Arizona’s Nico Mannion officially declares for NBA Draft

After spending just one season in Tucson, Arizona point guard Nico Mannion officially declares his departure for the NBA Draft.

We all knew it was coming at some point, but early on Tuesday afternoon, Arizona point guard Nico Mannion officially announced his intent to forego school and instead head to the NBA.

Originally a highly-regarded recruit out of the Phoenix area, Nico came to Tucson with high expectations and high hopes, even though many anticipated it would be for just one season.

Arizona Wildcats

This year I know there have been some mixed opinions about how he performed, but being just a freshman, Nico appeared and started in all 32 games for the Wildcats, averaging 14 points, 5.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. That’s pretty good for any level!

Either way, he’s on to bigger and better as he now will look to get drafted.

As it stands, many are picking Nico to still go in the first round (slight drop from earlier in the year), with NBC projecting to have him go No. 22 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers.

While some feel he’d be better suited to come back for one more year, we did all anticipate for this to happen. Nico has the athleticism to be successful at the next level, but will of course need continued development.

Luckily for him, he’s just 19, and his best years are soon ahead of him.

To me, I feel he could easily be a great asset to any established team/ organization and in time become a solid point guard in this league. I think it would be best for him to go to a team that is competing for a playoff spot, and already have a veteran back court that will push him to get better.

Either way, we are excited to see how Nico does at the next level and will be cheering him on along the way! As always, Bear Down, Arizona and good luck, Nico!