball, sophomore Brandon Randolph has declared himself eligble for the NBA Draft in June. Under the new NCAA rules, he will still have the possibility of being able to head back to Arizona for at least one or two more years. Will he return, will he get drafted? Those are questions yet to be answered.

Similar to a lot of recent former Wildcat players, who are now having successful careers in the NBA, many say Randolph may not even got selected as one of the 60 during the draft. Both Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier this past draft didn’t, but both end up getting two-way contracts. Randolph may not be at the level of these two when they declared, but by doing so he will find out first hand what he will need to work on to make it to the next level.

More from Arizona Wildcats

With the new NCAA rules in place, it gives players like Randolph the opportunity to receive assistance from an agent from the pre-draft process all the way through to the NBA Draft itself. Randolph does have four days after the draft to return to Arizona if he doesn’t get selected.

Randolph may go on and surprise a lot of people, who knows? He puts in the work these next couple of months and he could impress at couple NBA teams, that’s all it takes. Or he may not? Never know unless you try. That’s what’s so great about these new NCAA rules. It doesn’t punish those who are willing to give the NBA a try.

Many players make the decision to declare themselves for the NBA Draft, after one year or two. Yes, some players such as Deandre Ayton and Zion Williamson are guaranteed to be drafted right away and be immediate impact players for the NBA. But not all players have that guarantee of getting drafted and end up playing overseas. They do though gain that experience of playing at the professional level with the hopes of possibility getting noticed and getting an opportunity to play for an NBA team.

After playing two years at Arizona. Randolph averaged 8.2 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game and shot 38.4% from the field. He went from averaging only 3.7 points per game as a freshman to 12.4 points per game his sophomore year. He did record a season high of 25 points in the first game of the season against Houston Baptist. Also, he knocked down four three pointers against Utah Valley State, sending an message to his teammates that he was going to be one leaders this year.

In the second half of the season, Randolph seemed to struggle at times. When shots weren’t falling, it seemed he was forcing it too much. A lot of times too, he was very predictable in going to his right. At the next level, he will need to be able to take it to the basket with both hands. For Randolph to be successful, he will need to improve his ball handling skills and gain confidence in his shot.

Another factor that Randolph will need to think about in returning to Arizona is his role next season. With the amount of incoming talent, plus the returners and possible transfers his playing time may be limited. If he does decide to come back to Arizona, Randolph will have to prove to coach Sean Miller that he deserves playing time.

Randolph is a valuable asset to this team, when he’s not forcing shots and making smart decisions with the ball. With next year’s rosters it is very likely he may not be a starter and have to come off the bench at times. That something he would be okay with? Will be very interesting to see how things play out next season.

More. Wildcats Basketball. light

At Zona Zealots, we would like to wish Brandon Randolph the best of the luck in pursuing his goal of getting into the NBA. Stayed tuned to see what happens next. Bear Down, Arizona!

Home/Arizona Wildcats